Before you jump on here and say it’s the off season for Williamsburg, I know. I’ve been numerous times but during summer with family!

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Williamsburg for my birthday which is mid January. Just a simple weekend trip. Hotel is already secured and we have a good idea what restaurants we want to hit. What should we do? He’s never been before. Obviously BG and WC are going to be closed. We don’t mind driving a little bit to something fun, either. Weather permitting we will at least try to walk CW, even if it is off season for them. Maybe some indoor activities?

Its a long story but to summarize,

I have lot of health condition that requires lot of therapies and doctors appts which made me miss work. Of course it was addressed and boss knew about all of the missed days ahead of time. Eventually they let me go so I applied for unemployment and received for couple of months which is around $7800. This was back in 2023. I recently got a mail from VEC that my job was contesting it and went through the whole appeal and court by myself because I cant afford a lawyer and I lost because "I am technically allowed one week of off days" even though my conditions were addressed before my job even started. Now I have a overpayment amount of $7800 that I have to pay back but I have no money. The health problems I have limits from doing regular daily activities, let alone have a normal job and I physically can not stay standing up for more than an hour. I get tiny bit of money from workers comp ( it was a previous work injury that led me to this ) and I barely make rent and utility, sometimes short. I saw that VEC does have waiver for those who qualify in "Requiring repayment would be against equity and good conscience" but there is a date on it which it ended so I am not sure if I even qualify for it. I have no asset for the government to take it, I have nothing. I am on SNAP and Medicaid so that proves my low low income.

I guess the answer I am looking for is what are my options...? I wish I can work and I wish I can just pay and not deal with it anymore. This whole health issue has already brought me complete broke and I am about literally end up sleeping on street if I have to pay this back. I am in extreme distress and its affecting my mental health as well.

Please please, help out those who know a bit about VEC.

Thanks in advance

Reddit can you help us?

I am posting this on behalf of my father, who grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He is biracial and never met his white father, whom we now know was named John Daniel Whealton, born on November 8, 1925, and who passed away in 1980. We are searching for any half-siblings my dad may have, as we have recently found one and have a strong feeling there may be more.

Here are some details about my father's biological father:

• Name: John Daniel Whealton
• Date of Birth: November 8, 1925
• Date of Death: 1980
• Occupation:
  • Served in the U.S. Navy during the 1940s and possibly into the early 1950s
  • Worked as an insurance salesman after his military service
• Vehicle: Known to have driven a brown station wagon
• Location: Active in the Virginia area, particularly around the Eastern Shore and possibly Norfolk

It's likely that any half-siblings would also be biracial and may have limited knowledge about their father. They might be in their 50s, given my father's age.

Unfortunately, we have no photographs of him and limited information beyond these facts. If any of this resonates with what your mother may have told you about your own father, or if you suspect there might be a connection, please consider reaching out.

We are hoping to piece together our family history and would be grateful for any information or connections that could help us learn more about our extended family.

Contact: ambercraig2023@gmail.com

Ive been studying for about 3 weeks now and I still feel underprepared and I know I cant cram in all this knowledge now. I've passed my drivers education class and Im studying still but I would like someone to tell me some general things I should know and study please and thank you.

Mid 30s guy here (not sure if it matters) just outside RVA in Powhatan. Who all is going snowboarding/skiing this season. Got Massanutten season passes with my brother. Caught the tail end of last year and am pumped for this year. Looking for shred buddies (guys/gals welcome). Still relatively novice (green and blues).

Could be down for other trips as well but have a Mass season pass)

Recently applied for unemployment, and was a little surprised to get a letter in the mail stating I was being denied benefits due to "misconduct". It doesn't go into any specifics as to the alleged nature of the misconduct - just a bunch of vague language that I suspect is boilerplate ("claimants efforts to meet employers standards were negligent"..."failure to perform ones work to the satisfaction of an employer is not misconduct...unless it is shown that there was a willful disregard of the employers standards..").

