Tag: North Carolina

Thankful for Thanksgiving

By Dad

On Monday, November 30, 2015

In Christianity

Carl at Washington special meeting (Spanish) We had a great Thanksgiving. We missed Christian a lot, but we also talked to him a lot and like I said in previous posts, he spent the holiday with very good people. This was one of those Thanksgivings that was unexpectedly encouraging and helpful. We went to a church event on Friday where we saw good friends from my college days, made the acquaintance of some new folks and just had a great chance to talk in an inspiring setting. We plan to make our way back up there again.

One of the highlights of the trip was our friend Carl who was out to Washing for a round of special meetings of our church. We got to hear him preach in Spanish and to say that what he had to say was something I needed to hear is a wild understatement. And he was not the only one who had good things for me to hear. We knew we would miss our North Carolina friends, but we are amazed how frequently–at least daily–we think of reasons to remember them to each other.

On Sunday, we take my parents to church in the morning. When there are Gospel meetings, we take them Sunday afternoon, too. This Sunday was the last Gospel meeting before the holidays and we were surprised when our friends Kirk and Melanie from Charlotte walked in. It is a small world and it is nice to be reminded of the gifts of friendships we receive day in and day out. It is by the grace of God we are given time and opportunity to realize how good we have it just because of the fellowship we are in.

Betty Blonde #435 – 03/18/2010

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A difference between NC and OR

By Dad

On Thursday, April 30, 2015

Lorena went to Johnston Community College in Smithfield, North Carolina for one semester. She needed to get her transcripts sent from the four community colleges she attended to the one where she hopes to enroll in the fall in Oregon. After a little of the “interesting” style of service that is typical to the Portland area, we received the following note from Johnston Community College. We were reminded again of the tremendous refinement in large swaths of the native population in North Carolina and arguably the entire South. Not only did they do something they were not required to do that cost them some money to help us out, they admonished us and thanked us (I guess, for heeding the admonishment?). I will never not love North Carolina.
The difference between a refined culture and that of Portland

Betty Blonde #311 – 09/25/2009

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Tuition is getting crazy

By Dad

On Friday, April 10, 2015

In Education, Money

I found an interesting article on the tuition costs for degrees at the different public colleges and universities in Michigan. I was amazed. The cheapest were around $62K while the two most expensive were $85K and 108K with the rest ranging pretty evenly between $62K and $84K. It that is true, we got a screaming good deal. We paid around $2.5K per year per kid for tuition and fees at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh and around $7.5K per year per kid for them to finish up at NCSU. That means, we paid about $10K for community college and $30K for university for a total of $40K. So our kids graduated from what we would argue is the best school in North Carolina (including UNC, Duke, Davidson and Wake Forest, but we are biased) for $20K per kid.

The two lessons I got from that are:

Community college is an amazingly great bargain
North Carolina is a great place to go to college

The house in Raleigh closes — it is no longer ours

By Dad

On Thursday, March 19, 2015

In House and home

It feels good, but sad.
Our house is sold!

Betty Blonde #283 – 08/18/2009

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All our worldly goods

By Dad

On Wednesday, March 11, 2015

In House and home

I am the hoarder in our family. Really, I did not think my addiction was so bad, but Lorena thinks it is horrible. She and Christian spent the last several days selling stuff, throwing stuff away and moving stuff to a storage unit to empty our house for when the sale of the house closes in a little over a week. When that is complete all of our worldly goods will consist of a car and some stuff in a storage unit. It actually feels quite good. I am liking this minimalist thing a lot. We decided to take our time in buying our next house and this new sense of freedom has reinforced that thinking.

The move was a TON of work, not quite complete yet, but we are very, very thankful Christian offered to go to North Carolina to help Lorena. We could not have done it without him. In spite of all the work, I think this has been a good time for Lorena and Christian to be together.

Betty Blonde #274 – 08/06/2009

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Thankful to have homeschooled in North Carolina

By Dad

On Monday, March 2, 2015

Here is a great little interview article from the Daily Signal on the regulation of homeschool by the government. The interviewee is a professor at a University not too far from where we lived in North Carolina and a homeschooling mother of three. She has positive things to say about the way homeschool is regulated in NC and I have to say we agree with her take on the subject. Some states are not as forward thinking as North Carolina on the way homeschool is regulated, but some are even better. I really think she nailed the source of much of the problem with the government school machine in this question and answer:

Q: What do you think are the primary motivations of those who want more regulations?

A: Homeschooling challenges the public education bureaucracy in America that says children are better off with professional educators. The more it grows the more they believe it threatens public schools, education programs at colleges (which grant teaching certificates), thousands of bureaucrats, millions of paid teachers, and billions in state and federal dollars – especially when it is demonstrated how well homeschool students do academically, on a fraction of the yearly budget per student. THAT, in my opinion, is the real reason behind the ‘concerns’ of most non-homeschoolers on this issue. Public education is an industry in our country.

