Can’t believe it’s time to write a “goodbye” post to VA Beach! If you’ve been following along on Instagram then you’ve probably heard of the fiasco that happened with our move two weeks ago….

We were supposed to leave Virginia on Friday July 21. The movers were at our house with a huge semi truck loading up all of our belongings. Michael put on his flight suit one last time here and left to go check out of his squadron. No joke, 5 minutes after leaving our house a car ran into him while he was sitting at a red light! So. Our move was thrown into a chaos. His truck was towed to a shop for repairs and we had a lot of phone calls to make. In hindsight we should have just left immediately and shipped the truck (but hindsight is always 20/20!). So after waiting a week for the truck to get repaired we decided just to leave ASAP and ship the truck. Well easier said than done — we’ve been waiting over a week now to get Michael’s new orders. Now by the time we get the orders the truck will be all repaired! Lol it is funny how things happen.

After two weeks of living in our Virginia rental home with no furniture except an air mattress, we turned in our keys and moved into a hotel. I never thought I’d be so grateful to have a chair to sit in!

With every move it’s SO bittersweet to say goodbye. After our move got delayed and I had to psychologically gear myself up for staying here a little while, I thought I’d be so ready to say goodbye. Now that the end is really near though and we’re officially out of our house all of the memories from the past 10 months have come flooding back.

 

FAVORITE PARTS OF VIRGINIA BEACH:

ONE | our sweet friends we have made here!! So #BLESSED to have been surrounded by an awesome Navy family. From the squadron parties to the BBQs it’s really great to be with people who are all in the same crazy boat as us.

TWO | the beaches, of course. Hands down our favorite beach was Fort Story Beach. In the winter time we went to this beach with Shadow probably every other day. Ironically as the weather got better we went to the beach less! LOL. We just got so busy with getting ready to leave/traveling/house hunting. Fort Story is my favorite base here. The quietness and lowkey nature of the base is much welcomed after all the busyness of Norfolk and VB.

THREE | things to do. After coming from Mississippi, this place seemed like it was a mecca of entertainment. So many local restaurants, many of which have fresh seafood. There are also endless cute coffeeshops. In Meridian we drove over an hour to get to our nearest Starbucks. When I found out we had a starbucks just a mile from our house I was in shock!
favorite restaurants: MAHI MAH’S | LUNA MAYA | COGANS | COMMUNE | THE LANDING | SALTINE
blogger approved coffeeshops: CURE | THE DAILY GRIND | THREE SHIPS | HUMMINGBIRD MACARONS | CAFE STELLA

FOUR | all the cute nearby towns. You’re close to so much here. Richmond, Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Washington D.C., Asheville, the Outerbanks, etc. I LOVED colonial Williamsburg. That’s probably so cheesy isn’t it?? But I went there with my family this past winter and it was so much fun. My brother and I could no get enough of all the people dressed in colonial garb.

FIVE | all the coastal vibes. One of the advantages to moving around is getting to experience so many different communities. This was my first time actually living in a coastal town. From the local economy to recreation, almost everything here is associated with the ocean or local waterways.

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I don’t like to be a debbie downer but I always keep it real with you guys.
LEAST FAVORITE PARTS OF VIRGINIA BEACH:
ONE | the cloudy skies. Holy smokes prepare yourself for winter gloom here folks because I think the sun came out maybe 5 times between November and March? Okay that may be a little dramatic but seriously, invest in a sun lamp or something and get some vitamin D supplements.

TWO | the traffic. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some people warned us about, but there are just people everywhere here. It’s kind of like sustained congestion. Everywhere.

THREE | the bugs. Water bugs AKA really huge cockroaches are a common thing here. As are camel crickets (if you’re squeamish don’t look them up). When we first moved in there were two camel crickets and Michael tried to kill them and they lunged at him and it was traumatizing for both of us lololol.

FOUR | lack of hiking trails. Michael and I LOVE to hike. We were really surprised by the lack of trails in VB and Norfolk. We hiked at First Landing (which is pretty much the only big park in the area) and it was mostly a swamp with some walking paths. Of course, can’t complain too much though because we would just get our exercise on at the beach!

With each place we move to we learn so much ourselves, each other, and of course our country! This land is so diverse and each community is so different. It gets crazy at times but I’m so very grateful we get to experience all this together. Now we are very ready for our next adventure – CALIFORNIA. There are big changes coming both in our life and to this blog. Stay tuned.