Yippppeeee!!! Lease signed!!!

We're still in Winchester, Va, but we signed a lease for an apt in Arlington, Va. After the initial shock of the monthly rent subsided, we felt excited to have a place to call home. We get our keys on the 31st of this month.

Our apartment is small (1bd, 1ba), we decided to go with less space so we could live in a great location. We're only 5 miles from DC, 2 miles from the Pentagon, and only minutes away from Old Town Alexandria. Besides all the great amenities, there are endless amounts of shops and restaurants, all within walking distance. The complex has a dog park, and a bike trail (30+ miles long) literally across the street from us. I can't wait to begin decorating.

Homeless, but "not" really

We're now officially homeless. After packing out, Billy's sister took pity on me and Dante and let us stay with her for 10 days until Billy finished with training in Georgia. My last few days in Beaufort were very special. I was able to spend quality time with close friends and family, go to my favorite restaurants and coffee shops, enjoy the water and the beautiful Beaufort scenery. It's funny how we start falling in love with an area all over again right before we leave.

We started our journey towards the Northern Virginia area on Independence Day. Billy didn't have to report to work/training until Tuesday so we decided to take our time, enjoy the scenery and break up the trip into 2 days. The drive up I81 was gorgeous. It's definitely farm country...lots of rolling hills with cute little towns tucked away in between the mountains.

We stayed over night in the quaint little town of Lexington, Va. We'd never heard of it before, but when we drove through the town to look for a hotel, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only is this the coolest small town with it's French feel and little boutiques, but it has 2 prestigious schools: Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute (oldest state supported military college in the US). Once we got settled in, we toured around, had dinner and watched the fireworks display that the university puts on every year. The following day, we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast and promised each other that in the near future, we'd be back to explore the area a little more.

We're now living out of a hotel in Winchester, Va until the first week of August. Our hotel room is nice and spacious, it even has a kitchenette. We're right outside of the Shenandoah National Park and there are tons of Civil War battlefields to explore. We're surrounded by different ethnic restaurants so we've been spoiling ourselves with various cuisine from around the world. A few days ago, me and a friend went and ventured to the nearby town of Front Royal. It's yet another small town with tons of great antique shops.

Even though we're sort of homeless, and I miss my home, friends and family; being next to my husband is priceless. Plus, we're surrounded by new friends who are sharing similar experiences and that makes this transition a little easier.

"Pack Out"

"Pack Out" was on Thursday, June 24th. The movers pulled up to the house around 9:30 am, accessed everything that needed to be packed, and within 3.5hrs our belongings were in boxes and in the moving truck, on it's way to be stored somewhere in Maryland until further notice.

Once the house was bare and empty I felt mixed emotions of sadness and happiness. Memories started coming back to when we first stepped inside and fell in love with our home. Billy and I had lived in several places, but had always rented. This house was different because we bought it after many years of hard work. It was special because it truly was "our" home.

When we first learned that Billy had been hired with the Dept. of State, we decided to put our house up for sale. After several months of it being on the market and no bites, we let the contract expire and listed it as a rental. I believe things happen for a reason. Just maybe our first home still wants to remain a part of our lives for a little longer.