Betty Blonde #269 – 07/30/2009

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Should we move to Portland

By Dad

On Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Our last visit to Oregon gave us great pause about whether or not we should move back there. We have been gone for seven years now. We felt somewhat estranged from Oregon in general and Portland in particular. It has been difficult to put our finger on the reticence we feel about moving back, but it is definitely there. There are several smaller things that, on the surface might give us reason to prefer where we are now over Oregon. The reality is that, for us, they are minor considerations. The weather is a lot better in Raleigh–mild all year long (like Portland), but with many more days of sunshine. The metropolitan area around Raleigh features three truly superior National Research Universities while Portland features a pretty good, not great, but pretty good Regional University. All of the ones listed are better than any universities Oregon has to offer. There are lots of little things like that, but they are not the reasons that hold the most sway.

I am pretty sure both the culture in Oregon has shifted as have our cultural preferences. For all its hipness, Portland just seems more intolerant and coarse than other places where we have an opportunity live. I do not really believe the quality of writing or the truth of the content in the New York Times is very high, but they recently published an article about Portland titled Will Portland Always Be a Retirement Community for the Young? It captures a view of a part of the Portland reality that rings true. The certainly did not capture the whole reality, the nuances of old Oregon culture being so divorced from contemporary Portland culture, it would be hard for anyone to understand. Still, it is quite a good article that I recommend to anyone considering a move to, not just Portland, but Oregon in general. The description of Portland in this article is probably quite attractive to many, but does a good job of explaining why we are not so interested in moving back.

We are still in the throes of making a decision. We know we have to move West both for family and work. We are just happy that Raleigh, North Carolina is such an awesome place to live while we work through it.

Betty Blonde #164 – 03/03/2009

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Our ten year plan is coming to a conclusion

By Dad

On Sunday, May 18, 2014

In Family, House and home, Money

Day 997 of 1000

Ten years ago, when we restarted our homeschool, we made a plan to get Kelly through college by 2014 followed by Christian in 2016. We did it two year early because Christian finished two years early than our plan. I only thought about it about once per year when I made the yearly plan for the next year’s homeschool and bought the books from Sonlight. The plan was completely forgotten while we did the work of homeschooling. Now that we are at the end, it has dawned on me that we have not given much thought to what comes next. Of course, I have my work, mortgage, and retirement to consider, but those are continuing things that require thought and readjustment on a regular basis when I change jobs, move, run into an unexpected expense, etc. We have goals in all that, but they are just going to be part of life until I die, so I planning for that kind of thing is just part of the landscape.

Now though, Lorena and I have to figure out what we want to do next. Does Lorena want to finish her degree or start a business or do both? Do we want to live in Portland or Phoenix or Prescott or stay where we are? There are competing interests in all this. The kids are both going off to graduate school on the west coast. We would like to be near them so we could see them on a very regular basis, but they are at the age to start making their own way without too much interference from us. Are we thinking of moving just so we can be by them? Maybe. But is that bad? Maybe, maybe not. I thought life was going to get less complicated at this point, but it looks like I am wrong.

Betty Blonde #115 – 12/24/2008

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Our house for sale on Realtor.com

By Dad

On Wednesday, April 16, 2014

In Christianity, House and home

Day 967 of 1000

Here is the link to the house on Realtor.com. It all seems official now. Christian came up, looked at the pictures and got a little sad. We have to wait to see if it sells before we can really think about leaving, but I am headed out to Arizona to work again today and Lorena will follow me on a house hunting next week. With graduations, house selling, house buying, 3000 mile moves, and graduate school at new Universities, life is pretty much in upheaval right now. We hope the dust will settle by July or so. Our real estate agent says this house is priced right and looking at comparable houses, we might even be a little bit low. The point, though, is to get the house sold with the minimal hassle possible and we think we have a great agent. His wife came over to put up the sign and the lock box. She is a very, very sweet Southern Christian lady. Before she left, she took Lorena’s hands and prayed with her. That was very emblematic of our stay here in North Carolina as well as a very kind gesture.

Betty Blonde #101 – 12/04/2008

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Our house goes on the market on tax day

By Dad

On Tuesday, April 15, 2014

In House and home

Day 966 of 1000

Our house in North Carolina goes on the market today. We have enjoyed this one more than any other place we have lived. It was perfect for homeschool because we had a large kitchen opening into a large open area with a fireplace. It was perfect for Community College because it was literally five minutes away from Wake Techincal Community College. It was perfect for University because it was twenty minutes away from North Carolina State University on the way to CostCo and Trader Joes so Lorena could kill two birds with one stone. Lorena (of course) got her Thermador professional restaurant stove and hood and Bosch dishwasher in a granite counter top kitchen with two ovens and a great view of the forest behind the house when she was at the kitchen sink.

We loved everything about the house from the downstairs master bedroom suite, to walk-in closets in every bedroom, to the bonus room where we worked and studied every evening, to the screen porch with a gorgeous view of the acres and acres of woods behind us. We are going to miss it a lot, but it is time to go and we hope to sell it quickly.

