Arlington is "home" for now

I have only been away from Beaufort a little over two months, yet it seems much longer. So much has happened over the last few months that once we unpacked and got settled into our apartment it took me a couple of weeks to decompress and take it all in. It still seems surreal that we’re actually living in Arlington. Our apartment is feeling more and more like a home. Yes, it’s small, but it meets all our needs. I do miss having a house with a guest room and a yard for Dante “Dewey” to run around in, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t have room to complain.

Lately, I have been enjoying staying at home and playing tourist in my own town. How could I not be? There’s so much to do and see. I plan to keep the fire burning inside of me. I am always curious and I love to explore. No matter if I am in the finest city in the world, or the poorest little town in Brazil, I will take the time to step out of my comfort zone, venture out and learn about my surroundings and meet new people.

Once I finally get used to the idea of calling Arlington “ home “it will be time to move again. It’s just a known fact about the Foreign Service, you don’t stay somewhere for too long. Moving will become a part of our lives. Right now, there are many changes happening in our lives. There has been so much new information thrown our direction that most of the time I feel like a little fish in a big ocean of possibilities; mostly positive, but some negative too. In the meantime, I’m learning to embrace the chaos, be flexible, and to just throw myself into this new lifestyle.

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.

Still in Beaufort...

It's not a bad thing, but we're still in Beaufort. We've had to lower our listing price on our house in hopes to get more lookers and potentially a buyer.

Billy is half way done with his training in Georgia. He's been able to come home every weekend, and for that I'm grateful.

Every Friday, I get butterflies in my stomach and rush down to pick him up with Dante "Dewey". My side kick, Dante, loves to tag along. By now, he knows Friday is the day we go pick up daddy. Usually when we get to the training facility, Billy is waiting outside of the gates with his little suitcase and a bag of dirty laundry. He prefers doing laundry at home, he says, his clothes smell better. Before, we begin our drive back to Beaufort, we stop at Starbucks for some coffee and munchies. We're back home in no time because we've been busy chatting and catching up.

Our weekend consists of hanging out 24/7. Occasionally, we hang out with family or friends, but mainly we're selfish and spend every waking moment together. We've been taking the time to enjoy Beaufort as much as we can, and that's been refreshing. Beaufort was the stepping stone to Billy's new career. My goals of acquiring a massage therapy license and having my own business were achieved here. Our wonderful friends and Billy's family reside here. We bought our first home, and we adopted our dog "Dewey" here. Beaufort has been good to us. When the time comes to say, "sayonara", it'll be a little tough.

Back in Beaufort

It's almost been a week since I've been back home. Billy had to stay in DC for an extra week, but he'll be home this weekend. WOOHOO!!! I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with him. This first week without him has been a little tough, but I've kept myself busy. I miss his presence and company, but I am a strong resilient woman, so I will get through it. Thankfully, I still have my massage therapy practice to focus on, and my clients always bring me great joy. I also have wonderful friends and family, who often call to check up on me, and invite me to do things. I am fortunate to have such special people in my life.

After this weekend, Billy will have 3 months of federal law enforcement training, and wonderful for us, he will be able to come home on the weekends. While he's busy studying, training, and taking exams during the week, my mission is to get our beautiful house sold. We've hired an excellent real estate agent, who will be helping us with this process. We are hoping our house will sell before June/July, so I can accompany Billy back to DC, where we'll be living for a couple of years. So...send us some good energy and keep your fingers crossed for us.

Woodley Park-Zoo Metro

What a gorgeous day we had. It couldn't have been a more perfect day for the Zoo. My friends and I got up early and headed for the metro. I love taking the metro. It's so convenient and stress free because there's no dealing with DC traffic, or parking. Plus, I enjoy people watching. I am always a little curious about every one's life. Who are they? What do they do? Where are they going? Where are they from? I think it would make an interesting book. Hmmmmm???