Virginia has my Heart.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhahhhhhh......that's the feeling I get the moment I cross the state line to Virginia. How do you not love this beautiful scenery?



In 2004 my parents retired and moved down to southern Virginia where they built their retirement home on 60 acres of land. The nearest town is 15 miles away, but my Bed Bath & Beyond is in the city....50 miles EACH way. I have the option to take the highway to work, but don't the mountains & farmland look so much more enjoyable?



You know you're in the country when the speed limit ENDS.



All of my family lived along this road in Alleghany Springs, back in the day. There are quite a few small cemeteries on these mountains, most are filled with my ancestors. This beautiful land really touches my heart and my eyes teared up while I was driving to work yesterday - I feel so connected to this land.... I will always be a Virginia girl; it's in my blood.



It's not the country without a country store. I remember as a child stopping at this store- my parents would buy us candy and a bottle of pop.



And I had to take a photo of my dad's truck bumper...how about that sticker? & do you recognize the man on the license plate? None other than General Robert E. Lee.



(For those who haven't caught up on the chaos of our lives.....we packed up our stuff & drove it to storage in Texas. The boys & I are in Virginia with my parents while Jason travels selling pest control for a bit.)

I LOVE FEBRUARY

WE'VE LEFT TOWN...



BUT BEFORE WE LEFT TOWN...we had a GREAT month! We really packed in the fun with LOTS of socializing, dinners & dates....here are just a few highlights of February....


1. Dana became Employee of the Month at work!!! (I had to take a photo, for proof that I'm not making this up!!!)


I'll really miss my BB&B store in Orem & all my friends I've worked with over the years. I felt so loved my last week....not only did I get a cake on my last day of work, but the day before I had also gotten a cake for my birthday....2 CAKES in ONE WEEK at work...BOTH in my honor???!!! I have to relish this for a moment because I think that's a record for anyone in the company!!!

As I've watched others leave the store, many become "trunky" to leave & lose all concern for the store. I've even heard departing managers say "I don't care, I'm leaving in a week anyway." This attitude upsets everyone because it's just rude & inconsiderate to others. At the moment we made the decision to move, I promised myself that I would work as hard as ever and do my very best up through my last day at work. And that's what I did. I'll admit, it wasn't always easy, but I wanted to leave the store knowing that I worked hard the whole time & no one can say that I "checked out early." I'm sure that retail seems like such a silly job to most people, but it's what I love (and that's a VERY important aspect of any job).



Okay, I think that's enough self-indulgence for the rest of the year, wouldn't you say?

2. We ate dinner with friends nearly every night of the month. We haven't done that much socializing in all of 2010 combined!!! We were trying to use up all our food in the house, so we had a few "interesting" meals. ;)

3. Another exciting moment in February...Jason & his 1800 lb. gun safe!!! (Just to give you an idea, that's the same weight as 3 VW bugs!!) That's right folks...we had to pay $100 to rent this fork lift...just to get the safe into our moving truck. Those few minutes of the month were VERY stressful & don't worry because I documented it all on video too!!!


4. We said goodbye to Aunt Alison....she has been so wonderful to us as she watched the twins EVERY Wednesday for a whole year!! The boys adore her & she has treated them like gold. We will really miss her, but look forward to our visit in July!



5. I turned 28 years old....mixed emotions.

6. My mom came to town!! I am SO grateful for my mother who came a few days before the move to help watch the boys while I was at work & cleaned nearly the whole house that weekend.

I'm worn out just writing about February...