People of Virginia Beach

People of Virginia Beach Real people. Real stories.

If these make you smile, mission accomplished. šŸ’›

Mini $125 | Story $250 | Legacy $399
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Katherine has been waiting three weeks for her first paycheck. Six months into a new job, her boss let her go over text....
07/23/2026

Katherine has been waiting three weeks for her first paycheck.

Six months into a new job, her boss let her go over text. No warning. No conversation. Just a message on a screen.

At 69, finding work isn't like it used to be. Everything's online now - applications, interviews, everything. But she kept going. And she landed something new, at CHKD.

Her saving grace? The man who asked her for a separation.

She's staying with him on his boat right now. Because without the job, without a paycheck yet, she didn't know what she was going to do.

They'd been married 25 years. Two months apart while she was in Kansas, and he told her he felt neglected. So he asked for a separation. Started seeing other people.

She hasn't been able to imagine that. Not even a hug from someone else.

Was it meant to be? The separation? Seeing other people? Letting each other go?

Maybe. They're closer now than they've been in years, at ease with each other. No more trying to fix one another, just accepting. Best friends.

PS: Katherine - I loved your energy. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me.

PSS: Want your story told? DM me.

I am out of stories and with this rain, it's not looking good. Any suggestions? The mall sounds dreadful. šŸ¤£
07/22/2026

I am out of stories and with this rain, it's not looking good. Any suggestions? The mall sounds dreadful. šŸ¤£

Remember Steve?? The guy who found the wedding ring set against all odds?? He texted me yesterday!!ā€œSuzi, it happened ag...
07/20/2026

Remember Steve?? The guy who found the wedding ring set against all odds?? He texted me yesterday!!

ā€œSuzi, it happened again... likely at an even greater level this time because of the nearly impossible location.

I was out detecting during low tide, knee-deep in the water on a large flat of sand being washed by the incoming waves. A guy walked up to me while I was out there and asked,

ā€˜Do waves wash rings back in?ā€™

I asked him how far out he was. He pointed out toward the outer bar and said, ā€˜Chest deep.ā€™ His platinum wedding band had come off while he was swimming. This wasnā€™t near the shore. This was out where surfers are looking for their next ride.

His family had already searched. They did the foot shuffle thing trying to find it. Nothing. I told him the truth.

ā€˜Out there? Itā€™s almost impossible.ā€™

He understood and even gave me his contact information, hoping maybe someday a hurricane would bring it closer to shore and I might find it.

But then I thought...Iā€™m already here. I have to try. So I headed straight out. What was I thinking?

When I got chest-deep and started jumping the breaking waves, I realized how crazy this was. I was probably not even as far out as he had been. I started swinging the detector completely underwater.

After maybe five or six swings, I got a signal. Now came the hard part. Digging in breaking waves was almost impossible. The waves kept pushing me off the target. After several attempts, I finally got it into my scoop. I washed the sand away underwater.

Then I heard it. The clink of metal. I looked into the scoop and saw a large silver-colored band just like he described. But I still wasnā€™t sure. I thought, ā€˜There is no way I just walked straight onto this manā€™s ring in the middle of the ocean.ā€™

I told him when I got back, ā€˜Be honest with me. If this isnā€™t yours, tell me... because if it isnā€™t, then I really want it!ā€™ I lowered the scoop. He reached in. He pulled it out.

And he put it on his finger. His wife. His friends. Me. Everyone exploded in shock and joy. I had been out there maybe five to seven minutes.

It was another longshot miracle recovery, similar to the $9,500 wedding ring set I found in 2021.

Divine intervention had happened again. The manā€™s name was Todd, and he was visiting from out of town. He had already accepted that he might never see his ring again.

But somehow, against all odds, I found it.

How do these stories happen to me?"

PS: Thank you for sharing your story and photo with us, Steve!!
PSS: For more stories, follow along ;)

Thank you doesnā€™t convey how grateful I am to all of you.
07/20/2026

Thank you doesnā€™t convey how grateful I am to all of you.

My neighbor told me I needed to cut myself some slack. He's owned 4 businesses simultaneously in his life. And he said m...
07/19/2026

My neighbor told me I needed to cut myself some slack. He's owned 4 businesses simultaneously in his life. And he said my 3-month deadline to become self-sustainable is unrealistic.

So what am I doing?? What am I offering?
First, a really fun time. Laughter, sunshine, and the ocean. Second, an experience. Not just a photo shoot. I want you to have just as much fun as I do on the beach.

Experiences:
Express Session - $125
5+ digital photos, no story

Story Session - $250
10+ digital photos, written story

Legacy Story Session - $399
20+ digital photos, keepsake book with your photos and story

Walk-a-long: Take a stroll down the boardwalk or shore with me.
Learn why I talk to some and not others. Figure out the exact moment I decide to take the shot. $40

But here's what's got me really excited lately...

A Snail Mail Subscription: Get People of VB stories and photos delivered to your mailbox. Your real mailbox. Postcards to start. I am thinking $10 a month.

What do you think? Would you want to receive real postcards in your real mailbox? Or want to give it as a gift?

Comment below, or DM me "POSTCARD" if you want on the list when it launches.

