The Jackson-Long fiascos have been one of my favorite things these last 21 years.
It all started when my mom strapped baby Marc into her front pack, and led little Rebecca, Aaron and me into the public library where we ran into Pam Long with baby Jena in her front pack, and little Jake, Dirk and Simon in tow.
I think our young mothers must have pointed at each other and said, "Is that what I look like?!" and a fast friendship was forged.
We home schooled, vacationed, and attended church together.
If I lived closer to my folks' house I'd dig up and show you all sorts of pictures of our childhood fiascos.
I'd show you the summers we camped near huckleberry patches, and the weekends we raced through the Longs' orchard barefoot, shooting potato guns and swinging on low branches.
I'd show you the time the boys built a paddle boat and the girls sewed Easter dresses, and the Sunday afternoons we'd gather at my family's house for $5 'cardboard' pizzas, Power Pete tournaments, and wrestling matches.
It's a special friendship that doesn't fade after everyone's grown and moved away.
Ours is a very special friendship.
Each year, the fiascos continue.
They continued when my family flew to Austria for the summer and the Longs surprised us with a visit.
There's nothing quite like a Jackson-Long fiasco in the alps.
We hiked,
and then got caught in a torrential downpour.
Later we drank hot drinks in the basement of the castle where we were staying, and, of course, engaged in nose humor. Nose humor is one of our specialties.
When we're not galavanting about the Alps, you never know what you'll find us doing.
We race to see who can stack cups the fastest.
We dance.
We braid each other's hair.
We have poetry recitations,
And deep conversations.
And always always always, we take couch pictures.
When we were little kids we snapped a photo of us all sitting on the same couch, from oldest to youngest.
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| This is about 12 years after the original couch photo |
We don't fit anymore.
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And there are more of us than there used to be.
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| Back row, from left to right: Jake, Dirk, Simon, Marc Front row, from left to right: Sarah, Kristin, Rebecca, Taylor, Aaron, Jena |
But still we snap couch shots at every reunion.
We try to make our couch photos as interesting as possible.
I believe this is our road kill pose:
And of course, no couch photo session is complete without a role of tape.
Because nose humor is one of our specialties.
And these are just a few reasons the Jackson-Long fiascos are one of my favorite things.
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