Saying Goodbye...

Our time living in Durham is coming to an end.  The packers are coming this morning so it's about to get real over here - today our home will be transformed into a house full of boxes.  We'll be living out of suitcases for the next few days until we close on our new house.

Looking back it's funny that when we moved here 21 months ago I could not wait to move back to Atlanta.  I thought Durham was slow and boring, and I missed our friends and routine there.  After settling into life in North Carolina my feelings really changed. Durham is definitely "slower" than Atlanta but I've begun to appreciate that.  I can run to Target in 5 minutes, while the same errand would take me 45 minutes in Atlanta.  There is no traffic here... Oh how this will be a rude awakening next week when I'm scrambling to get myself to work on time in the mornings and pick up Campbell at a decent hour in the evenings!  Duke has been a great school to get behind, especially the basketball team.  I went to my first game at Cameron Indoor this year and had a blast!

Date Night w/ my hubby

But the thing I will miss the most about "Durham" is the relationships we have made here. It doesn't really have anything to do with the place, but the people we have met have been amazing.  Through his MBA program at Duke, TC has made friends from all over the WORLD.  Hopefully this will come in handy one day when we have money to travel! I'm kidding... sort of. :)

The women who have babysat Campbell while we've lived here have been a Godsend. Luiza, who is from Romania, was Campbell's first babysitter last spring after my maternity leave ended.  I could not have asked for a more perfect person to help me transition into my role as a working mom.  At the time Luiza was pregnant with her little boy and had researched EVERYTHING in the baby world.  I'm pretty sure she gave me a few tips along the way!

Luiza and her baby boy Nicolas at Campbell's 1st Birthday Party

This year we had help from several lovely ladies from Argentina and Chile.  Mer, Sonia, Toia and Carolina have been so incredible with Campbell.  Nothing makes me happier than to see how these women treat my little guy.  They love him so much and it is so evident every time they come over.  Campbell is super excited any time the doorbell rings now! He's always hoping it's one of his Latin ladies at the door coming to play with him. :)

Campbell with Toia and Mer at his 1st Birthday Party

Sonia & Carolina... stolen from Sonia's facebook :)

These sweet girls surprised Campbell with his first set of blocks for Christmas.  I think he looks pretty cute in the hard hat, and the blocks were a big hit!

During my time in Durham, I have been involved in a Bible Study that has been such a blessing.  The group was formed from wives of the Duke MBA students and it has been wonderful to have support from other women in the same transitional season of life.  This year I have been leading two different studies along with my dear friend Katie.  I've written about her often on the blog (here, here and here just to name a few).  Katie is one of those special friends that doesn't come along very often in life.  Even though I've known her less than two years, I feel like we go way back and that I can tell her anything.  Katie is one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. She has been so special to me during my time in Durham and a HUGE reason that I'm so sad to leave this weekend.  But I know she is someone that I will stay in touch with forever, even though we'll probably never live in the same town again. :(  That's why we're already planning a weekend for her to come visit in Atlanta!

Here is just one example of this girl's awesomeness - my birthday fell on a night when we had Bible Study at her house, so she made a banner and cake for me to feel special and celebrated!  I really aspire to be more like her.

Finally, there are the special memories we have as a family.  Durham will forever hold a special place in our hearts since it is where we welcomed our precious Campbell into the world.  We've experienced every major milestone (coming home from the hospital, sleeping through the night, first crawl & steps, 1st birthday, etc.) in this home.

January 10, 2012

We're home!  January 17, 2012

Happy 1st Birthday Campbell!

But now it's time to make new memories in our next home.  Goodbye Durham!  We will miss you, friends.  See you in May for graduation!