A visit to Coronado

Friday: July 30, 2010

Today we made our way down to San Diego and Coronado island (which is really a peninsula). Our first stop was Seaport Village. It is extremely picturesque. Cute stores, interesting vendors, and a beautiful view of the harbor. We stumbled upon these beauties from Brazil:

Some other cute pictures from the village:

We also took a little walk around the Hotel Del Coronado. I don't have much to say except it is beautiful.

 I stayed there once in high school with Mom and Dad and Jonathan. You don't get opportunities like that every day. I'm a lucky girl. 

We hit up the outlets afterwards and finally arrived back in Escondido. I am watching Dan in Real Life with my parents and Jonathan right now as I type. Everyone else is out for date night. One day I'll get to join them, but until then, I'm happy babysitting sleeping kids and relaxing with my parents. 

Boys Day Out

Thursday: July 29, 2010

Yesterday was the boys' day for golfing. We attempted to feed the ducks, but they were nowhere to be found. We ended up at the Recreation Center and had a lovely time playing air hockey and foosball.

We ended up at the pool again which is always an adventure--hopping from the big pool to the kiddie pool to the hot tub. Ie Mei and I went for a run afterwards. She is amazing at running these days. She's training for a triathlon.

Then it was time for our family talent show which ranged everywhere form dancing and singing, to jumping and magic tricks. It was all really cute. We finished off the night with a game called TIME'S UP. It was HILARIOUS. It's a combination of catch phrase and charades a little bit and it makes for lots of good times.

Day at the Museum

Wednesday: July 28, 2010

We planned to leave at 9:00 AM in order to get to the Mormon Battalion Museum around 10:00 AM, however, life can be pretty unpredictable with lots of kids. But, we did make it there eventually.

It was a super cool tour. Both the kids and the adults had a wonderful time. I may or may not have been really embarrassed when Brad started clapping along to the music in the movie--he was the only one--and didn't stop until the movie had ended. I looked for my friend's sister who is supposed to be serving there, but later found out that she doesn't arrive for another week.  Anyway, we got this great picture to remember our visit.

Later on Jonathan and I headed to Oceanside with the Tay team to have a little fun in the sand. We came back to a wonderful dinner prepared by Michiko for my mom's birthday dinner. She's now like 35 or something ;). Happy Birthday, Mom!

Cabana

Tuesday: July 27, 2010

We love swimming at Lawrence Welk. They just built a new pool area that is simply stunning. One of the perks of this new pool area is the cabanas. You know, those pool-side tent looking things with comfy chairs in them. Well, since we have three nursing moms here, we decided to get one for the day so they could relax and nurse in there but still be present at the pool.

I think it may have been one of the best ideas ever. We got to spend all day at the beautiful salt water pool, go down the water slide, hang out in the hot tub and then return to our cabana for snacks. It was perfect.

Later on Mom and Vanessa teamed up for dinner and it was delicious. You'd never mistake mom for a Mexican from her looks, but you might from the taste of her food. She makes a mean Mexican meal.

Reunited and it feels so good

Monday: July 26, 2010

Yesterday was the first full day of our family reunion. We started off with a family walk in the morning.

Then we headed to grandma and grandpa West's condo for breakfast: waffles and eggs. It was delicious. Afterwards, about half of us headed to the pool. The other half joined us later. One thing I realized when I was there: I still can't keep up with my older brothers in swimming races. But that's ok, I much prefer watching these cute girls play in the kiddie pool.

Brad and Ie Mei were in charge of dinner and they made a delicious chili and cornbread meal. Afterwards, Ie Mei gave a wonderful lesson on temples for Family Home Evening. She wanted all the little children to know how important temples were and made them aware of all the wonderful work that is taking place there on Saturday. My parents and older siblings are going to finish the work that we started last Friday.

We sang Families Can Be Together Forever and I Love to See the Temple. Such wonderful songs. I think I love them even more when I sing them with my family. We stayed up late and chatted. I got to hold a sleeping Mina in my arms for just a little while. Holding sleeping babies is one of the greatest feelings.

 I love seeing all my nieces and nephews interacting with each other--It's the cutest thing. I look forward to the day when I have little kids at these reunions. It was a wonderful first day and I know that only more great memories will follow throughout the week.

