The Big Move

When it was decided that I would be attending N.C. State University, Celeste and I knew that it was time to move. Geographically, it would have been a nightmare trying to commute from Oxford. For those of you who don't know, N.C. State's campus is in the capital city of Raleigh, which is about an hour away from Oxford. But we couldn't really move to Raleigh either, because we're still going to be teaching in Henderson next year, so we needed a midway point. That's when we decided to live in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh just 30 miles from Henderson. Basically right smack dab in the middle. Basically perfect.

Wake Forest is a beautiful, Southern town, full of charm and history. It's a little bigger than Oxford, but much nicer in comparison - stronger economy, less poverty, and more pizazz. We were thrilled to find out that it had restaurants, malls, gyms, movie theaters, and even a TARGET within a 5-minute drive. We forgot how luxurious life could be!

But the nicest thing about living in Wake Forest is not the city itself, but the house in which we live. We found a perfect little house for rent right in the downtown area. You know, you never realize how awful apartment living is until you leave it for a house. After being in the same complex for the past two years, we thought things were fine there. But after only a week in our new place, it's like the sun is shining on our pale faces for the first time, and the dark clouds of mediocrity have finally parted. Okay, that may be a little dramatic, but I tell you what, it's nice not to share a parking lot, a mailbox, and a dumpster with 400 other people. It's nice to not hear neighbors music through the floors. It's nice to have a yard and a garden, and a driveway. I guess it's the little things. Whatever it is, we love it, and are excited to spend the next several years here. I told Celeste we'll stay as long as our family can fit in it...we're planning on having a lot of dogs.

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