Song of the South

      Moving to a different part of the country, Jenn and I have been thinking a lot about the differences in where we are from and where we are now.  I think we have whittled down our answers to several things that we like about living "in the North."  Pittsburghers would probably label themselves as some kind of "halfsie", not Northern or Southern but somewhere in the middle. (Yes that was an Office reference..)  However, we will use the Mason-Dixon line as our guide and for the sake of this post, Pittsburgh is in the North.
    Back to the point.  We are really living in a different part of the country.  We like Pittsburgh because it is local.  You do not find a big box store on every corner.  You can find many restaurants that use local, organic food and are completely locally owned.  Pittsburgh has a neighborhood feel.  We love the community of folks we have fallen into.  We cannot be more happy or thankful for the Formation House "Pilot" group.
    While it has been refreshing to live in a different environment, coming home to Georgia for Thanksgiving has been great.   Getting used to living in Pittsburgh has been one huge swirl of activity and adapting to our new home.  It has been gratifying, and I would not change a thing. But it is also true, that as your life moves and changes, you must remember where you are from.  Seeing Jenn's family yesterday (which, by the way, had %100 family attendance!) for Thanksgiving reminded me of the support and love they have given us in our journey.  We are at home here, and we know we are always welcome.  We talked with my family on the phone for a while and I also thought about how they have, in their own way, been there for us and supported us.  We know that we always have a place in Dallas or in Georgia for support and love.  I cannot put into words how THANKFUL I am to have two wonderful families.  God has blessed us immensely!

The Merrill and Locke Families, Thanksgiving 2010

  
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for where I am from and the family that I have.

       "All the sweetest winds, they blow across the South."

To finish, some pictures of family.

Drewby

Locke family at our Wedding

Eric and Alyson- soon to be Newlyweds!

Papaw

Nanny and Brousin Danny

Jessica and Paul

Cousin Rachel

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Don't I look great on my. . . . 

NEW BIKE?!?!?

Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce Bikey Blue, the newest member to our family. It only took me four hours of classes, 13 hours of volunteering, and ten hours of fixing up (roughly) to earn her, but now she is all MINE. My own. My . . . . .  precious.


Do I look a little excited? If you see me and Bikey riding around the city, don't be surprised if I have a big, goofy grin on my face.  And you might hear the faint traces of a song. . . .

"IIIIIIIII don't wanna work, I just wanna riiide on my bike all day!"

What can I say? Bikey Blue just makes me want to sing. And tell lame jokes: Q: What did the bicycle call it's dad??  A: POP-cycle! Q: Did you hear about the vampire bicycle that went around biting people's arms off? A: It was a vicious cycle.

(All right, I'm done).

Wishing you all the most fabulous of weeks!