Our Journey to Virginia!

Okay, so we got back from our trip to Virginia....5 days ago. What an AWESOME trip back to the land of my roots (hence the song..if you can hear it) - the Motherland - the place where I was born and raised.

We took a bunch of pictures. However, when I got back here and put them on the computer, I didn't feel like I took many at all. There were so many pictures I wish I had taken but didn't think of at the time. But I love the ones we got...so here are some. Hope yall enjoy! Oh, and just for the record: No, the pictures of the fall splendor and nature scenes do not do the actual physical viewing any justice.

And I don't care what any of you say....this post is NOT TOO LONG!!

We flew in late election night into Norfolk, VA, which is like 1/2 hour from the coast. When we walked out of the airport, both Weston and I took a big deep breath and, even through some fumes of the parking garage, the air was SPLENDID! It was like Hawaii (salt from the ocean plus rain) with the scent of bracken (you know, dead leaves). Wonderful! And the sights, even in the dark, were just as splendid - TREES and vegetation EVERYWHERE! I wanted to cry from excitement and memory floods and homesickness all at the same time!

We hit Virginia Beach first thing the next morning. And so did a rainstorm. But we had to get those beach photos in...even though it is November:


After driving along the coast for a bit and seeing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel - which is amazing, by the way, and I wish I had taken a picture of it; it looks like this bridge that just goes out into the ocean forever - we headed back toward Richmond and Chesterfield along the scenic route, passing tons of cotton fields:

We went by my old high school. I graduated 12 years ago and I hadn't been back at all and thought it'd be fun to see my old field hockey coach, Ms. Wallmeyer. She's awesome! She retired from coaching the year after I graduated. She couldn't handle it without me...right Ms. Wallmeyer??? She is about to retire from teaching as well. She still has my P.E. class's physical fitness records from 9th grade, which were totally fun to look at. I was the only girl in my class to do 3 pull-ups. And there were only a few who did even 1. (Just had to brag for a second.) I never noticed her southern accent before...hmm. I also ran into my soccer coach, Ms. Chaconas. Cool. This is me and Ms. Wallmeyer:

Hangin' out on the field hockey goal!

We swung by the house I lived in from when I was born until I was 20...kinda weird. I LOVED that place. But it's so different now. I don't think that I'll go by there anymore. I'll just keep my memories instead. Here's the hoop I learned to play basketball on:

We met up with Jana, my "little sister"/summertime roommate/best bud (oh yeah, and Weston's 1st cousin) and her adorable baby girl, Faelyn (her husband Tyler was in Jamaica!!) and headed to Uncle Jim and Aunt Sherry's house to be with Melissa and Taylor (my other "little siblings"). Jim and Sherry were at the hospital because Jim had a kidney stone. Ouch!

Sweet Fae!...and beautiful Jana:

And for those of you who may be reading this and don't know, Weston's aunt and uncle (Jana's parents) own the Metro Richmond Zoo, where I used to work, and that is how I got hooked up with Weston. Anyway, Tanzi, as seen here the picture below, is a 1 1/2 month old chimpanzee who was abondoned by her mother and is now being raised by Jim and Sherry and fam. It's fun feeding her her bottle. Isn't she adorable sucking on her pacifier?

Close up. She's got a little milk leftover from her bottle:


Jana, Faelyn, and Tanzi all look great in this photo. I, on the other hand, not so much; I look kind of psycho. So I thought I'd look better like this:

Faelyn and her adopted....aunt???:

Thursday, Jana, Faelyn and I went shopping, hitting some thrift stores, and others. It was awesome just driving around and seeing everything. I took a ton of pictures while Jana was driving of random things, including a light blue bug near Cary Town just like the one that I used to drive (and that Jana learned how to drive stick in...that's a funny story). Most of the pictures turned out blurry because we were moving so fast, but oh well, I still like to look at them. Fae was seriously a trooper the whole day. We were in and out of the car a ton!

