About Us

My husband, Mark, and I moved from Reston, VA, (where we had lived for ten years) to Bentonville, VA in September 2008. We had discussed moving to the country for several years and finally (thank God) the right time came. Although we loved our Reston neighborhood, we were tired of wall-to-wall people and deadly traffic. And, we needed more land for our four dogs. Beginning in March 2008, we started searching high and low for the perfect house. We looked in Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties and were, frankly, starting to lose hope. That’s when, on a whim, I ran a search for Warren County. We found two houses – one in Limeton and one in Bentonville. So for kicks, we went to look at them both and fell in love with the Bentonville house. At this point, it’s worth it to note that we were able to sell our home in Reston at the 11th hour about two days before it was inconceiavble the think we’d sell it. So, now we’ve settled in the middle of the woods on 10 acres with our dogs and an indescribable love of the Shenandoah Valley. Seriously, I have a hard time communicating how much I LOVE this area. So much so that I have to blog about it. Ergo, the Shenandoah Lifestyle blog.

What do I love about the Valley? Visiting the local wineries and enjoying beautiful views and VA wine…right in my backyard. The great outdoors (although we don’t enjoy it as much as we should.) Being made to feel at home – we were almost immediately welcomed into the community. Meeting incredible new people. Having a serene, green, natural piece of land in the wilderness. Enjoying local, fresh meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables. And soooo much more…

I’ve owned and run Web Strategies Internet Solutions since 1998 as well as founded the animal welfare nonprofit, GoodDogz.org, in 2003. I also blog about social media marketing on my professional blog and about my dogs at DoggieMayhem.com. Mark works for a market research company in Herndon, VA.

(Photo: (L to R) John and Jenn Shannon and Mark and Beth Bates on the deck at Fox Meadow Winery in May 2009.)