And there came a time when their sails began to blow in a different way, and it was almost as though she heard God say ~ “My work for you and with you here is done for now ~ I have a new adventure awaiting you.”

It’s interesting how our hearts can change and see opportunities in a different light when we truly feel God is nudging us in a particular direction.  We absolutely love living at the beach.  It is the first place we have both truly loved so very much out of all the places we’ve lived.  It’s a place that has always held sweet memories of summers here with our families, day trips as a couple when we lived just a few hours away, and then, relaxing vacations when we visited home from faraway countries.  In the past four years it has been an anchor to our souls, filled our hearts with hope and inspiration, and been the most beautiful entertainment we could ever hope for.  Enjoying sunsets and long days on the beach are some of our favorite things to do! If you have ever passed me on the sidewalk as I’m walking Cooper and stopped to chat a bit about our time here, you would most likely have heard me saying, “I don’t ever want to leave the beach…we love living here!”  However, in my heart I always knew we might not stay here forever…yes, forever sounds a bit strange to this chick whom is used to fluffing a new nest every few years or so.  And, I must admit that I do sometimes find my heart feeling ready for a change.  We both started feeling that itch just a tiny bit several months ago.  It was ever so slight to begin with, and then, as most things do, it became a little more persistent over time…and, then, a wee bit more.  We ignored it for awhile and didn’t even really chat about it with each other.  As time went on, we found ourselves talking about maybe it was getting time for a change…”let’s just think on it” we would say.

We have been renting our home here…a beautiful Mediterranean style home with a lovely pond in the back that we just love…just across the street from the beach.  We initially chose to rent because we wanted to see which area we liked the best.  The owners of the home were happy to keep renting each year so we did that, as we had just not found what we were looking for in terms of purchasing…and, after a couple of years we weren’t sure we wanted to…and, we truly love the spot right where we are.  This past October the first owners sold the home to their friends (yes, the option had been available for us to purchase, but we were not interested in doing so).  The new owners were happy for us to continue renting.  Once we were a few months out from the renewal of the lease, I decided to talk with them to see what their plans were moving forward, as I knew they were going to want to move in at some point.  They had decided they would like to at the end of this year’s lease.  So, we started looking at homes in the area, and I began to get very busy with the mission of finding a new beach house for us.  During this time that “itch” I mentioned above seemed to get a bit stronger.  We talked alot about our thoughts and plans and whether or not the pieces of the puzzle were coming together for a new adventure.  It certainly seemed as though they might be!  We later had to admit it was interesting the owners wanted to move in this year ~ how things just seemed to start taking shape for a new journey…we would have continued to rent again since we do love this home and its location.  Hmm…time to look for a new nest ~ and perhaps, a new spot on the map to call home!

We have both worked from home while living here.  Yes, John has travelled with his job for meetings and such, and I have often enjoyed being his traveling companion on these trips.  There was definitely a learning curve about how to make our “working from home” setup function in the best way for both of us.  We often laugh now as we look back on those first days in our “home office” ~ we had to set some boundaries!  LOL  We learned alot though…about each other, ourselves, and the dedication it takes to making a home office work.  I had been used to this, but this was the first time John had worked from home.  It was an adventure for sure in the beginning and has made for lots of good stories and laughs!  🙂  We made it work, and it has worked really good…and, we’ve truly enjoyed working together!  We wouldn’t take anything for this opportunity to experience life together in the “workforce”…just another beautiful and fun experience to add to our marriage journey!

There is an interesting camaraderie that exists in office settings, especially in those where many of the employees are prior military.  Although John enjoys working from home, there are times when he also misses some things about going into the office each day. It was during the time we were looking for a new home here at the beach that he was offered a promotion.  And, yes, this promotion would be at his office in Alexandria, Virginia.  We did a lot of talking, praying, and sharing of thoughts and ideas about this opportunity.  We looked at all the pros and cons, researched, made lists, and did more talking.  Even though we were excited about his promotion, we didn’t want to jump into a decision without giving it much thought.  After all, we do love living here.  We tried to be quiet and LISTEN…listen for any message or sign God might be trying to speak to us or show us.  And, it seemed as the days passed, He did just that.  We prayed together about our decision, asking for His guidance.

I can’t help but smile now as I think back on some of those days. I tried to lean into staying here at times, focusing on some of the benefits/pros, but it’s interesting to think back to those moments, as I realize I always had a voice inside of me identifying that was what I kinda felt I needed to do.  I think I wanted to bring up any possible reason to stay here so we were sure to NOT overlook something. It would be a big move if we chose to leave…emotionally and physically.  Not that this would be as big as some we have been through…we did live in the Middle East, for goodness sake! I even have a little piece of paper on which I wrote, “I don’t want to move.”  I was making journaling notes and had jotted this down. {Makes me smile to think back to this now.}  It was only a couple of weeks later when my heart was no longer identifying with those words.  In those weeks my heart and soul decided to be true to its calling.  The calling had been there for some time, but I don’t think I would have ever spoken words of thinking it was time to leave this amazing place.  There is soooo much I love about it here…we love about it.  Who would want to leave paradise?!! But, I must tell you, there can come a time when you can truly feel God nudging you on to a new journey.  This was one of those times.  And, honestly, when I allowed myself to let go…to stop holding onto what we have here…well, that’s when I really began to smile and feel excited about this new opportunity God had provided for us.  And, that’s when my shoulders began to relax, the tension eased, and I realized it was time for change.  And, I also reminded myself that our time here will always be a part of our hearts…a huge part…the memories, the growth, the amazing inspiration.

