Keep Christmas With You All Through the Year

Yep, Christmas is over.

But in the wise words of Sesame Street, I say, why not save some Christmas cheer?

It may be one month and one day past Christmas, but hey!  Mindy and I still have our tree up, complete with rotting cranberries and all, so that means it must still be Christmas, right?

Ok, let's be honest here.

Christmas is long gone.  But the good news is that we've made a new discovery!  Did you know that there are like 5 national holidays every day?  Plenty of reasons to celebrate and keep the holiday glee going!  I mean, this week alone has been complete with National Beer Can Day, National Belly Laugh Day, and my personal favorite, National Cockroach Race Day.  True story.  Would I make this stuff up?

So, Mindy and I have made it our mission to bring a little joy to this world each day, by celebrating each and every holiday.  You're welcome.

For instance, I bet you didn't know that Sunday, the 23rd was National Pie Day.  If only we had spread the word faster, you could've been doing this too:

 

Alas, sometimes, the holidays bring conflict.  For instance, when you purchase a slice of cake on a day solely devoted to pie.  Oops.


But back to the true matter at hand: Christmas.  And to update you on the goings-on of my December, I've prepared a special photographic tribute to the most wonderful time of the year.  Enjoy!

It all began with the annual grandkids picture.  As you can see, there is one of us missing!  That's right, Jess couldn't make it up to Washington, which was sad.  But we still saved room for her in the picture for future photo-shopping endeavors!

 Then, it was off to the dinner table for some delicious Christmas dinner!  It was here that I gleaned photographic evidence of a disturbing event.

 Yes, it's true.  Grandma is indeed sitting down at the Christmas dinner table.  Take a good look at this picture, because this may never happen again.  Now if only we can get Grandpa to take a seat next year...unlikely, but it could be possible.

Despite all this, 5 minutes later, Grandma and Grandpa were back hard at work making lefse, so that everyone could enjoy...

...This!

As is tradition, I commenced to bother people to take pictures with me during dinner:

 My Dad...

And Derek....Wow.  I bet these people are super glad they got to sit next to me while enjoying their dinner.

 And of course, had to take a commemorative picture with the gravy boat to note the 4 year anniversary of the momentous day when we discovered that the plate and boat are actually connected (this one's for you, Jess!).

We stuffed ourselves silly (refer to Lindsay in below photo for proof), full of lefse and scalloped corn and made our way over to church for the candlelight service.

 Got to see Bekah, which was fantastic as always!

And again, saved some room for Jessica next to the Christmas tree :)

And what a surprise when we found....

Candy in a bowl next to the baby Jesus?!  God is good!

 Went back to Grandma and Grandpa's where I found the perfect seating arrangement for opening Christmas presents!

 Steven wasn't too high on that though.  I can't imagine why...

 So, since Brian had already claimed the comfy chair, 

I was demoted to my new seat on the floor,

 And the presents commenced!

 Tony gave me a sideways glance (Sorry, Tony, I don't know why this photo won't turn upright!  I mean,...that's totally on purpose.  I meant to do that),

 Grandma and Grandpa laughed,

 And Lindsay got some new ideas for Dad's future mustache grooming inspiration!

So, I know you all want to know, what was my favorite gift?  Well, let's be honest here.  Can anything really beat out these super cool headbands Grandma and Grandpa bought us?

Ok.  Maybe Lindsay's shirt.  Maybe.

 And I was pretty excited about my new cuddle buddy, Cedric!  

Along with health insurance, a swimming pool, and a new plan for my life, "somebody to love" also made it onto my Christmas list this year.  My parents had the right idea; this guy's THE BEST!  And he smells like lavender.

 Starving from our 2 hour excursion from food, we dove into the cookies!

Well, some of us did.  

 And I guess that pretty much capped off the night!

 PS. Did I mention that that was all Christmas Eve?  Yep, it's not over yet, cause it's still time for...

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!  

Where somehow, Mom and Grandma unintentionally dressed up like each other for church.

Lindsay wanted to get in on the look-alike fun too, but she obviously did not get the memo that Christmas 2010 is red, zip-up vest day.

Grandma and Grandpa came over that afternoon to play some fun games with us!

 If you don't believe me that these games were fun, then just take a gander at this photo:

 Does that face not spell F-U-N?

 We also had Grandma and Grandpa try out some games on my parents' new Kinect for XBOX, which I think they enjoyed!  

 If they didn't enjoy them, well, it's beyond me, because can I just say that I'm kind of in love with the Kinect?  Dance Central might be my new favorite thing since like...hmm, Denise Austin?  And if you know me at all, then that's really saying something.

