See ya (for now), Valdosta
Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! Thank you again so much for all of the wonderful blogiversary wishes and for entering yesterday’s giveaway. We have so many awesome giveaways on the way, and I’ll have the next one up in the morning! We’re still unearthing our lives from a mountain of boxes, so I’m hoping to get back in the swing of things this week (and write back to all of your beautiful comments on this post later tonight).
(dress is from Madewell and shoes are here)
I’ve received a lot of questions about our recent move, especially since it was pretty sudden and I haven’t talked a lot about it. To be honest, there’s not much I can share except that:
-we’re ok! Actually, we’re STOKED because we’re going to be in Tucson with the fam for a while
-it’s temporary.
I promise that I’ll eventually be able to share all the details.
The girls and I flew into Tucson on Saturday night. It was my first solo flight with them across the country, and even with the 4-hour layover in Atlanta, they rocked it. They’re such great travel buddies.
We walked around the airport for about an hour, hung out in the Sky Club and ate, then went back out to the airport until it was time to board our flight. When we got into Tucson, the fam was waiting at the airport with signs and hugs, and I tried not to ugly cry all over the place.
We checked into the hotel – we stayed at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, and it was perfection – and Sunday morning, we met up with the fam at the farmer’s market for crepes,
then hung out at the pool the rest of the day.
We’ve spent so much time with the fam, swimming at the hotel, and it’s been pretty much the best thing ever.
While we love being back in Tucson (it still feels like we’re on vacation!), there are definitely some parts of Valdosta that I’m going to miss:
-the wonderful friends we made there. It was tough to say, “See ya later” to so many people we love.
(with Lindsay! Thankfully I’ll get to see her again later this fall)
-Yoga Central! I’m certainly going to miss my yoga family and teaching barre classes at this beautiful, welcoming studio.
-Heart Rize! I was so sad that I JUST started taking classes at Heart Rize and had to leave. I kind of like it more than Orangetheory, which says a lot.
-Birdie’s Market. It was my favorite food and coffee in all of Valdosta.
-The close proximity to Disney World. We went 10 times in one year, which is totally bananas but I’d do it again in a second.
-Our house. WE LOVED our Valdosta house. It felt like “home” from the beginning, and having a full view of the woods + a family of deer that often came to visit was pretty magical.
Each morning, I’d drive back home after taking Liv to school and the sun would peek through the trees, creating patches of light all over the neighborhood. Even long before we knew we’d be leaving, I’d think to myself, “I’m going to miss this place.”
Who would have known that we’d end up back in Valdosta and loving it the second time around. We have so many wonderful memories from the past year, and it will always be a special spot to us.
For now, we’re enjoying being back in the desert… and don’t even mind the heat too much. I’m excited to be back here with the fam, to be able to do even more fun things to do with the girls, for access to THINGS (Whole Foods, Orangetheory, new restaurants, shopping, barre, yoga, Trader Joe’s, etc.), and for blog opportunities. I’m so excited to work with Grant on some more videos coming up!
So there ya go. We’re back in Tucson for a bit and it’s pretty amazeballs.
Have a great day and I’ll see ya soon!
xoxo
Gina
Where’s your favorite spot you’ve ever lived? If you could move anywhere, would you?
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I lived in Bali for a year, as well as other areas throughout Indonesia and it was pretty magical!
It feels like you just moved to Valdosta! At least you got to go back Tucson…my parents would be thrilled if I ever move back to SoCal, but it’s not in the near future. Right now, I’m adoring living in England, and I’m already sad to leave and there’s still 6 months to go before going back to New Zealand. Maybe you’ll get a move to Europe soon? 10/10 would recommend.
What a big change. I’m glad you could go back to a familiar place, but I’m sorry for all the switching. I’m moving 3 hours north soon and seeing the Pilot drive that big moving truck has me SO impressed. I’m over here stressing about packing and moving our one bedroom, but you moved a whole house!! Any tips for getting things done, packing, or getting rid of things? You impress me, Gina!
It is amazing to be close to family. We moved to Albuquerque to be close to my sister in the fall of 2015 and I love it! Coming from Houston TX the heat is much easier to take bc not so much humidity. The traffic is nonexistent. And the best is that there are so many fun hikes and outdoor places to enjoy. Plus you can get to some pretty amazing places with a 3-5 hr drive. The restaurant scene isn’t as awesome as Houston but witt two littles I find that I either cook more or we visit the same places frequently. Glad you are back with family and so thankful it is a positive thing that caused the temporary move!
Welcome back to Tucson!
