Joe Liles

A dear friend of ours is having a truly amazing adventure hiking the Appalachian trail. He's hiking the 2200 mile trail from its Southern tip in Georgia up to the Northern tip in Maine. A long journey that started back in May and should finish up sometime in Sept. Wow! Myhre's, I definitely thought of you guys. His blog is wonderful-- images included. See the sideboard for the link.

The Movers

The Movers arrive tomorrow morning at 7am. So of course, being the queen of denial that I am... I am pausing in the very last stages of my packing frenzy to update the blog. I've got a strong cup of coffee on board and that "there just aren't enough hours in the day" panic to see me through. After a week long marathon of household fix it projects, my parents headed back home to Belmont with all four kids and Jazz. The house has an erie quiet, an almost silent echo, made all the more loud by the 148+ cardboard boxes. Who knew we had all this stuff? I'm down to the last four boxes, all marked "Odd and Ends." Which basically means all the stuff that should have been put into box 10, or 22, or 57. But as said box was already sealed shut when said item was discovered in an "unlikely place" got tossed instead into a now generic misc. box. I can foresee the unpacking nightmare now. Like the DVD remote which was inexplicably on the floor wedged between two large sealed cardboard boxes, or the coffee pot filters that were hiding out in the back of the drawer. I'm tossing all kinds of things in the rush to finish up. Little bits of games that have rolled under various pieces of furniture. I am sure these will be crucial in the months to come as the games themselves are unpacked and the kids describe that one missing item that I have a vague memory of chunking in the overflowing garbage can. Sigh. But for now the goal is simple. Have everything ready for the movers to load onto a big truck with as much organization as I can muster by daybreak tomorrow morning. Plus, have all the things crucial for the next month hidden from the movers so that they remain in our care rather than packed on the truck.
After that, Kev and I will enjoy our last two days in Durham for a good while. It has been a wonderful place to live. A place full of memories stretching back 20 years for me and even longer for Kev. A place with a quirky progressive quality and yet still comfortably Southern. A place full of many people whom we dearly love and treasure. With shaky confidence we send our boxes on to a new place, with the hope that Exeter will be just as wonderful for us and for our kids...

Rehab

Yesterday, Kev and I put on our work-out clothes and headed to the gym. I have to admit, it is a pretty sweet place for cardio-rehab. The Duke Center for Living is an amazing facility staffed by a great group of doctors, nurses and physical therapists. Kev goes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for about 2 hours each morning. He gets his blood pressure and heart rate checked before, during and after excercise and is pretty much monitored continually. All part of the process of re-establishing his confidence (and mine) in returning to a very active lifestyle. So far, so good.

On the home front, we are continually being blessed by wonderful food and fun visits. This is so helpful as our days (my mom and mine) are spent trying to pack up the house and navigate taking care of the kids. The twins have enjoyed their chances for play dates... which also gives us a bit more breathing space and productivity! We remain thankful for our friends and family.