The Jacksons go to San Diego: A Photo Journal

I'm lying in bed while this virus storms through my system, but I'm grinning big as I flip through photos of my time with family this month. Won't you join me?

After spending a week in Sun Valley with my parents, my mom and I realized we hadn't taken a single interesting photo. The two photos I took of a mongoose-less woodpile and dandelion seeds do not count. And so ten minutes before bed on our last night in Sun Valley we reenacted every significant event of the week and took a picture of it.

I present to you: our staged photo journal

We rode bikes a lot.

And wrote a lot.

And read a lot.

And tried to figure out how to work the TV a lot. Like every day.

We also engaged in wild celebrations whenever we figured out how to get the TV remotes to work. Well, whenever my mom figured out how to get them to work. I tend to stick to the cheerleading role when it comes to troubleshooting technology.

After shooting several other random yet thrilling photos, we eventually wrapped up our vacation-documenting endeavor and headed to bed.

We arose three hours later and hit the road in order to catch our flight out of Boise to San Diego for my grandpa's memorial service. It was at this point that we realized that far more interesting photos result from live, on-the-scene documentation.

Take for instance, the deer escapade. Alas, I do not have a picture of this deer. I try not to think about this deer. It is hard, though, not to think about him. Especially when you have to drive 50 minutes at 3:30 in the morning to the nearest town with the deer's imprint on the front of your car.

We tried very hard not to hit this deer without endangering ourselves. We were cool, collected, and in control during the whole thing, but the deer was massive and we had to hit him. For years I have known that it is safer to hit an animal than to swerve into a ditch for him, so I braced myself as soon as I saw him. It was sickening and disorienting, and I shudder every time I remember it.

But I am also very thankful. For some reason our airbags didn't eject and we were able to drive to a small town 50 miles up the road that had cell reception before the car died. Thankfully, we were able to get a tow truck to come to this tiny town at 4:30 A.M.

This is what we look like when we're feeling sad about hitting a deer and a little nervous about making it to the airport in time.

Here we are at the airport. On time!

Upon arriving at the San Diego airport we met my siblings and dad.

The six of us squished into a five-seater sedan and drove to the hotel. This is a very effective means of getting reacquainted quickly.

We spent some time in San Diego before heading south, and we took careful documentation of our adventures.

First things first: Rebecca caught me up on all the reality TV escapades I needed to know about.

With this out of the way, we moved on to other important things.

Like this.

And this.

The plan was for all for of us to simultaneously assume the plank position while balancing on the stair rail, and although Sister and I easily hoisted ourselves up, did a few flips around the bar while holding on with just our pinkies, and then hovered in mid-air with a one-inch platform to balance our rigid bodies, the boys had some difficulty assuming the plank position, and so we didn't get the picture.

Geez boys, you might want to hit the weights or something.

If we were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy waiting for a train, this is what we'd look like.

Eventually, we got hungry.

And then we got thirsty.

And then we were full and happy, and so we ended the day with a jolly laugh...

...and a family photo.

The rest of the week was a busy blur of family gatherings, my grandpa's memorial service, and the graveside service. These final photos were taken at the graveside service, just before I returned to Los Angeles.

I love the contrast of the kids playing with the rose petals at the foot of my grandpa's coffin. My grandpa left behind him a legacy of life: young lives, maturing lives, and lives that have been transformed by the Life of Christ; Lives that can look death in the face and ask, "Oh Death, where is your victory? Where is your sting?!"