OOOOOOooooooooooo, the splendor!!:

I wanna live on this avenue:

A path at the zoo. Mmm, love it:

Friday was GORGEOUS!!! 75 degrees, bright blue sky - PERFECT! And, of course, my camera pooped out. Hmmm. Murphy's Law, I guess. That's okay, my memory caught it. We worked at the zoo a little. I don't think I was any help at all...LOL...but it was just AWESOME to be outside. Weston fished a bunch and we went on the paddle boat and water trampoline, the sky ride, the train, climbed the coconut trees and got all stratched up. It was great. Here's a shot I did get before my camera imploded (it's the water trampoline...notice it's a bit blurred):

That night we went out to El Paso with Jim and Sherry, Aaron and Lauren, Jana and Faelyn, and Taylor, who is seen in the picture below in the sweet sombrero (it was for his birthday). (Yes, camera working again, but with opening issues. It had gotten wet cracker in the lens by some little hands on Friday.) Melissa was with her friends. I wish I had gotten a picture of the whole group, but hmmm, didn't think of it at the time.

Saturday we met up with my high school/field hockey/soccer sidekicks, Edie and Molly and drove to the Blue Ridge to hike good ole' Old Rag Mountain for the 21st time... They laughed at my accent. ?. Here's on the drive over...mmm mmm green fields and dark fences:




The leaves had already fallen, but ah well, it was a gorgeous day and we met up with none other than MARKUS URANIUS, a.k.a. my kid brother, and his beautiful, sweet girlyfriend, Julissa, at the trail head. (Thanks for these pictures that I stole off of your facebook profile Molly.)

"Who's down with EMC?..yeah you know me!" (EMC = Edie, Molly, Carrie):

The road from the parking lot to the trail head.

Julissa and Edie:

Pizza after hiking in Madison's only pizza shop (and only restaurant that we saw). It was really good pizza (of course we were starving) and so fun to be with everyone.

Sunday, we went to church with Jim and Sherry, Melissa and Taylor. The sunday school teacher that Weston and I had way back in the summer of 1995 when I first met him, is now the Bishop of their ward. Sherry, way awesome woman that she is, made Weston and I super nice lunches for us to take up to Baltimore. We took pictures that morning of Sherry, Melissa, Taylor, Weston and I with Sherry's camera because mine wouldn't open. I'll have to ask her for those.

On Sunday after church, we drove all the way up to Baltimore to give Mark a couple of gifts from Mom and Dad that I had forgotten to give him the day before. It was great to see him again though and give him one last hug:

Okay, so we were already going to Baltimore to see the famous Jenny Brown! and her husband Rich and their 3 adorable kiddos! We were on the Ricks College Soccer Team together way back and we were inseparable then. It was so fun seeing her again. We laughed so hard the muscles in the back of my head and my cheeks totally cramped up and she had to get a neck brace the next day. Dang laughter! It was awesome!

Monday... As you drive on the capital beltway around D.C., you go around a curve and then all of a sudden...........:

The temple's right there like it's floating above the freeway. It was windy and cold but so peaceful. The D.C. Temple Visitor's Center is really nice.

We headed back down to Richmond and went to my friend-since-nursery Carole's house. She cuts hair professionally now at a shnazzy place downtown, but said she'd cut my hair at her very cute house. Thanks Carole! She said I sound like a northerner. "Don't'cha know."

Monday evening we went to my awesome best buddy Melissa's. We went to Kabuto's (super cool cook-in-front-of-you yummy Japanese food) and had a blast talking and laughing. I hope we didn't make the hubbies Weston and Matt feel left out; I just have so much fun talking to Melissa!

On our drive back to the airport on Tuesday, I couldn't help but feel sad. Our trip was way too short. I don't know when I'll be going to Virginia again. I couldn't wait to see and hold my kids again, but the thought of going back to Idaho and back to the ranch was not a happy thought to me. But, here I am again, loving being with my little ones.

Thank you Weston, my love, for taking me!

Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the kids so that we could go!

Thanks Jim and Sherry, Jenny and Rich, and Melissa and Matt for letting us crash at your houses!

Melissa, Matt, Carole, Jenny, Rich, Logan, Laney, Emy, Mark, Julissa, Edie, Molly, Aaron, Lauren, Jim, Sherry, Melissa, Taylor, Jana, Tyler, Faelyn, Ms. Wallmeyer, etc...I LOVED seeing all of yall!!

What do'ya say everyone? Same thing next year?? Spring or summer??
I'm game!