Finding Her Way...

We aren’t defined by any one label.  As Mom’s we hold SO many hats, but sometimes get lost in the mix of doing all the things.

I met Dixie at my very first location of only 900 square feet when I was only 3 months into starting my business.  I was in awe of her work, and her fiery red hair spoke volumes to her personality.  Look up the definition of a Red Head 😉.

I have watched her not only grow but witnessed her walk through some large trials in her life with grace and love.  She doesn’t skip a beat and gives her whole heart into what she is passionate about.  I’m thankful for her loyalty in the shop, but it much surpasses the front doors as she has been by my side unwavering through some of my hardest seasons.  Our passion for the Ocean brought us together,  and with each rising & setting of the sun makes our future together pretty darn remarkable. 

Her story is inspiring and shows that hard work and passion will get you where you want to be.

 Words from Dixie:

Where to start. I am a mother to two daughters, ages 21 and 19, and one  son, age 16. This June we will be celebrating 20 years of marriage.  I met my husband, Bryce, while he was finishing up flight school in Pensacola, FL, my hometown.

I had a one year old daughter which made it impossible to meet people. I joined match.com and got connected with Bryce.  We hit it off and got married three months later. Three months after that we moved to San Diego, and started our grand adventure as a family. We were in San Diego for 7 months and then came to Virginia Beach in 2003.  

With the military, my husband was deployed a lot.  It made it really hard for me to work, especially with three young kids. So I stayed home in order to provide the stability the kids needed as he came and went with deployments.  I always loved being home with the kids, but I did yearn for an identity of my own. 

I started going to the Y several times a week where I got into the "Y Try Girls" group. This group started my passion of training and racing triathlons. I raced for several years, including several Iron distance runs, placing on the podium several times.

As a helicopter pilot, we never really moved anywhere. We were stationed here in Virginia Beach for 13 years before finally getting an overseas assignment.

From December 2014  until December 2017 we were stationed in Naples, Italy.  Italy is where i found my passion for life. I quickly felt at home, almost like I was an Italian in another life.  My Italian friends, specifically Neapolitans, had almost a bat s*it passion about them in regards to life. The ability to slow down, love hard, enjoy good well cooked food, family was the center of everything; I loved every moment of my time there.  From zip lining, hiking, sailing the Greek Islands, you name it and I made sure to do it. There was no adventure that I wasn't game for.  I made some amazing friends that to this day are part of the best part of my time in Italy.  

As the way of any military family, it was time for use to leave. I kicked and screamed.  We found ourselves right back in good ole Virginia Beach.  My kids were much older at this point and didn’t need me home all the time. It was finally time for me to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.   

I started watching YouTube videos and came across the resin art that was starting to become popular. My dad used to work with resin when I was little to make wall clocks and such. I guess it was a natural inclination for me to pick it up.  From there i just emersed myself in all things art and resin. Which is funny, because I always said I had no artist bones in my body.  I was a science person and had actually gone to school to be a chemical engineer (although i didn’t finish). So I guess in the end, I found an art form that was part science too.  Maybe that is why it drew me in.  

Not too long after I started doing resin and getting confident in it, I started making resin beach scenes. I am an ocean soul. If I can’t be at the waters edge, then I enjoy creating it.  An acquaintance had mentioned Steff and her shop Sunshine & Sweet Pea's and that I should show her my work. I got up the nerve and took a few pieces in to see if she would be interested. She was, and that started our journey to where we are now three years later, best friends, family, manager for her as well as her exclusive beach resin artist.