If you're interested in a session or a walk with me, DM me. Or email me at [email protected]

What are Americans missing? I want to know what other cultures know. The wisdom that's been passed down for centuries. G...
07/19/2026

What are Americans missing? I want to know what other cultures know. The wisdom that's been passed down for centuries. Grandmother to grandchild. Father to son. Auntie to niece.

So when I saw them sitting there at 1st Street soaking in the sun, breathing in the ocean, I had to stop. They welcomed me like I was family. Or a long-lost friend.

Misrak has worked all over the world. In Africa, she's seen nurses and doctors take a two-hour train just to get to work. They walk in smiling. Their ride home sometimes takes even longer.

Day in and day out. Smiling. Laughing. Not complaining. Bringing food for coworkers on the night shift.

In Thailand, she watched a person waiting to cross the street, and a car waiting too. They bowed to each other. Gave thanks. For nothing more than sharing the road.

"Their souls are still intact," she said. "They have compassion for one another. They live inside their bodies."

Then she comes home to Maryland. Culture shock, every time. People don't say hello. Everyone moving too fast. Running around to nowhere. Complaining about things that don't really matter.

She thinks she knows why. "We complain because all of our basic needs are met."

Tayetch was quiet. Spoke very little English. But when I asked her what advice she'd give a woman my age, she just looked in my eyes and said:

"Slow down. Rest. Breathe."

PS: Thank you all so much for being here with me. Follow along for more stories.

I was sweating bullets when I saw him...and then he offered me a water.As soon as Nature could ride a bike, he rode to t...
07/18/2026

I was sweating bullets when I saw him...and then he offered me a water.

As soon as Nature could ride a bike, he rode to the ocean every day. Now, his living room is the beach. Like others I've met, he has found a profound sense of freedom living outside.

Nature was 15 the first time he lived on the streets. Since then, he's lived in campers and vans. But his favorite place? The Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Nature doesn't feel like he's missing anything. When I tried to give him the $20 tip I'd just received from someone else...he wouldn't take it.

"I don't need it." He told me that some mornings he wakes up to find a full pizza waiting for him...with a $20 bill tucked inside the box.

His advice? "Stop working." I looked down at my camera and smiled. "I am working."

He looked at me with his soul-piercing eyes and quietly said,

"No...you're having fun."

Love my job. If you see them out, say hi!! They're so nice, and they love their job too. Being outside all day, soaking ...
07/17/2026

Love my job. If you see them out, say hi!! They're so nice, and they love their job too. Being outside all day, soaking up the sun, breathing in the ocean, and helping us all.

Do you know them?

PS: Later, I'm going out to get shots of the women.

07/16/2026

I am SOOOOO thankful he wasn't successful. For about three seconds, I couldn't believe what had just happened.

I was riding home on the Norfolk Avenue bike path, smiling and saying good morning to everyone I passed.

Then I passed one man. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lean toward me. Lips pursed. I kept riding. Then it hit me.

"Did he just try to spit on me?" No...surely not. Before I knew it, I was turning around. I pulled up beside him and asked, "Did you just try to spit on me?"

He looked startled. "Who are you?"

"The lady who just rode by who said good morning."

He seemed agitated, so I asked, "Am I making you nervous?"

"Yes," he said. "We should be nervous around you as****es."

That's when it clicked. He wasn't reacting to me. He was reacting to my e-bike.

I've read the Nextdoor posts. I've talked to neighbors about kids riding e-bikes. I've even been kicked off the boardwalk bike path because of the way some people ride e-bikes.

I get it.

Some people are flying down the paths at 30 miles an hour, popping wheelies, weaving through people, and giving the rest of us a bad name.

But that's not all of us. I'm 53. I bought my e-bike after I lost my husband. I call it my "Badass Therapy."

It got me smiling again. Laughing again. Waving at strangers again. I love feeling the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, and music blasting in my ears.

Could I do all of this on a regular bike? Maybe.

But after mold exposure, my energy isn't always predictable. Some days, my e-bike is the difference between staying home... and getting outside. Between isolating... and talking to people.

So if you see a blonde woman on an e-bike with glasses, a black backpack, and a huge smile...please don't assume I'm one of "those" riders. I'm probably just out enjoying a little Badass Therapy.

This makes TWO people who have reached out asking if I could set them up. Nowā€¦ if I did this, it wouldnā€™t just be a ā€œher...
07/15/2026

This makes TWO people who have reached out asking if I could set them up.

Nowā€¦ if I did this, it wouldnā€™t just be a ā€œhereā€™s your dateā€ situation. It would have to be a surprise reveal.

First, Iā€™d collect some information, probably through a Google Form:

Who are you?
What makes you laugh?
What are you passionate about?
What kind of person are you hoping to meet?
What are the things that matter most to you?

Then Iā€™d wiggle my nose - just like Samantha on *Bewitched* - and see if a little Virginia Beach magic happens.

And then? This is the fun part:

Iā€™d document the whole thing. The reveal. The first meeting. The conversation. The awkward moments. The laughs.

Soā€¦ whoā€™s game?

Would you fill out the form?
Would you go on a blind date?
Would you let me capture the story?

Comment below and let me know what you think!

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