Top Ten Tag {reposted}

Some of you may know this already, but I grew up in Virginia and sometimes I miss it fiercely. I haven't been back there at all for over 9 yrs now and it turns out that I have the opportunity to fly back to that general area with Zac when he goes for a business trip soon. YIPPEEE!!!

So, I thought now would be a good time to repost this "Top Ten" list ( from my old blog). If I had the time, I would visit every single thing on this list and just soak it all in, in the vain hopes that it will seep deep into my bones and give me enough to live on contentedly out here in the West. Well, I could try. As it is, I will see whatever I can. The Aquarium, for one, is definitely on my "must-see" list. And crab is on the menu for sure. Other than that, well . . . I'll do my best. :)

{Originally posted August 8 2008)

Top Ten Reasons Virginia is a Nice Place to Grow Up (or at least it was for me):

1. you are at least within a few hours driving distance of (smaller) mountains, the beach, green trees, rivers, hills and just about every geographic landscape you can think of (except desert, I guess).

2. ok - let's just put the trees in their own category.


3. Smithsonian Museums - you have fine art, natural history, air and space, the zoo, and others ALL FOR FREE!

4. US Colonial History - Let's see, there's George Washington's house (Mount Vernon), Thomas Jefferson's house (Monticello), Kenmore, Belmont (all of which we visited on school field trips) and on and on and on. Not to mention Williamsburg, Jamestown (where I've never actually been, sadly). And then my favorite historical place, Chatham Manor, and a whole bunch of Civil War battlegrounds. The list goes on and on.

5. Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Amusement parks


6. and, of course, the trees in the fall

7. The National Mall - and all the other places to visit there besides the Smithsonian museums, such as the Washington Monument, and Jefferson Monument, and the treasury, etc etc. And there is really nothing comparable to watching the 4th of July fireworks there. Really, nothing.

8. fresh crabs from the Chesapeake Bay (yummy)


9. The National Aquarium in Baltimore (just on the Maryland border, basically) - one of my other favorite places on the earth

10. And Virginia is for Lovers. And you can't beat that.

There are other things, too. But those are the things that came to mind tonight. And I think I could have dug up my own picture for each of these things (except for maybe the crab), but that would have taken too long. Well, it took awhile to find these pics online, too. But that was fun! :)

Zac wanted me to add the Washington DC, LDS Temple, so I am. This is the actual view you get of the temple as you come around a bend in the DC beltway. You're just driving along, seeing trees, trees, trees, coming around a turn and then, boom, out of nowhere, the temple is jutting up out of nowhere. It takes your breath away every time you see it. And it's beautiful inside and out (one of the prettiest, I'd say - but, yes, I'm biased). And had we not been living in Utah at the time, we would have been married there, since we both consider it our "home" temple.

Anyway - there's 11 reasons. And counting . . .