I Finally Have Him Convinced!!!

this photo, depicts so many emotions that i feel about "my other home" and in that i mean the great state of VA. i've missed its beauty, the people, the community, the school, the memories, and all of the history that has taken place pertaining to our great country and in how it was founded. did i mention that i am a history nerd?!

let's start first with some history about how i ended up here. let's start first with...

i've never claimed to have self control and then

my lost long friend and finally

virginia is for lovers

i have threatened to trevor that we are moving...ARE and when we do...WHEN it will be back to buena vista, virginia. there is just something about that town that draws me back. maybe it's the adventure. maybe it's the possibilities. maybe it's the peacefulness. maybe it's simplistic way of life. maybe it's the memories of it being the best 2 yrs of my life. maybe it's the people that still live there with whom i've maintained life lasting friendships with. it could be all of the above plus a million more reasons. point is that i feel that it is "my other home"....

trevor has said flat out, "no". i am not moving back east. i have no desire to do that nor to live so far away from everything that i've ever known." to that i would reply " how do you even know that you wouldn't when you have NEVER been there?! it's that adventure of the not knowing that draws me in even more!"

when southern virginia my alma mater asked me to come and speak to their student body, i saw this as my chance to prove him wrong. to show him the kind of life that could, would be there for us. i was extremely excited and humbled to go and speak but i could not wait to drag trevor there to see first hand what i was talking about. for him to meet my coaches, now good friends, whom had impacted my life in so many ways. plus washington dc?! anyone and everyone MUST GO THERE at least ONCE in their lifetime.

we flew in to dulles airport, got the rental car and immediately headed to baltimore, where my good friends, the parks, live. tiffany was one of my team mates, room mates, and best friends. we were two people with two completely different mind sets and yet her honesty is what made me realize that she needed to be part of my life. kevin, was on the mens basketball team. after our first year at southern virginia they married. kevin now is in his last year of dental school which he attends in baltimore. they'll be moving at the end of the year but are not sure where. secretly, they too, want to end back in buena vista. (i'm telling you, that city, is addicting!?...lol)
that night we drove back to DC, so that the next day we could spend some time there....
historic georgetown...one of my favorites! best shopping ever! and of course we had to go to georgetown cupcake!? yuuuum :)


mount vernon...with this scenery how could george washington not have resided here. it's literally a dream come true. (remember...history nerd and hopeless romantic)










next we headed to the "usual sites" as well as the holocaust museum....

the next day we headed to buena vista. this is the image that is forever imprinted in my mind as you enter the town. see. green and gorgeous!
i took trevor on a scenic drive. looking at old plantations, landscapes, church's, and the best one of all...an old, and i mean OLD cemetery.

one afternoon, my sister, who came out there also my last semester, wanted to go "adventurize" and so we took off in search of some hidden treasures. and we found it. right off the side of a country road is an old forgotten cemetery. seriously, how cool is that?! history...history...history full on. so i made trevor march right up there to take some pictures for me. he was completely freaked out! it was just so quiet that it made him feel like he was trespassing in some odd way. and yes...i guess that i can see his point ;)

i was so excited to find out that there was also a women's home soccer game while we would be there. they would be playing on their new field which is a big deal. the last time that i was there, this was still under construction. wow. VERY different from what we used to practice and play on. SO EXCITING how much the university is growing! again, notice the scenery :)


once upon a time, as we would drive out to our women's basketball practice court, off in the distance i would always notice this house that was tucked back in. it always intrigued me, wondering it's own history and wondering it's story and wishing to one day, own a plantation, embracing the history. hopeless romantic, yes. i. am.
come to find out that it is FOR SALE. so you know that i made sure that we took a drive out to possibly become "the new owners of this home". hahaha 1 million dollars later!? but hey, we all have a dream ;)
there is the main house, a swimming pool, a horse barn and pasture, 2 guest homes, and a historic mill/hotel on the property. yes. this is a dream of mine. it reminds me of an adventure "from the babysitters club" series. and again yes. that last comment just so dated me...lol



and now for the good stuff. the real reason why we made the trip out....
i was so excited and humbled to be able to share my story and my experiences. i've learned so many things while on this journey. things that i could only have learned by experiencing a trauma most would see as utterly life changing. i've always lived by 2 quotes..."it's all mental" and "it is what it is." and personally it's made all the difference in the world. i figure that we endure hard times in our life to learn something for ourselves or to teach another by our actions being an example for them. things happen for a reason and there's a greater force that is orchastrating these events for our own good, whether we believe it is or not. we all have a disability in one form or another and it's not allowing those "disabilities" to determine who we become. the minute you realize this, your life will never be the same. we all have "something" and to not let that "something" keep you down is all that matters. it will allow you to feel free and to realize that anything is possible.

can you tell that i could talk and talk and talk? well yes, yes i could. i love sharing hope. i love to hear that what i've said has made a difference. i love to feel that i am positively contributing to the greater good. i love to realize how much i truly have grown, truly have changed, and truly love my life.

and yes.
i.
love.
virginia, "my other home"
;)