Wow! Back in Tucson already. That’s wonderful, and it will be so fun to be around family. Can’t wait to see you share more about Tucson since I pass through there several times a year and have checked out places based on your recommendations. 🙂
Welcome back to Tucson! It’s so nice to be around family 🙂
So exciting to be back home! My husband and I have been entertaining the idea of moving. I love Chicagoland (especially living 5 minutes from both of our families), but I absolutely hate the cold and snowy winters. We would love to move somewhere warmer, but our options are somewhat limited having 2 goats + 10 chickens, plus I’ve grown pretty accustomed to living close our favorite grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Ahhh, decisions!
As an USAF girlfriend, I admire your flexibility to move around so much. You seem to handle it like a champ! Has it already been a full year since you moved back to GA? Time flies! It seems like you absolutely love life in the desert with your extended family, so I’m very happy for you that you’re back — for now! Look forward to following your new AZ adventures! xo
Welcome back to T-town!
Ahhh! How long are you in Tucson?! And any chance of a Tucson friends meet-up?!
Good luck with finding a new place and enjoy your family time !
I saw on your blog (or instagram?!) that you were moving and was like “did I miss a blog post or something?” It has been interesting to see how different your posts are while on the East Coast. Hope you settle in soon. Moving is the worst.
I recently moved to Livonia, N.Y. from Lima, N.Y. It wasn’t a big move, but I would love to move back to Lima.
Yay for Tucson! Especially being back with your family <3
The favorite spot I've lived is right here in Leawood, Kansas (suburb of Kansas City). We LOVE it here! Just wish we could do away with winter….
I always say "see ya SOON" instead of "see ya later" !! 😉
I live by Liberty, MO! Small world 🙂
Being around family is the best! Would love to be back in NORCAL ! My fam is there but living wherever in the world with my hubs is the best!
Welcome back! I’m in Phoenix, but I still love having you nearby. 🙂
Im in Phoenix too! I feel like we need a fitnessista AZ meet up!
Yay! Love that you are back! And you know, the high temps don’t bother me anymore either. It’s funny how you can get used to it even though 108 sounds ungodly hot hehe.
I have lived in several locations in Canada, Singapore, Houston and the Chicago area. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but lately, especially now that I have a son, I have been craving my real “home” more often.
Moving is so tough! I hope that it is all for good though. Wishing you all the best!
I’m glad to hear you are back by family. It feels like you just moved! Hope all goes well for you guys. Look forward to your adventures in A-Z and more videos. My fav thing!! I’ve only lived in WA state. If Cali wasn’t so expensive, we’d go there. A definitely west coast girl here!
I’m from Tucson and you’ll love it! I’m sure you’ll find fun things to do! If you have any questions I hopefully have a good answer. I’m in Valdosta now but we will soon be moving too. Good luck on new adventures!!
I hope everything is going well for you and your family. I may have missed it, did you end up having the biopsy go okay? Enjoy your time back in Tucson!
Maybe its because I’m from New Mexico and currently live in Las Vegas, but I’ve always been partial to your posts when you’re in Tuscon. I love the desert pics you post!! I am a true desert rat! LOL. Happy for you to be back in Tuscon and look forward to reading more about your time in AZ.
I’m the complete opposite! I live in southern FL, so I’m partial to the posts when you’re in Valdosta. Especially when you come to Orlando or Jacksonville, which are 3 or 5 hours from me. It’s almost like my backyard. 🙂 I guess this means you have blog fans wherever you live!
lol Amanda…funny how that works right!? Sounds like I need to get check out that part of the country sometime!
I absolutely love where I currently live (Asheville, NC) and adore so many things about this magical place but….I am homesick for St. Louis, MO! Now you might be thinking, really? But STL is where I became an adult, a lot of my friends are still there, there are so many amazing restaurants to eat at, and so many FREE activities! Plus I was closer to my family (they’re in Chicago area).
Good luck with everything! I love Suja juice!
I’m glad you’re back close to family and I always find it nice to move back to a place and you appreciate it so much more the second time. I was the same way with Winston-Salem (where I now live) – I left for a bit to live in Charlotte and missed Winston so much. My favorite place ever to live was Holladay, which was a neighborhood in Salt Lake City. Amazing food, close to family and friends, quiet neighborhood, great running and 5 minutes from amazing hiking. I definitely took it for granted.
Gina – SO EXCITED for your podcast! I just signed up. Love that you are doing this!
oh my gosh, just catching up! so happy for you guys and congrats (if thats in order?! 😉 ) no matter the reason, you have all your fam around again and that has to be so incredible. yay yay yay!