For those of you who dont know, I lived in Virginia for a little less than a year. My parents wanted to try something new and while on vacation, we stopped in Virginia and they fell in love with it. We lived in suburbia Richmond in by far one of the nicest neighborhoods ever. However, because we were in a new place I never really got to go off and take adventures on my own. Whenever I went outside my dad would be right there or he made sure he could see me through our kitchen window. Being the rugrat that I was, I was actually about 9, I hated living there because I was constantly under extreme supervision which meant I couldn't get into any trouble lol.  But anyway, thats the beginning. 

When we moved there, we used to travel all the time. I still bring up that fact and my mom swears that we didn't travel that much. Ha! She obviously doesn't remember. If you go back and check out my transcript, you will see that I missed a ton of school on top of all the snow days we had. Figures the year we move there, the state is hit with it's worst snow storms in years. I failed to mention, the reason my parents moved there was because they wanted to get away from all the snow. My dad claims the snow wasn't that bad but being from where we are, it was nothing like the lake effect we were used to. So back to the constant traveling. I swear just about every or every other weekend, we used to head down to DC and Myrtle Beach. As it finally warmed up, we used to head to Virginia Beach constantly. This was by far my favorite beach. Oh how I loved Virginia Beach!!! There was one time I remember the most though. We ended up staying at this Holiday Inn and it was so nice. This hotel was layed out! You would swear you were checking into the Hilton. Anyway, my dad always made sure we ended up with a beach front view. I would say, here is where and when my love for the beach started.  It was the most perfect night. I went out onto the balcony and the temperature was just right and I could smell the ocean. It was that nice fresh scent, not the nasty fishy smell but I digress.  The waves were crashing on the shore but not in that there's about to be a hurricane way. It was nice and calm. It was pretty late so there weren't too many people down on the actual beach area. 

At the point, I remember looking up and the sky was pitch black but it was lit with the stars and the moon. The stars had that perfect twinkle that you only see every once in awhile.  The moon had that perfect crescent shape and it was so bright. I swear it was like something right out of a movie. Clearly breathtaking. I remember standing out there for the longest time and I didn't want to be anywhere else. To be honest, I think I would have stayed out there all night but my mom wasn't too fond of that idea. It was one of those times when my bedtime was pushed back to 10:30 and I thought I was the coolest kid in the world! That was my favorite night for years to come.

I've been waiting forever to re-live that moment. Every summer, I like to go out on those nice nights and sit in my backyard and escape this crazy world.  I used to love going out and sitting on the swing in front of my grandmothers' hoping no one would come bother me. For the most part, I always got my wish. There's just something about looking up into that sky and seeing those stars and moon that's hard to explain. Whenever I went away for our Girl Scout encampments, which I never really wanted to do because I always ended up with spiders in my bunk and I hate spiders, I loved doing the same thing. Of course then it wasn't so peaceful because you have the constant sound of screen doors slamming every minute followed by teenage girls arguing but if you could learn to tune them out, you'd be okay. PS-on my last encampment ever, I ended up having about 5 huge disgusting spiders in my bunk area and my best friend Jenn was gracious enough to share her bunk with me after repeated failed attempts to kill this huge gross looking one. I to this day, I thank God that she did because I honestly wanted to call my dad and have him pick me up. I was at my breaking point. Because of these experiences, I have decided I'm not a camper and will never be. One year we went to Hershey Park and we actually camped in tents. Big deal right? Someone left the tent open and once again we were plagued by these gross spiders. By the way, I have possibly the best camp story so If you ever want to hear about it, just ask me. It's hillarious! Soooo off topic right now so let me sum it all up...

I love looking at the stars and moon with the sound of the ocean or lake crashing in the background. There's nothing more peaceful. The time that you spend in that environment helps you escape from reality and you find time to enjoy the little things in life. You're alone with your thoughts and dreams. Every now and then its good to have someone along right there with you though. You'd be surprised about the topics that may arise and you could end up closer to that person as a result. I cant wait to get back to that beach. So here's my challenge to you. Sometime this spring or summer, which doesnt begin until June 21 by the way, take a night to yourself or with a friend, find a quiet place, if possible, on a clear night and just lay back and look up at the sky. Turn off the cellphones and get lost in your thoughts and emotions. And if you have the chance, definitely try this by a body of water. It makes the experience that much better.  

In the end, I'm sure it will be one of the most amazing things you'll ever experience...