The Almost-South

We did indeed receive a small dose of Spring this past week as we entered the world of North Carolina. And oh, was it lovely. We basked in the glow of the sunshine almost the entire week, and our toes took their first breath of fresh air in 5 months.

We stayed with Jim and Emily Hapner, but also had a chance to spend some time with a few friends from Geneva College. Jake and Laura Alianello live not too far away in Durham, NC. They had us and our friends Tom and Amy Parkinson over for dinner. It was lovely to reconnect with them. There is a great deal of comfort in spending time with old friends...this is something we certainly miss.

We did have a chance to visit Duke University's campus, which is gorgeous! Our friend Tom is a student in their divinity school, so John was able to sit in on a class one day. He's probably a lot smarter now.

We also did some geocaching! For those of you who are not aware, it is like a sport for nerds. BUT, it's totally awesome. Using a GPS, we found all sorts of treasures! It was a great way to explore the parks in the area.

Here are some photos of our trip:

The classic "hold the camera yourself" couple photo



Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University.
Not so "gardeny" in the winter, but the stepping-stone bridge over the murky water made the trip worth it.












Jim and Emily...two of the world's most beautiful people.























Duke's Chapel...WOW







Bowling!! Em, Jim, Laura, Jake, Leah, John, John's bowling shoes.






Well, that's all for now!

Love,
Leah