One day..

For some reason I have always been drawn towards the South. When we moved from Connecticut to Virginia we did a road trip all the way down to Orlando, FL. I fell in love with coastal South Carolina and Savannah, GA. It's some thing about the plantations, the spanish moss and the Gone With the Wind days that captures my attention. I love the wide, wrap around porches, the columns and shutters. The houses all have such a dramatic and grand appearance.

Some years ago I stumbled upon a web page for Palmetto Bluff. It is a fairly new community, built at the edge of the saltwater marshes near Bluffton, South Carolina. All of the houses are built with Southern traditions in mind. On our way back from Florida, I talked Dan into letting us stop there so I could walk around and admire all the million dollar houses. The one in this picture is the one I fell in love with at first sight. I can just imagine sitting in that wicker furniture on the porch and having a glass of wine......

The whole community was just stunning. From the red herringbone brick walk ways to the real gas laterns that lit the bridge running over the pond. It was almost like stepping back in time. In the middle of the Village were the remains of an old plantation, just the foundations and part of the columns remained.. It sat overlooking the marshes, surrounded by ancient live oak trees... I could imagine living there, I think I must have in a previous life..

Keeping busy whilst the hubbys away.

So here we are, in Virginia Beach, VA. I can honestly say that I was more than upset when we found out we were moving here.. I had my heart set on Mayport, FL, but I guess the Navy had other plans for us. We have been here for about 7 months now and 5 of those have been without the hubby.. I told myself, when he left, that I wasn't allowed to sit in the house and wallow in my own self pity and I have done just that! I set myself three goals. The first was to save money and pay off the car loan, the second was to loose some weight and tone up and the third was to make new friends for me and Emily. So far all these goals are slowly becoming reality. I can honestly say that whilst Dan has been gone we have really worked hard at making the best of things. My attitude towards Virginia Beach has also turned a 180. I am loving it here. The beaches are picture perfect, the weather is mild and there is so much to do. We have been strawberry picking in Pungo, dolphin spotting in Sandbridge, seashell collecting in the Outer Banks and enjoying all the parks and recreational activities. I know that someone up above put us here for a reason, and I'm glad He did.

I have met some fantastic people, doors have seemed to open up for us with little effort. We make sure to get out everyday and enjoy what Virginia Beach has to offer. Emily loves the Virginia Aquarium (in fact I think I know the fishies each by name), the parks, storytime at the Library, swimming at the YMCA and building castles at the beach.

With only a few more months til the hubby comes home, I can truly say that our goals are almost achieved and we can stand proud on the pier to reunite with our missing piece of the puzzle.