Hamilton, VA

With Northern Virginia in the news so much lately because of all this snow, it's had me reminiscing about our days there. Jason and I both lived in Northern Virginia for about 4 years. When we decided to get married we started searching for a place to live and by chance one of the 4-H families I worked with (the Murray's) had just bought about 55 acres in Loudoun County with a house. They were planning on renting the house and offered for us to take and look and see if we would be interested. We did and immediately began to think --how can we make this work? It would be a long commute for Jason but a very short commute for me, and since I worked lots of nights and weekends we decided it was worth it. We would be able to live in a house not an apartment, and the house sat on 50 plus acres! It was a beautiful and peaceful place to start our lives together. The town of Hamilton is pretty small - just west a few miles of Leesburg (where I worked) and about 45 minutes west of D.C.

Hamilton definitely had a small town feel...one post office, one gas station, a general store and two restaurants. One of our favorite places to go was Lowry's Crab Shack, especially in the summer. We would sit outside and eat fresh seafood and have some drinks. The Lowry family was so nice to us whenever we came in. They were big supporters of the 4-H program.

They also owned the Hamilton General Store where they sold things like old fashioned sodas, locally grown vegetables, homemade soaps and much more.

We loved the small town feel of Hamilton, but what was most enjoyable was our friendship with Murray family. They had all of their livestock out at the barn and pastures next to our house. Everyday their kids, Adam and Emily, would come to take care of their projects. Their parents were always out there with them, working alongside their kids. It reminded me of my 4-H and FFA days. What responsibility and dedication it teaches! As well as serving as an avenue for family bonding. I truly enjoyed getting to know the Murray's and they continue to be friends of ours. I hope all friends up north are staying safe and warm!!