At long last, all the major painting I wanted to accomplish since moving into my new home not quite 2 months ago is finished.  Two living spaces, a hallway, a bathroom, the kitchen, and the master bedroom are all looking fresh and clean.  Check out the before and after shots.

This was originally the “dining room,” but by pushing the table into the corner, raising up the light fixture, and adding a couch, I have opted to just use the kitchen for eating space and made this the “sitting room,” since it has a nice fireplace.   It is the room you walk into from the front door.

The room directly behind this room is the living room.  Mmmmmm armoire.

Bathroom.  From pink to brown… still doesn’t make the tile look all that great though.  I love this perfectly fitted shelf I found.

The kitchen is what took the longest.  Ugh.

And my bedroom.

There are a few more pics here, some of which have little notes attached to them.

Next up… roommate(s)!

I don’t really like it when a full week goes by and I don’t have a chance to blog – it’s like I get creatively constipated and then I don’t know where to begin.

Aside from just getting back into the swing of things and playing catch up since returning from Afghanistan, I have been busy doing a variety of things – getting the new house settled, wrapping up the online course I have been teaching, and training for a 1/2 marathon, along with other life-randomness.  So, where to start?  How about the 1/2 marathon.

My New Year’s resolution was to get a 1/2 marathon under the belt before the year’s end.  I found out that there is one in Akron on Sept. 27, and since I had 2 friends doing the race (one doing the full marathon and another the 1/2), I decided to give it a go.  Afghanistan came at a bad time in terms of training, so I hit it hard as soon as I made it back.  Well, the left knee, as it has been doing for years, continued to give me trouble and I had to go see an orthopedist.  He read through a previous MRI and did an x-ray.  You should have seen his face when I told him I was training for a 1/2 marathon in 2 weeks?!  He actually said, “You’re running on this?”  I just started rehab this morning and we’ll see how much that helps.  Next stage is a fluid injection to make up for the cartlidge that is damaged and/or missing, and then surgery will be a last resort.  So, sadly, no race for me, at least not this month.  There is another one here in Memphis in December, so perhaps then.

Semi-related, as a part of training and moving to midtown, I have been frequenting the downtown YMCA, which is a great facility.  There is a trolly that goes back and forth, though it ends a mile from my house.  The other day, I ran down to the Y, worked out some there, and took the trolly back, and ran the last mile.  It’s a cool part of downtown Memphis that I was excited to experience for the first time.

My friend Joey stumbled on a newspaper article last week about a gathering in a local establishment called Beer and Bible, facilitated by Phyllis, Tickle, someone I have been wanting to meet ever since moving to Memphis.  I had the opportunity to go and participate in the discussion last week and just loved it.  It was about the most eclectic group of folks you can imagine who used the 7 deadly sins as a jumping off point for discussion.

I also had the chance to accompany my friend Jon and a few other guys who do some work with FCA at Carver HS to a football game.  Carver is a school in urban Memphis with few resources and about 30 guys on the team.  The team they played is an over-resourced suburban school with about 30 guys/position.  Needless to say, Carver got crushed, but it was fun to be back on the sidelines of a HS football game.

What else?  With the help of some friends, lots of painting at my new place has gotten accomplished and I also added a few pieces of furniture as I seek to create an inviting and hospitable sort of place.  Pictures forthcoming.

The class.  I am in the final stages of grading final papers for the first go-around of an online class for Fuller – The Emerging Church in the 21st Century.  The class was filled with great discussion and insights.  The majority of students feel as though they have a lot more clarity on what the EC discussion/movement is all about and I have reall enjoyed helping them to explore their questions, misgivings, and thoughts in general.

Lastly, while the website leaves a little to be desired, the atmosphere at Republic Coffee doesn’t.  I am writing this from their location – one I very quickly become a huge fan of.  If you’re around midtown, check it out.

Caught this bumper sticker on a run around midtown the other day – wish I had it.

Well, thanks to this lovely crew (not pictured, but equally awesome are: Jon O., Greg J., and Russell M.  I managed to get all my stuff in my new home yesterday afternoon.

And the unpacking, sorting, and arranging has commenced.

I am in need of a fridge, some furniture, and some other odds and ends (Bueller, Bueller…), but I was pleased to find (after 4 months of separation from my stuff, which lingered in storage), that I had most of what I needed for the house.

If you are someone who needs my new house address, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll be happy to send it to you.

Now, I wonder who likes to paint????

Living here has already paid off.  I am less than a mile from my good friends, the Watson’s.  Around 10:30 last night Matthew called and asked if I could come over and stay with Nathan, their 2 year old.  He and Lisa were gonna have to take Elias (their new born) to the hospital as he was running a 101 fever.  I was so happy to.  In my mind, this is a major part of what “living in community” is all about.  You are close enough to those you want to share life with that you can be there for one another.  Far from experiencing this as a burden or bother, this request was precisely the sort to make me feel “at home.”

Thus begins the journey of discovering the truth of this popular bumper sticker…