feeling sentimental.

we've been out of virginia beach for over two months now, but we have only been in hamilton for three weeks. i am starting to like it here. and i sense that i will like it here. it has been fun exploring and just driving places just for the heck of it. because its all new and i like that. i like that i am not sick of driving the same roads over and over again. and it's gorgeous here. 

but today while i was scanning through some instagram pictures of friends, i saw one of virginia beach. of the beach. and i felt sad. not that i spent a ton of time on the actual beach. maybe went there 50x or less. when you are afraid of birds there are lots of reasons not to go to the beach. but it still made me sad. technology has made it easier to forget how far i am from everything i know well. skyping...talking on the phone...facebook...texting...i don't feel that far from people. but seeing a picture of the familiar beach at sunset just made me ache a little bit.

so many significant things happened there. philip and i met in virginia beach, technically we met at our friends' wedding, but we started dating in vb.

this is not an engagement photo. we were just doing some stupid pose philip suggested. 

then we got engaged in sandbridge...

photographer: peter j casey

we got married.

wedding was in blacksburg, but you get the idea

and moved into our first apartment together.

we bought a house there and turned it into a much more beautiful house (in my opinion).

and we got to finally lead young life together at princess anne. and it was so fun and good. 

we got lucy girl. and had our first serious snow in virginia beach. 

we got pregnant with jude. we had friends that loved us and were excited with us. 

the night before he was born

campaigner kids threw a baby shower for us

we had jude there.

first time home. in front of our house.

we got to love a lot of high school kids and share our house and lives with them.

philip's small group guys at the hospital

our dear friend, cindy

there were hard times, and there are also a lot of very sweet memories. and this is a new chapter. i am thankful for these last five years. virginia is just a place. and places are only so important. but people are  so important. i am thankful that 1 corinthians 9:23 is true. "i do all this for the sake of the gospel, that i may share in its blessings." we got to "grow up" in virginia beach together and share our lives and the gospel with kids in virginia beach, but we were blessed in return.