From Hamburg to Ballantyne: The Moon Family’s Stylish Orbit

Opening Scene

Friday dusk in Ballantyne Country Club glows peach-pink, and the Moon house is prepping for its weekly ritual: Preston (age four) is negotiating screen time, Goldendoodle Winston is herding tennis balls like livestock, and Victoria and JD are debating whether the popcorn needs more truffle salt. It is domestic calm shot through with sport-level tempo—exactly the way the Moons like it.

Meet Victoria & JD

He grew up in Conyers, Georgia; she in Charleston’s salt-air humidity. They met over rival football tailgates at the University of South Carolina and married in 2015. JD swapped civil-engineering plans for C-suite spreadsheets at Celeros Flow Technology, overseeing numbers that rival utility grids. Victoria turned her journalism degree into a photography business that captures everything from bridal veils to bourbon ads—always with a sliver of Lowcountry light.

Continental Drift

Two weeks after their wedding they boxed up life, plus Winston, and moved to Hamburg, Germany. When corporate strategy later pointed them to Aalborg, Denmark, they leaned in. “We learned to pack lightly except for the espresso machine,” Victoria says. Their most improbable getaway: Shanghai dumplings followed by a Bruno Mars set in Taipei. Preston arrived in time to stamp his first passport before his first birthday.

Ballantyne Ground Control

In 2021, JD’s new corporate orbit swung the family to Charlotte—and specifically to Ballantyne Country Club, where the couple found a cul-de-sac that doubles as communal front porch. JD logs miles for upcoming Half-Ironman 70.3 races, toggling between the neighborhood pool and Sugar Creek Greenway. Victoria’s studio light kit lives in the garage beside Preston’s soccer cones.

Clubs, Courts, and Chicken Bog

JD plays BCC team tennis on Thursdays and sneaks in early-morning tee times (“par is theoretical, coffee is real,” he jokes). Victoria’s love language is hosting—and her South Carolina chicken bog recipe once stopped a holiday block party in its tracks. Preston attends swim, soccer, flag football, and the occasional driveway science experiment with Mentos.

What Feels Like Home

Ask the Moons and they will talk about Ballantyne staff who remember Preston’s Capri-Sun preference, neighbors who trade babysitting for sourdough starter, and social wine nights that always run a little late. Ten-year anniversary plans? “Something simple,” Victoria grins, “like renewing vows on the 30A shoreline with Preston tossing flower petals and Winston wearing a bow tie.”

Looking Ahead

This fall Preston starts kindergarten; JD eyes the Augusta 70.3; Victoria books a photo series on Charlotte creatives. “We collected friends across three continents,” JD says, “but it is rare to land somewhere that already feels finished.” Call it gravity, call it timing, call it Ballantyne—either way, the Moons are firmly in phase.

About the Author

Nell Thomas files copy powered by a large cappuccino from Einstein Bros Bagels Ballantyne (13736 Conlan Cir, open 6 AM–2 PM). She swears by the honey-almond shmear on an everything bagel and rates the turkey-sausage-egg-white sandwich as peak deadline fuel. Nell’s work also spills onto The Charlotte Mercury when caffeine levels spike. Dive into Strolling Ballantyne’s rabbit hole of local intrigue via our clickable treasure chest below.

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☕ Nell “Extra Shot” Thomas
Caught at Einstein Bros Ballantyne, double-fisting a vanilla-hazelnut brew and a cinnamon-sugar bagel while plotting her next neighborhood scoop. Read more at Strolling Ballantyne and its big-sibling hub cltmercury.com.

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This article, “From Hamburg to Ballantyne: The Moon Family’s Stylish Orbit,” by Nell Thomas is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.

“From Hamburg to Ballantyne: The Moon Family’s Stylish Orbit”
by Nell Thomas, Strolling Ballantyne (CC BY-ND 4.0)