Lawrence Welk

 This is from Wikipedia: 

Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, hosting The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music."

However, when I hear his name, all I can think of is the place where my family and I spent countless weeks soaking up the sun in Escondido. That is where I am right now. My parents have a timeshare at the Welk Resort and I have fond childhood memories of this place.

Today marks the start of the Howard and Amy West 2010 family reunion. Included in this are all six West kids, their spouses, and their kids. There are a total of 26 of us and I am so excited to be here for the week. It's like that famous song, "reunited and it feels so good!" This week I hope to take lots of pictures, reminisce about the good old days, and create so many wonderful memories.

I've never seen the Lawrence Welk Show, but I have seen a pretty good remake on SNL. It doesn't look like this embedding thing is going to work, but just look up Lawrence Welk on Hulu. It's hilarious. 

A Place of Love and Beauty

The title of this post comes from a beloved primary song: I Love to See the Temple. This is a very true statement. I had a wonderful opportunity this morning to go to the Los Angeles temple with my dad and brother to perform baptisms for the dead. All temple trips are special, but this trip was unlike any other I've experienced. 

Whenever I go to the temple I just use the names they have on hand--I've never done family names. But today that changed. It was such a special experience. I was able to be baptized for both of my grandmothers and two of my great-grandmothers. As I was baptized I thought of them and how happy they might be. I thought of my mom's mom who had the most beautiful smile and who I spent a lot of time with in high school when she lived with us on occasion. And then I thought of my dad's mom who I've only seen pictures of--she passed away before I was born. It was the most wonderful feeling and I can only imagine them smiling and being so happy because of the events that took place today. I feel just a little bit closer to them, even though they're far away. 

Jonathan was also able to be baptized for my two grandfathers and I know that it was special for him too. I was getting dressed when Jonathan was being baptized and confirmed, but when it was time to go Jonathan said that my dad got quite emotional when he performed the confirmation for his father. My dad has a very soft heart and I know that it was such a special experience for him to be able to do this for his parents. 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to do baptisms for my family members. I'm grateful for this gospel that has been restored on the earth by the prophet Joseph Smith. I'm grateful for temples and the work that is done there. I know this is the true church and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet today. I'm so happy that families can be together forever.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty-three

I technically am only in Virginia for part of today, but I love it so much that I wanted to post one more time from this beautiful state. So we already went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and it was delicious. Believe it or not, it was my first time ever trying it. I was very impressed. 

We are going to leave for the airport within the hour, but I couldn't leave Ashburn without a few silly pictures. 

It's been a wonderful three weeks and I'm going to miss this state for lovers. Ie Li Anne, thank you for letting us live at your house for the last three weeks and take care of your beautiful children. We couldn't ask for a better sister. We love you!

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty-two

I started off the morning with a lovely run around the Ashburn neighborhood. I don't think I've ever sweat that much in my life, but it was still refreshing. Mei Li helped me get ready and kept me company as I started packing up my suitcase. She is always very helpful. She especially likes to pick out my earrings and keep me company while I do my makeup. Mostly she just likes it when I share my makeup with her. This is quite shameful, but sometimes I try and get out of playing hello animals by offering to put some makeup on her. It usually works too.

Ie Li and I ran some errands with the girls while Stephen was asleep. My first week here I bought a new quilt for my bed and we happened to find the matching sham today. It was a nice find. I'm excited to do some decorating in my new apartment this fall. We headed home and found an awake Stephen. The first thing he said to me was, "I cracked some eggs." And I just thought, "OH NO..." Fortunately it wasn't as bad as I had pictured it in my head. We did find one cracked egg in the sink and one at the foot of the refrigerator, but there was no permanent damage.

The plan for tonight's dinner was to go out to eat because it's our last night here, but we ended up eating in and it was perfect. Ie Li whipped up some delicious waffles and buttermilk syrup and it was delcious. When Steve came home we piled in the car...(these kiddos love their Uncle Jonathan)



and headed to a little ice cream shop called:

.

Since today was my last real day in Virginia, we invited Barrett to join us for ice cream. Immediately when he walked in the door Mei Li and Stephen were jumping for joy. They love him. We ate our delcious ice cream and then headed back home. Barrett and I were able to chat for a bit while Steve and Ie Li put the kids to bed.

