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.