Monday, July 30, 2007

Picture time!

Several people have asked for more pictures of the house, so here you go. The first is a picture of the front of the house. There are pictures of the dining room (which we're using as a library), the back yard, the kitchen, the living room (which we hope to paint soon -- I for some reason can't get the picture to rotate).

The other exciting picture is my new MacBook, which I bought last weekend and am currently "blogging" from. I'm a complete dork and take a picture of the initial start up screens on my computers. I have them from my last 2 Macs, iMacs I bought in 1998 and 2001 (6 years on a computer is pretty good these days).

Debbie left for her mission trip to England this afternoon. Keep her in you prayers the next 2 weeks as she travels and works at the Nazarene Theological College in Manchester.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Dear Durham

Since we have officially sold our house (yeah!) I've been thinking a lot about Durham and moving to Raleigh and thought I would write an open letter to the city of Durham, NC to sum up my thoughts.

Dear Durham,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for moving to Raleigh. Even thought it was the right thing to do.
You're not what people think you are. When I first moved to you, I had freinds who wouldn't come visit me because what they they thought you were. But you were nothing but a great home to me. As nice as Raleigh is, it's no Durham. There are no Bulls Games. There is no Pop's or Magnolia Grill, no Mad Hatter's, no Foster's, no Cosmic Cantina. No Duke Forest or Duke Gardens. It's not that close to Chapel Hill.
I never, in seven years felt unsafe. Except maybe ontime I got lost on Geer Street at night and that time we were the only ones parked in the downtown parking deck. Since we moved to the "safe" suburbs of North Raleigh, we've had 2 break-ins on our street, 2 people get abducted in parking lots, a stalked in our neighborhood (he actually tried to nab a middle schooler in a nearby neighborhood). All in 4 months.
I made the best friends I've had since college in Durham. I lost 2 loves, but found the love of my life. I underwent profound spiritual rebirth. I started playing music again. I met my neighbors and we took care of each other.
I also apologize for not working hard for you while I lived there. You do have lots of needs, and I never tutored a child even though my house was zoned for the worst high school in the state. I didn't work on a house, even though downtown is full of houses and neighborhoods that need someone to take care of them.
I'll always defend you. When coworkers ask "How could you live there?" I'll tell them that you're cheaper, more diverse, more southern, younger, more artsy. And getting better all the time.
I'll be back, often, and maybe one day we'll return. My commute is tolerable now, but my part of my heart is still there.
Peace,
C