It's been so nice having a friend here in Virginia and being able to go to so many cool places: downtown for the fireworks, Purcellville, Field of Flowers, Gruto's, etc. I'm pretty sure today was the last time I'll see Barrett before he leaves for his mission. It was a bittersweet goodbye. I'm going to miss him, but I'm so happy that he's chosen to serve the Lord for the next two years. Barrett, thanks for everything. You're the best.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty-One

What? I've been here for 21 days?! Crazy, I know. I feel like I can't even remember what I've been doing every day. Good thing I've been blogging everyday. I am quite proud of that. As I've mentioned so many times before, I've become friends with lots of kids from Virginia. One of them is Preston Redd. He has a wonderful mother named Cindy who I have become well acquainted with. We first met in California when I saw the BYU vs. Chapman lacrosse game. We met again in the spring when she came out to Provo to see her son, Taylor, play one of his final lacrosse games.

 

Well, long story short, Cindy and I are good friends now. She lives just a little ways away from Ie Li and was kind enough to invite us over to her lovely home today. Barrett picked Jonathan and me up and we headed over to the Redd's home. Barrett is such good friends with them that we just walked in through the back door. It reminds me of being back at BYU when people would just open our door and say hello. I miss those days. Anyway, back to Virginia.

 

When I walked into the kitchen I saw Cindy, Dillon, Becca, and Becca's friend, Frank. After meeting Becca I can say that I have officially met the entire Redd clan. They are indeed a wonderful family. We spent the afternoon lounging in the pool and playing pool volleyball. Jonathan and I joined up with Cindy and made a wonderful team. In terms of points, Barrett, Dillon, and JD won, but our team had a winning attitude, and that's all that really matters, right? Later on, Frank joined our team and Becca joined the other team and once again, we had winning attitudes =).

We talked and laughed as we dried off and then it was time to go. It was a beautiful afternoon. The weather was perfect, the pool was perfect, and the company was perfect. Thank you, Cindy, for a delightful afternoon.

Barrett dropped us off around dinner time and we decided that Five Guys was a good idea. So, Jonathan and I headed out to Five Guys and returned home with burgers for Ie Li and ourselves. I don't like to argue, so I'm not going to play the, "oh, In-N-Out is so overrated game." All I'm going to say is that I respect your right to enjoy Five Guys more than In-N-Out, and in return you can respect my views on In-N-Out as the greatest burger ever. 

After dinner, Ie Li and continued working on a project that we recently started: painting the kids' table. I love bonding with my sisters over crafts. There is something just so relaxing and enjoyable about it. This is close to what the final product looks like.

Next item on the to-do-list: chairs.

P.S. Thank you, Martha Stewart, for this lovely color.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday. We attended Ie Li's Belmont Ridge Ward and they were very kind. Ie Li wasn't at Relief Society for the first half, but there was a kind lady who introduced herself to me and sat next to me. Ie Li came later on and it was wonderful having baby Mina to look at. She is darling.

Our lesson was on the priesthood and I really enjoyed it. The woman who was teaching talked about some personal experiences with the priesthood. Last year her daughter was in an ATV accident where the ATV landed on her face. She told us that the girl's father, grandfather, and uncle were there to give her a blessing. When they arrived at the hospital, doctors were so surprised that her neck wasn't broken. The teacher bore her beautiful testimony of the priesthood and how she knew that her little girl was alright because of the priesthood blessing she received.

I am so grateful for the priesthood in my life. I have priesthood holders all around me: my dad, my brothers, home teachers, and friends. And one day I will be married to one. This church is amazing.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Nineteen

Mei Li and Ie Li went to a birthday party yesterday and Steve went golfing, so that meant that Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Ie Ling got Stephen all to ourselves. We soaked up the sun at the pool for an hour and forty-five minutes and finally headed home. Stephen was an angel at the pool. All he needs is some sort of pool toy and the baby pool and he's golden.