And last but not least, the Gibbon Family Christmas!!!

Ok, guys, this is kind of embarrassing, but I regret to admit that I kind of neglected my camera-wielding duties that night.  I mean, I only took 2 measly pictures!  2.  What was wrong with me?!  I must've been sick or something.  Or just too busy chatting with everyone :)

Nonetheless, I got to see my beautiful cousins, which was awesome,...

And eat WAY too much pie and sukiyaki!  Which was also awesome.  Until I realized that the capacity of my stomach is not 5 tons and therefore, cannot hold that much beef, pie, and yam noodles.  So full.

All in all, when I look back at the past month, this is what I have to say.  

I love my family.  

I love my friends.  

I love food.  

I love games.  

And most importantly, I love Jesus.  

Which explains why the month of December is so completely wonderful.  God is good.  That's the truth :)

Disneyland: The FINAL Episode.

Failure.

That's right.  I said it.  I may officially be a blogging failure.  I mean, I've been trying to write about Disneyland since,...September?  

Oi vay.  This is just embarrassing.

Which is why I've decided that the time has come.  I will tackle the rest of my Disney summer vacation today! NOW.

Are you ready?  Ok.  But first, let me just give you some blog-reading instructions:

1) Please read like a picture book; emphasis on the photos rather than the intellectual content of the writing*

2) Before reading, please supply yourself with snacks, preferably cookies and eggnog (in honor of the impending Christmas season), in order to avoid distraction from the blog or malnutrition

3) If drowsiness occurs, contact your healthcare professional immediately.  There's obviously something seriously wrong you.

Alright!  I think that pretty much sums it up!  When you are ready to proceed (meaning you are fully-equipped with all holiday treats and beverages), PROCEED!

Disneyland: The FINAL Episode

(This is kind of in the same vein as the final season of LOST, except more epic).

As you'll recall, we left off at the place where dreams come true, Disneyland (or at least, that's what they said in the fireworks show).

With Mom and Dad gone for the morning, taking Steven to school, Lindsay, Brian, and I ventured to the wild side of Disney.  Peter Pan, you ask?  Nah, the line was too long.  Anyone recognize this crazy coaster?

Hmm I guess you can't actually see the coaster at all.  Plus, to tell the truth, I can't even remember the name of this ride, but I'm pretty sure we went on it multiple times, so it must have been worth it.

But the wild party really began when we experienced the wonders of this magical fountain:

Sitting next to it, I began to transform into a modern-day mermaid!

 Ok, that's a lie.  You caught me.

Regardless, the magical powers of this fountain inspired Lindsay and Brian to journey over to the water-rafting ride.  However, I knew better.  You see, you can't trust these water rides.  Every time my family goes to a theme park, I manage to somehow let them convince me that going on a water ride is a good idea.  And while everyone else is laughing and having a good time...

This is what happens to me:

And to make matters worse, then, this turns up in the Gibbon Family Christmas card:

Thanks, Mom.

So, I chose to take the smart route and have a little Disney alone time.

First, I took myself to the bread factory, where they give you free sourdough samples!  Most people took the bread and left, but I actually watched the factory tour and made friends with all the bakers.  I am a good kid.

After leaving all my new buddies at the bread factory, I ran into none other than the tortilla factory next door, where they were giving out...

Free tortilla!  Score!  Who says it's costly to eat at Disneyland?  You could just take incremental tours of the bread and tortilla factories.

Mom and Dad returned, and we tackled Toy Story Mania, where I scored a whopping 240 points!  Probably the high score of the day.  To celebrate, we were made honorary cowboy toys.

That evening, two fantastic things happened: 1) We went to my favorite outside-of-Disney restaurant, Mimi's Cafe, but more importantly, 2) I got to see my beautiful and much-missed cousin, Jess!

 

The photos soon commenced. 

Words cannot explain how much I've missed having her around!

And to top it all off, a big group photo with all the wonderful people we got to spend the evening with.

 Back at Disneyland, they had started the dance party without us, so we quickly joined in!

 See that neon green/blue guy in the background?  He was showing dance moves for everyone else to copy.  It was fantastic.  This is how all dance parties should be, in my opinion.

 All danced out, we headed to MuppetVision 3D to relax.  Little did we know they would enlist us as subjects in their newest study on anxiety.  I don't think the meds worked.

 But enlightened by the stress meds (or maybe just the exhaustion from a full day of Disney), Lindsay and I had an epiphany!  Our faces are similar, yet all my features are bigger than hers.  Therefore, we did a little experiment of our own to see if this theory is correct:

Verdict?  Isn't it obvious?  Yes, with my face scrunched and Lindsay's stretched, we are pretty much identical.

