Meet The Innkeepers
My husband, Bill, and I were driving on a hot July day in the summer of 2016 to go on vacation in North Carolina. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a "For Sale" sign and I was instantly smitten with my destiny. I asked my husband to turn around and drive up to the house. It is a very calming feeling to sit on the front porch and simply look around. We decided to call the realtor on the sign and she came over within 25 minutes to show us the interior of the home. As we crossed the threshold into the entrance hall, I think I knew that we were home. I felt a great sense of destiny and purpose which seemed to take control and guide us forward.
Ironically, thirty years earlier, I used to drive by this house sometimes with my father as we traveled from Baltimore to Hampton, Virginia. In the early '80's I was working in Baltimore and my father worked as a contractor for Martin Marietta in the Baltimore area. My father shared a condo with me in Baltimore and traveled home on weekends to my mother and sister in Hampton. Whenever I made the weekend trip with him, we passed by this house and each of us commented not only on the beauty of the home, but also on the welcoming impression that it made. The home reminded my father of happy boyhood times spent at his sister's home in Sanford, North Carolina. I, too, remembered visiting my aunt and uncle in Sanford, and remember the beauty of their home and it's welcoming atmosphere. In addition, I always wanted a bed and breakfast.
In October of 2016, we purchased the home and began many necessary code-required renovations, upgrades and aesthetically inspired enhancements. On November 17th in 2018, we had the blessing of the home and a dinner celebration for forty people. We look forward to welcoming you at Southern Sighs Bed & Breakfast.
Mary Lynn Landgraf
Mary Lynn Landgraf grew up in Hampton, VA and at nine years of age made a vow to herself to sail out of Norfolk, VA at age 18 and study in Europe. She wanted to see the world and she did. She worked in international sales and enjoyed cultural immersions and smiling faces in every country. After years in international textile sales and serving the U.S. government, Mary Lynn spends time promoting U.S. made technical textiles and regional, state and U.S culture.
William A. Budd (Bill)
William A. Budd (Bill) was born in New Jersey and has become a Southerner by choice. Bill worked in marketing and sales in the titanium industry for ATI for 30 plus years during the exciting decades of the '80's, '90's and early 2000's. Bill is engaged in landscaping and working on projects in his new “Man Cave”. Two of his most exciting purchases at Southern Sighs have been his John Deere tractor and his Fussball table located in the bar.