Later in the afternoon I ran some errands for Ie Li. This was the highlight of the day. Why? Because I bought a t-shirt! And not just any ordinary t-shirt. THE t-shirt. The t-shirt whose words have been the title of my blog posts for the last 19 days. THIS t-shirt:



I couldn't possibly leave Virginia without getting one. I also picked up one for Ie Li and Jonathan. I was thinking that maybe we could wear them all on the same day and go matching to the mall. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened. For those of you who'd like to hear the story, read on.

One summer back in 2003 or 2004, I stayed with Jeremy and Michiko in their San Francisco apartment. I woke up and got dressed in a navy blue shirt and some khakis. When I looked at baby Kai, I noticed that he was wearing a navy blue shirt also. And then I had a brilliant idea! We should all wear navy blue shirts and be matching and we can see if Jeremy notices when he gets home from school.

Naturally when he got home, Michiko and I just looked at him until he noticed and he probably said something like, "you goobers" and laughed at us. We were going to head over to the mall and we thought it'd be funny if he joined the matching party. For some reason, he agreed, and all 5 of us hopped in the car in matching outfits.

We walked through the mall for about 15 minutes. We got lots of stares and laughs and finally we couldn't handle the ridicule. Jokes. It really wasn't that bad, but we did leave quite soon after we arrived, it really was a little embarrassing. Any time we match I say, "Well maybe we can all go to the mall now." And Jeremy, Michiko, and I can't help but chuckle at our funny experience in good old San Francisco.

And how could I forget! Congratulations to my beautiful friend, Cassie MacLennan. She is now engaged to Benjamin Tremblay and I am so excited for them!

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Eighteen

Today was hot, therefore we ran through the sprinklers =). I joined in the fun, but forgot to wear waterproof mascara, and therefore opted out of pictures. But that's ok, we managed to get pictures of these cuties having fun.

After the kids went to bed I went on a little run around Ie Li's neighborhood. Even though it's super warm and sticky, it is quite cleansing to run in this humid weather. I'm thinking of getting into running a bit more seriously, but we shall see.

After my run, Jonathan and I sat down to watch a couple episodes of Castle as we have been doing for the past week or so. We're making our way through season two. We seem to bond over shows and movies. It's fun.

And in this day and age, I can't seem to go to bed without checking facebook right before. Two wonderful things that I saw on facebook. Barrett got his mission call to Riverside, California, Spanish speaking. He reports September 1 and I'm so excited for him. Maybe he'll run into my Aunt Scarlet out there.

This next thing was a definite highlight of my day. I've watched it about six times in the last hour.

And if it doesn't seem very funny, then chances are you haven't seen this:

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Seventeen

This morning started off with a trip to the pool, right when it opened. We stayed for quite some time and got the kids tired and hungry so they'd be ready to eat and sleep when we got home. During Stephen's nap, the four gals headed off to Tyson's to order Ie Li's chairs from Crate & Barrel for the kitchen table. The trip was a success and we hurried home so that we could head off to Purcellville.

Why the need to go to Purcellville, you might ask, because I was just there two days ago. Well, on my first tour of Purcellville, Barrett told me about the most magical place called Fields of Flowers. It's a pick your own flower farm. He told me that you go there and you get to pick your own flowers to take home. They just give you a jar with water to fill with flowers and some cutters and you're good to go! It's only open Thursdays-Saturdays, and since it's my last Thursday-Saturday here in Virginia, we thought today was the perfect day.

So, we all piled in the car and headed out to Purcellville. Barrett even got off work a little early to join us. Let me tell you. It is the most quaint flower farm I've ever seen. It's also the only one I've ever seen, but I'm sure there aren't many more picturesque flower farms than this one. It has a cute house on the property, a big red barn, and of course, beautiful flowers.

Pardon all the pictures, but I just couldn't put my camera away, and I think everyone needs to see how wonderful this place is.

Mei Li and Stephen LOVE Barrett



The Youngest West Kids

Isn't it Wonderful?

We were about to head home when Barrett called to say that we should come over if anyone need to use the facilities or grab a snack or drink. So we headed down the road a couple miles and arrived at his lovely home. Sister Johnson was nice enough to invite us to stay for dinner and we accepted. The kids had a really fun time playing in the back yard and with their dog, Chase. Brother Johnson even took the kids on some tractor rides and let them steer. Jonathan and I were also able to partake in the tractor fun.