I'm not going to go into the specifics of my situation, though I will say that going into this process I was extremely confident that it did not rise anywhere near a level that would qualify as misconduct - and in any case I maintain that the vague claims made in the denial letter are bogus. My hope is that this just means that my employer appealed my initial claim and that the UI Deputy simply took at face value whatever excuse my former employer provided to try and have it classified as misconduct. On the other hand, my understanding was that the burden of proof was on the employer to have my claim rejected - so it's concerning to me that they succeeded in getting it rejected the first time around. I also don't even know where to begin when it comes to the appeal, since the letter does not go into any specifics about what exactly my employer cited as grounds for misconduct. With that in mind, here is what I am trying to figure out:

Will I be able to get any detail on what exactly my employer cited as justification, or does the UI admin just expect you go into the appeal process blind?

Is it typical for these things to get rejected upfront in situations where someone was fired for cause - eg, the employer has nothing to lose by making the initial appeal, since if nothing else it puts the onus back on the employee in the event that the employers appeal is successful?

Do I need to consult legal counsel now, or is that not a path that I need to cross unless my ensuing appeal to this initial rejection fails as well?

Am I pretty much screwed / should I just operate under the expectation that I will never see a penny of UI benefits for this claim either way?

We need a new roof for our Northern Neck home, and have decided on metal. We're all set with a contractor, have gotten past the sticker shock, and now it's down to just color. If you've got a metal roof and would be willing to share some pics, we would love to pore over them. Also, any regrets?

Hi All,

Looking for insights on which areas would better suit us. We're asian american if that matters as all. My GF (31F) and I (31M) are considering a life on this side of the Country to be closer to her mom. I'll try to give as much context as possible so you all can give the best insights for us. I've seen how happy she is around her mom and being nearby where they can see each other more than once a year would be awesome.

We are mainly from the Bay Area, CA. And have been enjoying mountain living for a while now in the central coast, coming from living in suburbs our entire lives. We are open to all living situations whether suburbs, mountain, country, even city life. Here are data points on us.

Some general info about what we like about the Newport news area so far when visiting her mom. Weather is pretty manageable. Colds arent too bad( we've done snow camping) and the heat/humidity is manageable. Farm fresh has almost everything i need and is awesome, their fried chicken is fire. Good restaurants that we've found and have returned to multiple times. Esp the oyster HH. Proximity to conveniences like target, costco, the Y, etc...

GF:

• WFH remote work as an accountant.
• likes gardening, pottery, and house plants
• likes to be active, walkable cities with side walks and definitely likes to bike around (we dont have any sidewalks where we live currently)
• needs a high quality gym, that isnt too crowded and has almost everything. The Y is a good baseline.
• introvert and has little friends so moving away is nbd
• likes the water and beach
• loves camping
• likes fun challenging hikes, eg: half dome or lassen peak
• likes guns
• likes homesteading

Myself:

• has WFH for the last 4 years doing software sales, looking to make a career change to events, marketing or other customer facing role.
• likes video games, cooking, and playing sports
• needs open gym/leagues for indoor and sand volleyball
• walkability to get steps in. Walking around a neighborhood is fine
• biking to the grocery store would be cool too
• extrovert but has minimal friends that moved far away so moving this far is nbd
• loves camping and scenic hikes eg: half dome and lassen peak
• does not mind or will miss seeing family only once/twice a year. Might even like it.
• likes guns and tactical training
• likes driving and karting
• i enjoy sand but only go into warm water eg: hawaii or mexico

We dont drink or go to bars, we would like there to be some night time activities and eateries atleast since we are nightowls. But understand that's a stretch to ask. We often walk around target or walmart after 10pm. We're not planning on having kids. We'd like to be within commuting distance(1.5 hrs) to Newport News so if there are other areas i didnt mention that y'all think are great options to check out, we're all ears.

Happy to add more later if i didnt give enough info. TIA

I'm waiting for my background check to clear on a new job that would start in January, with health coverage beginning Feb 1st. I currently have VA Marketplace health coverage and would need it again for the month of January. It'll be about a 50k jump from my current income to my new job income, so my "expected" income for 2025 completely changes my Marketplace plan options. I don't really mind about changing plans for just one month, though it is annoying, but I don't feel comfortable updating my insurance until the new job is fully locked in. So, does anyone know the last date to update my income? I'm seeing conflicting answers online - either Dec 15th or Dec 31st.

Also, does anyone know the penalties for simply not updating my income? I don't care about paying the premium back later when I do my 2025 taxes, but a 50k jump in estimated income seems like it might raise some red flags.