House goes on sale today

Betty Blonde #100 – 12/03/2008

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We love North Carolina

By Dad

On Friday, February 21, 2014

In House and home

Day 914 of 1000

There is very little downside to living in North Carolina. We love living here. Now, though, we have some hard decisions to make. My current job is in Arizona. Both the kids plan to go to California, Arizona, and/or Washington. They are both in programs that will keep them out west for at least four or five years. Still, we love our house, we love the weather, and we love the culture. It is hard to know what to do.

Betty Blonde #77 – 10/31/2008

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The great snow reprieve of 2014

By Dad

On Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Both Kelly and Christian had tests postponed today due to the snow storm. It is coming down hard and it is very beautiful. I love the snow, but we do not think the kids will get back to school until Monday. This is the view out our front door as it continues to come down hard:
Snowing hard in February 2014

Kelly’s first undergraduate research poster

By Dad

On Thursday, November 14, 2013

Day 815 of 1000

This is Kelly’s first undergraduate research poster she will present at a symposium in Charlotte this weekend. Click on the poster to see or download the poster as a PDF.

Is North Carolina the healthiest state in the Union?

By Dad

On Friday, August 16, 2013

Maybe we should stay in North Carolina. According to this article in The Examiner, people seem to age very well here:

Perhaps in an effort to promote North Carolina as one of the healthiest States in the Nation, this latest voter twist comes to us from Susan Myrick of the Civitas Institute in North Carolina–not to be confused with Rep. Sue Myrick of NC who is unrelated. In a radio interview with local WBT Anchor Tara Servatious, Susan reports that she has been keeping track of the number of votes in North Carolina of individuals over the age of 110 years and apparently we have quite a few, over 410 of the 110 year olds–to be exact– actually voted via absentee ballot on October the 28th. Yes indeed, now it would appear that good ole NC has the market cornered on the Centenarian vote.

At latest count, Susan has garnered a total Absentee Ballot vote of over 2,660 people over the age of 110. Someone contact the Guiness Book and warm up the Ford, the Fountain of Youth exists and its right here in lovely NC. It’s no wonder people are moving here in droves–maybe the use of tobacco isn’t such a bad thing after all? But, on a more serious note, with all of the irregularities going on all over the place, we can now begin to wonder about a few things.

NC vs PNW Observation by Andrew

By Dad

On Friday, December 9, 2011

In Politics, Socialization, Technology, Work

At lunch today, Andrew mention that when he lived in Seattle he was very impressed with the way the government provided online support and information for things like the DMV, the tax office, etc., but how that when he walks into the office or call on the phone to get help, there is either none or it is surly, lazy, and passive/aggressive. With North Carolina, it is just the opposite. Online infrastructure is not so great, but the people at the counter or on the phone are happy, helpful, and kind. Amazing. It is absolutely true and I prefer the latter most of the time.

Cool stuff at work: Imaging an elephant with cataracts

By Dad

On Wednesday, November 16, 2011

In Education, Technology

Day 86 of 1000

Elephants at the zoo. I got to work sometime after 5:30 AM. As usual, I was the first one to arrive, but the CEO of the company (Bioptigen) showed up shortly after me. When I asked him what he was doing there so early, he said that he and two other colleagues were going to run down to the North Carolina Zoo to capture Optical Coherence Tomography images of the eye of one of the African elephants their because the opthalmologist from the NCSU Veterinary school needed them due to the fact that the elephant had cataracts. How cool is that!?!!

I would like to say one of the elephants to the left is the one that got the eye check, but it was against the rules to use the pictures because when people see them with no context, sometimes they think the elephants are being badly treated. Still, it was great to hear about it when everyone got back to the office. The elephant they imaged was a 12,000 pound African Bull Elephant. I will report back if I hear anything more about what happens

Rembrandt comes to the North Carolina Museum of Art

By Dad

On Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Day 65 of 1000

We were amazed back in 2008 that a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit came to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences with tons of artifacts. Duke University loaned some old, old bibles from their collection to add to the exhibit. That was one of the highlights of our homeschool year. Then, last spring Christian and Kelly were both required to go to the North Carolina Museum of Art as part of their Art Appreciation class at the community college. Lorena and I took them one Saturday. The collection their is amazing. Now, the Art Museum has brought Rembrandt in America to Raleigh for a three month stay. Grandpa Milo, Grandma Sarah, and our dear friend Gladys are coming for Thanksgiving this year, Maybe we can all go see Rembrandt together. Another hat tip to Andrew. We do not know how he finds all this stuff, but we are glad he does. Maybe we can get he and his bride to tag along with us. Just sayin’.

We also love the North Carolina Museum of History. Our favorite visit there was about North Carolina’s rich pirate history–Blackbeard and all that. We need to start watching all of these museums a little more closely for these types of opportunities.

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