Day 2: Mom and Krista's Adventures in ToonTown!

Lounging in Minnie's house.

Taking advantage of Minnie's hospitality: Tea Party!

I'm wishing, for the one I love, to find me, today!

TODAYYYY!

Guess what.  I waited by this wishing well for 3 hours.  And he never came.

 

 Wreaking havoc.  Good thing we have car insurance.

 Being sexy comes easily when you're so close to the influence of the seduction expert herself, Jessica Rabbit.

 Making the long and arduous hike to the top of the Chipmunks' treehouse.

 Adults can go on slides too.

My favorite fruit!  I ate the whole thing!

Braving the seas!

And once again on dry land, we found ourselves in the house of a real Disney star!  Can you guess who?

M-I-C---K-E-Y...

M-O-U-S-E!  We quickly made ourselves at home,...

Took a tour of Mickey's impressive vegetable garden,...

 And found where he keeps all his pet chickens!

 And finally, we found Mr. Mouse himself!

Afterward, I needed to freshen up in preparation for...

My impromptu Disneyland debut!

 I instantly became so famous from my performance, that I decided to grace my adoring fans with an appearance at the princess village!

This prince guy even tried to sweep me away to his castle, but I couldn't leave my Mom all alone, so he settled for a picture instead.

But alas, the day quickly went downhill from there.

 I got put in jail for impersonating a princess.

Then, my camera broke.  AND the camera shop was closed!  Sheesh.

And come on!  You're not supposed to go to the gym while you're on vacation.  That's against every rule in the book.

To cheer us up, Mom and I rode "It's a Small World" seven times.  It worked!

At long last and sad to have missed out on the "Small World" fun, the rest of the family awoke from their slumber and joined us for a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

How much do we love Disneyland?

THIS much!  Which is why we had work to do.  Time to make the most of our last couple hours in the park.

 

 We started off by...getting stuck on the Indiana Jones ride?

 I tried to get us going, but the gas pedal on this jeep must've been faulty.

 We continued our adventures on this next ride, a personal favorite of Lindsay's.

Can you guess who the drama major/middle child/actress is in this picture?

  

 Well, by then, we were all hungry of course, so we stopped for a veranda dinner with this Kryptonite drink.

 Oh wait.  I think they called it a Mint Julep.  Either way, it was green.

And just as I was starting to feel sentimental about leaving one of my favorite places on Earth,...

We ran into this merchandise blunder.  Umm, who thought these were cute?  And that anyone would want to buy one?  

(To anyone who actually owns one of these adorable, rolly-polly Mickeys, just ignore the above comment.  Good purchase!).

And then, though it had barely begun, just like that, it was over.

Disneyland: The FINAL Season Part 3: Return to the Minivan

When you're on the road, and you've already taken about ten million pictures in the car on the way to your destination, the only logical thing to do on the way home is take pictures of all the food that you eat.

With that said, let the ride home begin!

And begin it did at this manly diner, which featured televisions playing coverage of logging competitions inside.

 Breakfast is most definitely the best meal of the day...

 And in my opinion, diners know just how to do it!

 This roll was so big, it forced Brian into an involuntary food coma.

 And after a satisfyingly delicious meal, I thanked my new boyfriend, Sam, for having us over to his house.

Unfortunately, my relationship with Sam ended much too quickly, as we had to hit the road and move on to our next destination.  Jessica (referred to earlier in this post**), who couldn't believe that none of the Gibbons had ever experienced her favorite fast food treat, suggested that we check out In-N-Out Burger on the way home.  Always open to trying new things,...

 ...We did!  Thanks for the tip, Jess! 

 You might recognize this next treat, if you like eating samples and buying things in bulk.  Yes indeed!  Costco frozen yogurt!

And last but not least, to conclude our food roadtrip, we ended up in Olympia at this Mexican restaurant.

Being in a car for that long can make you go crazy for Mexican tostada salad.  Or just crazy in general.

And now, as the pictures wind down, I guess this blog post does too.  No need to thank me, I know since finishing this post, you've all reached your reading quotas for the next 5 years.  You're welcome.

I'd like to close out our magical trip to Disneyland with an ode to pictures taken on rides.  Please enjoy our expressions, laugh, and be merry.  Til next time, Disneyland!

 

 *For future reference, this instruction should be applied to the majority of my blog posts.

**To clear up any confusion as to which Jessica I am referring to, I'd like to specify, Jessica my cousin.  Not the rabbit.  Thank you.