We Call It Home

Before moving to Virginia Paul and I searched vigorously on the internet for a place to live. Like most young and married college students we wanted a decent place for a reasonable price. I checked craigslist everyday along with a few other housing sites. I did not want to miss out on a good deal and even more so I wanted the comfort of knowing we would have a roof over our heads when we got there. We toyed with the idea of flying out for a weekend trip to check out a few places in person. After receiving advice from our friends and family, and sky-rocketing airline tickets, we decided against the trip. I continued my search on the internet, made phones calls, sent e-mails, and even contacted local church members.

Next thing I know we packed our boxes and were ready to go, with no house lined up. However, we were happy and looking forward to our adventure. 1 1/2 days after arriving in Virginia and 13 housing appointments later, we were exhausted and indecisive. Some places were an absolute NO, others had something to offer, and of course there was the one we never should have looked at. It was out of our price range and I wanted it... After much thought, talking, prayer, and little sleep we narrowed it down to two town homes. Upon making a decision we called the agent who told us someone else had already put money down on the property that morning. First we were astonished at how fast it had gone and then sad that we did not get it. However, with a new sense of urgency we quickly made a move on our second option. We had just barely seen the place that morning, but thought it suitable for our needs. We filled out papers, gave money, waited for approval, then more papers, and more money. Now we call it home.

Our lovely home.

The rather plain & simple living room. 

The kitchen.

Where I enjoy spending time creating meals & baked goods.  

You may or may not know that Virginia Tech's school colors are maroon and orange.

Our counter tops just happen to have a little school spirit in them.

Go Hokies!

This is where we sit & bask in the morning sunlight appreciating each ray of light.

Our last apartment was in a basement with no windows.

 Our bedroom with the east facing windows & on the second floor.

The study & second bedroom.

Visitors welcome.

 We are so happy that we found this wonderful place to live. 

We have more than enough space and we enjoy all the natural light. 

                

Exploring Virginia

You may or may not know that Paul's favorite hobby is fly fishing. He loves it! For the past two years we lived 5 minutes away from the Provo River, a dream come true for him. Since he enjoyed spending his time there so much, he thoughtfully acquired all the gear that I would need to go fishing with him. This way we could spend time together. And we did spend many afternoons and evenings fishing on the Provo River. 

Understanding this, it is only natural that one of Paul's major concerns about moving to Virginia was that he would not know where to fish or how to catch them. I was much less concerned about the matter. However, I decided to help him look for places to fish. I found a place called Cascade Falls not too far away from the area where we would be living. The description said that there is a hiking path that follows a fishable stream, and ends with a beautiful waterfall. Great! I can hike and Paul can fish. So on our first Saturday here we arose early and drove the 30 minutes to the falls.

The beginning of our hike....

Paul trying out his fishing skills and luck. Mostly skills though.

He catches his first fish in the State of Virginia! 

  

That little guy is the one of the biggest fish we saw in this small stream. 

Paul was pleasantly surprised to catch a trout. Trout are less common here in Virginia because they need cooler freshwater to survive and most of the water here is too warm. 

We followed the stream the entire time, it was beautiful.

Can you see the path we walked on?

We found a few other exciting things along the way.

I Love Raspberries!

We made it to the beautiful Cascade Falls.

We are so happy to live in such a beautiful place!