My first time driving a tractor.

I don't think I'll ever leave Purcellville unhappy. It's a beautiful place. I can't say it enough.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Sixteen

Another beautiful day at the park. This time we brought some PB&Js for the kids. That's a fancy way to say Peanut Butter & Jelly, at least that's what I told Mei Li this trip and she seems to like the fancy way better.

When Stephen woke up from his nap we made a family trip down to Tyson's to see Toy Story 3 at 4:05. I love that movie a lot. I saw it at midnight opening night in Utah with some pals. It was just as good the second time around. The only downfall was the dumb AMC theater. We planned this outing so that we could see the matinee and save some money. Ie Li was a little surprised at the total and said, "Is this still a matinee?" The man at the window responded, "No. The last matinee is at 4:00." She just about broke down in tears. It'll be something to laugh about in a few days. At least we didn't see it in 3D, right?

We picked up Steve from work and made our way back to good ol' Ashburn. The kids got ready for bed and then the adult fun began. We played a game called Compatability, and the basic idea is that each person has a deck of picture cards and a word is randomly picked and each person picks pictures from their deck of cards that correspond to the word, and you and your partner are try to see how many of your pictures match.

Steve and Ie Li appear to be most compatible, but Jonathan and I will get them next time.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Fifteen

It's crazy to think that I've been in Virginia this long. I guess I'm having so much fun that time is passing by quickly. On Tuesday we got a little vacation from the normal hot, humid weather. It was still humid, but it was overcast for most of the day. Jonathan and I decided to take Mei Li and Stephen to the library for story time. We meant to get there at 10:30 for the "terrific 2s" story time, but we came late and it was all filled up.

So, in order to kill time, I read some books that Mei Li and Stephen picked out. It was the craziest thing. They both picked out books from 3 separate parts of the children's section, one by one, and somehow we ended up with five Christmas/winter books. It was amazing. After reading we went inside for STORY TIME!

The theme was fish. We sang songs about fish, read books about fish, and had a flannel board story about fish. Mei Li and Stephen seemed to like it. I never grew up going to story time, but I've been to quite a few over the years, and I would say that this one was very enjoyable.

When we came home I decided I needed to get some exercise in, so Mei Li, Jonathan, and I ran around the parking lot doing intervals. I was surprised at how much Mei Li enjoyed running with us. She was a trooper. Next on the agenda was Purcellville.

Barrett came to Ashburn to pick me up around 5:15 pm and we made our way back to the lovely town of Purcellville to have dinner at his house. His mom made a delicious flounder for dinner along with rolls, salad, and fruit. Then it was time for the fun to begin.

Barrett had asked me what I wanted to do for the day and I told him I was dying to rock out, so while he played some sick guitar, I pounded out a legit beat on my drums on rockband. He'd probably say he was top performer, but it was really me. His sweet mom brought us dessert while we were playing. It was homemade strawberry ice cream that his dad had made with pound cake and fresh strawberries. It was perfect.

And then it was time to leave the Johnsons' beautiful home and make our way to Barrett's lacrosse game. As I've said in previous posts, I've become a fan of lacrosse this past year, and even though Barrett wanted to get rid of me, I tagged along to watch his summer league game. It brought back some great memories of this past winter semester. I sat with Barrett's parents and watched him play a great game, scoring 3 of the 9 goals. One was coast to coast.

I remember the first time I watched lacrosse. It was in California, the day after my birthday. My mom had flown me home for my birthday weekend so I could go to Disneyland with Jeremy and Michiko's family. (Side note: The BYU lacrosse team was there for the weekend and they also made a trip to Disneyland. I remember spotting Barrett as he came out of the Buzz Lightyear ride and then Jon-Michael as he was walking down Main Street.) On February 13, my friend Olivia and I made a trip to Orange County to watch BYU play Chapman in a most exciting and thrilling game. We lost in overtime, but it was the perfect first game to watch. I hope that I'll have many more opportunities to watch lacrosse in the upcoming years.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Fourteen

Another Costco run. Mei Li didn't really want to go shopping with us, but I told her that we'd find some treats to eat. I think she realized that it was worthwhile after the chocolate ice cream cone sample.

