Home Sweet Home

As I was getting ready to clean the apartment, I thought about how most of our friends and family have not actually seen where we live! We moved into our current residence right at a year ago. It's a small little one bedroom apartment with a "den" about 2 miles from Duke's campus. Since I'm working at Duke and Calvin is in school there it works out really well for us. We ride to campus together most days. Here's a little virtual tour!

the front door

view walking into the apartment

We spend a lot of time watching this wonderful gift my parents blessed us with last Christmas. Is it right to say "blessed" about a television and blue ray player?

Rascal spends most of his days in this exact spot.

This apartment does have a big master bedroom with a vanity and sink. It helps tremendously in the mornings since there's just the one bathroom.

Life in this apartment is simple. It's wonderful to have no maintenance and plenty of time on our hands. I do look forward to owning a home again; however, at this time I'm in no rush. We actually fit better in 925 sq ft than I expected, and I can honestly say I'm happy here; this feels like home. This is a big step considering how resistant I was as we moved from our house in Fuquay. I loved that home as well. If I have to say there's one thing I learned from the move, it's that Calvin is my home. Wherever we live, so long as it is together, will make for a wonderful life.

Typical, Perfect Weekends.

The past two weekends have reminded me just how fun and rejuvenating a typical weekend can be. Saturday Breakfast to catch up with friends, fresh goodies from the farmers market, afternoon naps, a little bit of exercise, reading a book, watching a movie with my husband, worshiping in a new church and a meal with new friends after the service. If I can keep up the trend of planning weekends like these past few, I'll be one happy and well fed lady.

Breakfast with two of my dearest friends, Lynn (in the middle) and Annette (on the right). These ladies have been true spiritual teachers and cheerleaders for me. If I can take one simple pleasure in the world it's listening to how these ladies pray.

Papa Murphy's has come to Durham! Since they take food stamps, Calvin and I have deemed that this take and bake place can be charted under our grocery expenses for the month. This decision may make Papa Murphy a regular visitor in our home.

Also, the quest for a new car has begun. I've started looking in hopes to purchase towards the end of this year/beginning of next. If you drive a small SUV, I want to hear how you love it - or don't! Plus, did you purchase new or used?

And Julie, thanks for taking me out for my first bike ride on the roads. I appreciate you being so patient with my slow, awkward, and out of shape butt. I'm going to practice, and next time we go out together I hope to impress!

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. - H.G. Wells

I have a new bike! Yes, one without a kickstand. One that classifies as a real road bike with skinny little tires.

I bought this road bike because for the past two years my soccer buddies talked me into participating in the White Lake Sprint Triathlon in May. I enjoyed both races even though I was out there on a very cheap mountain bike, complete with it's kickstand and pink shock. That poor bike was so slow and heavy, plus the gears did not operate correctly at all. Even through I put "hybrid" slick tires on it, there was really no helping that clunky thing get faster or more efficient. At the end of that second race this past May I reached my goal of swimming gracefully and running the entire 5k at the end. It was then I realized that I enjoyed triathlons. I like the training schedule, the camaraderie with my friends, and the fact that this is something I could strive to get better at each time I race. Plus, this will be the perfect way to stay fit over the next decade or longer. With biking and swimming being such low impact sports, they're perfect for getting old! I think if I plan on about 2-3 races per year it should be enough to keep me exercising consistently. The trouble is, I was done with my current bike. I had out grown its ability, and I refused to ride it any more. Rides were no longer fun, they were just frustrating. So after a 4 month search and debate on how much to spend, I finally committed to purchasing a new bike for $270 from www.RoadBikeOutlet.com. (Thinking back on it, it seems like this past May was over a year ago now.)

I'm very excited about my new bike. It is still a basic bike with a steel fork, and bottom of the line Shimano components, but it is going to be exponentially better than what I had before. Calvin and I decided to make sure I would enjoy riding on the road before we invested in a more expensive bike. So hopefully I can find a group or two to ride with and see how that goes.

Now with just a little bit of assembly, a tune up and getting the wheels trued - I should be all set!

White Lake 2010 - The 2nd go around with my pink shock!

The new bike in my living room!