We had made several trips to Alexandria during the spring and early summer, and during two of them I distinctly remember feeling a bit frustrated…with the traffic, area, and such.  I was just so ready to get home.  I remember thinking I was so happy we didn’t live there.  Fast forward to only a couple of trips later…I enjoyed my walks in Old Town snapping pics as I always love to do during our visits there and ran into the most friendly people along my strolls.  Or, I walked into a few shops, and the owners or employees recognized me right away and spoke of how happy they were to see me again.  I truly believe these were a few God moments…He was allowing me to see the beauty, the friendliness, the warmth that I have always loved about Old Town…He was allowing me to see it up close and personal.  And, yes, those moments overshadowed the other times where I had found myself frustrated.  It may not sound like much as you read it here, but I assure you it was so very noticeable to me.  I could see God working in my heart and soul…laying the groundwork, so to speak.  And, I will tell you this…there is nothing that makes me happier and makes me feel more blessed than when I can see and hear God speaking in my life! I miss it many times, I’m sure, but when I do catch it…well, by golly, I kinda like to share it with you!

So, how in the world does one decide to leave the beach…how does one know when it’s time for a new adventure?  Well, you do a lot of praying, asking for God’s will to be obvious to you, and asking for His guidance along the way…for the ability to SEE and HEAR His messages.  And, that’s just what we did.  There were moments of just feeling as though we weren’t sure what we needed to do, times of just having to say, “Let’s take a break and talk about it later”, and lots of blessings spoken before dinner with each of us asking for Him to show us His will for us in this decision.  And, we truly feel that we did hear Him, we saw messages He left for us along the way, and He helped us to grow together even more in our friendship and marriage, as we were each thoughtful about the other’s feelings, thoughts, ideas, and concerns.  As I look back now, I see such beautiful growth that took place.  That’s the thing about marriage and being with your best friend…in the tough moments, making difficult decisions, choosing paths, and finding your way…we have this opportunity to grow even closer.  Just as I said many, many years ago in a poem I wrote for John ~ “looking up to find him smiling down at me…my best friend…that’s the best feeling in the world”!  He is such a blessing in my life! *So funny I mention this here because after I wrote this I was out in the garage later that afternoon going through things.  I came across the poem and photo I had given to John with these very words…it was packed up in a box.  Yes, I save everything! Needless to say, I think I need to make sure it gets unpacked in the new house! He agrees!

So, yes, guess what??  We’re moving to Alexandria, Virginia!!  LOL  Bet, you hadn’t figured that out already!  Well, sorry for the long presentation, but well, I just needed to share all the fun details with you first!  And, the best part ~ we are so very excited about this new adventure!  Yes, we will absolutely miss the beach for so many reasons; it has the most special place in our hearts! And, we will truly miss being close to family.  We are only a 3 hour drive to my side of the family, and we have been able to enjoy seeing John’s parents more while living here.  I feel very blessed to have been in this beautiful spot during the last four years…I was close by when my mom was so sick, when my granny passed away, Tucker passed away here…and, we’ve been able to celebrate birthdays together, mother’s and father’s day, special events, and so many sweet moments.  I truly believe we have been here for this length of time for so many reasons…God has done much work in us and with us and others. So, I assure you, my heart is a bit heavy with thoughts of not getting to see everyone as much, but I know there will be lots of phone chats, face timing, and fun times together in new ways.

Things are moving right along ~ we closed on our beautiful new home in Old Town Alexandria last week!  Yes, we are going to live right in the heart of Old Town!  When we left the area several years ago, we always said we would love to live in the heart of Old Town if we ever went back.  We will be able to walk to the river (that was quite a necessary feature…this mermaid needs water close by!), cute cafes and restaurants, shops, and so much more!

So, this is what I’ve been up to, and the next week will find me busier than a bee {oh, my, the past couple of months have been this way though!} as we are preparing for the movers to arrive on August 24th! Stay tuned ~ I’ll be sharing pics and thoughts each day about our move so I hope you’ll come on this journey with me!  Be sure to grab your cute boots though ~ it is quite possible we may just have to toss our flip flops in the closet after fall! And, speaking of fall ~ oh, my…the art, the stories, tons of creativity straight from my heart, “Kisses from Cooper”, and so much more will be blooming from my new studio!   And, I am so excited to share it all with YOU! Thank you for continuing to travel this journey with me ~ thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful messages about my art, photography, and pieces of my heart I share.  My hope continues to be that I can add a dose of SUNSHINE and JOY to your days in some little way!

Hugs to you ~ and, thank you for reading this little book of an announcement!  🙂

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