Jonathan and I have a new tv addiction: Castle. There is something so interesting about murder mysteries. It reminds me of old times when I would sit and watch Diagnosis Murder with Dick Van Dyke. So, we started watching it a couple days ago and let's just say we don't have too much more to watch before we're caught up to real time. We should probably find better things to do, like watch the Bachelorette!

Jokes, jokes. It's definitely not the most worth while show, but it can be very entertaining. Ie Li, Steve, Jonathan, and I sat down to roll our eyes and chuckle as we watched men fight for Ali's love and attention. There were more than enough scenes where Ali ran into a man's arms so he could twirl her around. Most of them were with Roberto for sure though. He's definitely a top pick, but enough of that.

A few days ago we were in Wegman's and we saw some toy lacrosse sticks with a ball. We decided that we couldn't pass them up and took them home along with our last minute groceries. Before our family viewing of the Bachelorette, Jonathan and I thought we'd put those sticks and ball to use and play some LAX. That's the cool way of saying lacrosse.

I've really come to like lacrosse a lot. Somehow I became acquainted with lots of Virginians this year and they ALL play/played lacrosse. I think "playing LAX" is maybe my way of transitioning from a west coast gal to an east coast gal. One day I'll live in Virginia.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Thirteen

Sunday was a beautiful day. There was a beautiful musical number played in sacrament meeting called "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." There was a piano, cello, and flute included in this performance and it was lovely.

Steve made a delicious pot roast and mashed potatoes dinner. He also made a glorious chocolate cake for Ie Li's birthday. I love Sunday dinners.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twelve

Happy, Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister, Ie Li Anne Zackrison. Even though we're 7 years apart, she is still one of my dearest, closest friends. You might call us kindred spirits. I am so glad that I get to spend these three weeks with her in Virginia. Words can't describe how lovely she is. Her name means overflowing beauty and it seems to match her perfectly. She is beautiful inside and out. She is a wonderful mother, friend, and sister. Thank you for being a wonderful example to me, Ie Li Anne. Happy Birthday! I love you!


So, in honor of my lovely sister's birthday, my brother-in-law, Steve, made a delicious french toast breakfast. Apparently it's Alton Brown's recipe. There were also fresh berries and cream to put on top. I should've taken a picture, but all I could think about was eating it.

Jonathan and I babysat the two older kids so that Ie Li and Steve could look at some furniture stores. I convinced Mei Li to let me do her hair in a couple French braids. They were very cute. We went to the park for a little bit to play.


I got a phone call from my friend Jon-Michael tonight. It was good to hear from him. He's a good friend.

It's weird that another week has already passed. I'm only here for another week and a half, so I'm going to make sure I continue to live it up in this beautiful place.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Eleven

Jonathan and I took the kids in the stroller and went on a run down the W&OD trail, which I found out stands for the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. Cool eh? It's a wonderful path that goes for miles and miles. It's lovely.

One thing I'm seriously loving about Virginia is the outlets. Yesterday we went on another family outing to the outlets. It's not quite as fun with 3 kids, but still enjoyable. I've already done enough shopping, so it was nice to be able to help Ie Li out with the kids so she could do some shopping for herself. Note: When shopping at the Leesburg outlets, I would advise you not to eat at the food court--I'm not a fan.

When Stephen woke up from his nap we made a short trip to the pool to cool off. A nice man let Stephen play with a toy boat. He LOVED it.


Mei Li met a friend named Samantha.


Kids are funny. They can meet someone and be friends with them instantly. Mei Li is really good at that. When I told her it was time to go, she decided she needed to hop back in the pool to give Samantha (the girl she had met only minutes ago) a hug goodbye. I wish I were better at making friends. I think that will be a new goal for me. Thanks, Mei Li, for being a great example of friendship.

Ie Li picked up some delicious pizzas for dinner and Mei Li and Stephen had some blueberries for a side. I only got Stephen on camera though. I think he liked them.

After the kids were in bed we all watched Sherlock Holmes. I may or may not have taken a nap during it, but it was ok, because I had already seen it. Once upon a time when I lived in Provo I had a friend named Jon-Michael who would randomly invite me to see movies with him. Sherlock Holmes was one of them. I'm excited to go back to school in Provo and be with wonderful friends.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Ten

We went on our first family outing. Three babies and three adults piled into the van and we headed to world market to look for some things to decorate Ie Li's new house. We bought a couple curtain rods but Ie Li thinks she's taking them back.

After Ie Li put Stephen to sleep, Mei Li asked me to play Hello Animals with her. Hello Animals is pretty much Mei Li's life in animal form. I usually play mom, dad, and aunt. I'm not very good at it. At least, I get pretty bored with my dialog. But Mei Li usually doesn't mind. If I'm slacking off, she'll tell me my lines.

I baked a delicious treat yesterday. I call them oatmeal fudge bars, but I don't know their real name. It's pretty much oatmeal cookie dough and melted milk chocolate with sweetened condensed milk. It's pretty delicious.

I didn't take any pictures yesterday. I'll try to take more and keep up with blogging.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Nine

HOT and STICKY. Those are about the only words to describe Wednesday. I believe the high was 101 degrees. That combined with the Virginia humidity did not make for the best weather. Luckily we were able to cool off at the pool early in the morning and then stay in the air conditioned house the rest of the day.

Jonathan and I hit the outlets that night and found some good finds at the nike store and the GAP. We came home and decided to go on a little run. Thank goodness it had cooled down to a whopping 88 degrees by 10:30 PM or else we might have sweat a lot or something.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Eight

I have officially been in Virginia for one week now and it's been so much fun. I've got family, friends, and beautiful green countryside. What more could a girl ask for?

Today we made a trip to Costco for some essentials like Dannon Light & Fit. I've never been a huge yogurt fan, but I do love their vanilla flavor. But, I'm pretty sure we get it because Steven LOVES yogurt. Today I'm pretty sure I saw him down one whole yogurt cup for breakfast and 3 full bowls of Greek yogurt mixed with honey later on in the day. He's a yogurt fiend as Ie Li put it.

It was another extremely hot day. Jonathan, Mei Li and I watched a bit of Anne of Avonlea and then when Stephen woke up we attempted to go to the park. Bad idea. We got there and I said, "Ok kids, you have ten minutes and then we have to go home." We did just that.

Barrett came to pick me up around 6 so we could spend the evening in Purcellville. We arrived at his house and I met Brother and Sister Johnson while they were getting ready for dinner. They are both lovely people. Barrett gave me the tour of both the inside and the outside of the house and it is simply beautiful there.

I met Barrett's little sister, Lauren, when she came for dinner. She was super nice and cute. Dinner was splendid and then Barrett, Lauren, and I took off for downtown Purcellville to get some ice cream. On our way there, Barrett pointed out a place called Field of Flowers where you can go and cut your own flowers to take home! I'm determined to go with Ie Li and Mei Li before my trip is over. We arrived at Gruto's and I noticed their funny hours:


That whole town is just so picturesque. I can't handle the cuteness. We took our ice cream to go and watched the sun as it set over Franklin Park. It was spectacular.

We headed back to the Johnson's and the whole time we were driving I just kept thinking that one day I need to live in Purcellville, and if that's not possible, somewhere in the country because it's just too beautiful to not have in my everyday life. We sat outside for a little while and watched the fireflies roam through the fields and the trees. It was a gorgeous sight. I even caught a couple and one lit up in my hand. Special.


Brother Johnson and Barrett drove me home to Ashburn, where I recorded a glorious account of my adventures in Purcellville.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Seven

July 5, 2010 was a hot day. We cooled off in the pool.


The sun was bright. Mei Li is a cutie.


Mei Li requested the song Joshua Giraffe by Raffi on our way to the pool. It is indeed one of the most interesting songs I've ever heard. You should check it out if you get bored sometime.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Six

The fourth of July is one of my most favorite holidays. I don't remember the last time it fell on a Sunday, but it did yesterday. I feel like most wards sing patriotic songs the Sunday before or after the fourth, but yesterday we sang patriotic songs and it was the real day--what a treat! I can't say that I'm extremely patriotic year round, but when the fourth rolls around, it's hard not to be.

I love this country and I love the freedoms we have. I am so grateful for all the sacrifices the founding fathers made for this country and the sacrifices that soldiers make for this country every day. And in the words of Lee Greenwood, "I'm proud to be an American." We sang America the Beautiful for the closing hymn and everyone stood up and I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed. America is beautiful.

So, if anyone looks on my facebook, there is a little box under my picture that gives a pronunciation guide of my name because it's not uncommon for people to say it wrong and after the 3rd or 4th time of correcting someone I pretty much give up. Another thing that should be noted is that there are quite a few people in my family that have similar names. I'll just write down the ones that kind of sound alike:
Ie Mei
Ie Li
Ie Ling
Mei Li
Mylee
Ailee

Well, yesterday I attended my sister's ward and they read in all the names of her family. I couldn't help but chuckle when they said "I" Li Zackrison because it's not only a mispronunciation of Ie Li's name but also the name of my niece. Then we went to Relief Society and there was a conversation like this:

Nice lady 1: Are there any visitors?
Me: We're Ie Li Zackrison's sisters.
Nice lady 1: Well, we're glad to have you.
Nice lady 2: Oh, you have to listen to their names!
Me: I'm Ie Ling.
Ie Mei: I'm Ie Mei.
Nice lady 3: Oh that's beautiful! There's Ie Li, Elaine, and Ie Mei. (I'm not sure why everyone hears Elaine when I say my name)
Nice lady 1: Oh that's right Eli (Like the boy's name, Eli) was telling me that all the girls have Oriental names and the boys have American names...and it looks like she's doing the same!

It cracks me up at least. I don't ever really get upset when people say my name wrong, it makes for good stories.

After church Jonathan and I piled into the Tay Team vehicle and went on a tour of their old stomping grounds in Oakton. I was partially asleep while we were driving, but we pulled up to their old ward building and I sleepily said, "Holler if you see Sister Livingston (The mother of my dear friend, Gregory.)" There were obviously slim chances of that, but then Brad said, "There she is!" So we pulled up and she looked surprised to see the Taylors after a four year absence. She didn't realize I was in the car and said, "Greg's really had fun getting to know your sister!" to which Ie Mei replied, "Oh she's right here." And that was when I was introduced to the famous Sister Livingston who I had only heard about. This was the woman who sent grand packages to Greg during the year and after our brief meeting, it has been confirmed that she is indeed lovely.

On our way home we stopped at Bull Run which was pretty cool. We snapped a couple good shots.





We then hurried home so that Jonathan and I could grab a quick bite to eat and head to downtown for the fireworks display. Steve made us some delicious brats and then Barrett picked us up and we were off!

I don't think I'll ever be in D.C. for the fourth of July again, so I'm glad I was able to go to downtown. There is nothing as beautiful as watching the fireworks on the 4th of July, in the nation's capital, under the Washington Monument. I'm so glad I got to go and be around so many monuments dedicated to our nation's leaders and heroes on that special day.



We ended up walking about 1 hr and 45 min. to get back to our car that was parked at the Pentagon and then we were on our way home. It was a wonderful day. God Bless America.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Five

Saturday was a fun-filled day. The Taylor clan arrived and a few of us walked to the library to read some books. We returned for lunch and realized that it can get a little crazy with 7 children running around the house, so we decided that the park would be a great place to release some energy.



Unfortunately it was extremely hot and sunny, so we didn't stay too long.

Mei Li and Mylee talked Ie Mei and I into painting their nails.



Our friend, Barret Johnson, let us in on a little secret. A little town called Lovettsville shoots fireworks off on the 3rd of July for some reason or another. We decided to make a family outing out of it (Barrett joined us too) and it turned out to be a great time. There weren't too many people there and the kids just ran around on the field and the playground until it was time for the fireworks to start.

Most of the kids had fun, but Mylee thought it was too loud and all Stephen could do was cover his ears and say, "This is scary. I don't like it!" It was kinda sad, but cute and funny at the same time. I didn't think it was too loud or too scary. It was just right.



We all piled into our cars and Mylee was talking to be while I was buckling her in and she said, talking about Barrett, "Is that your boyfriend?" Which was funny because Lance had said earlier, "So Ie Ling, is that your B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D??" To which I had to reply no. But I did complement him on his spelling.