This Thanksgiving break had a sad beginning, but a magnificent ending. Monday morning Annie and I found out that my Grandmother Bowie passed away. Although it was difficult to hear that someone you love has passed away it is amazing to see how God blessed our family. Grandmother has been living with Alzheimer's and over the past three years has not known even her own children. Because of her Alzheimer's she has had no pain in the last years of her life, and the family has been able to take her large real estate business and as of Friday, before she died, the business paid off every outstanding debt.
Also because she passed away over Thanksgiving our entire family was able to be together for the week, so we spent the time sharing stories of her magnificent life.


Thanksgiving dayThanksgiving day was our first time Annie and I jumped back and forth between families, and we loved it. We began with breakfast at my parents, luch with her parents, and Thanksgiving dinner back with my parents. Great food, lots of jumping on the trampoline with kids, and even more games of hide and go seek. What great fun.

Hiking, Hot tubbing, and hanging out with the Family Saturday, was a day of fun. After an e

motional week it was great to head up to the lodge to spend time hanging out with family. In the cold air all around the kids had fun getting into the hot tub while everyone else hiked up the mountain to the Appalachian trial.

Well after tonight it has become clear that there is nothing like Duke Basketball!!! Tonight Annie and I (along with my grandfather and 2 other cousins) made our way into the tightly packed Cameron stadium. As we watched people with devil tridents and painted chests scream at the top of their lungs, we soon found ourselves overcome with excitement to join the crowd and cheer for our BLUE DEVILS.

HALLOWEEN ON FRANKLIN STREET


This Halloween 75,000 people flooded the main street running through UNC's campus dressed in their best costumes, so of course Annie and I had to go. Our favorite costumes were the Tetrus pieces, Mr Peanut, and a man dressed as a woman giving birth. Annie went as the Broadway "Annie," and I went as the dancing man from the new ipod commercial.











RALEIGH HALF MARATHON
There is nothing like a 13.1 mile jog to get you going in the morning. Annie and I hopped out of bed Sunday morning and headed out into the cold dark so that we could go run in Raleigh's first marathon. Joining about 5 thousand other friends at the starting line, Annie and I had fun seeing Raleigh by foot for the first time.


THE WAY OF THE DUKIES
Taking classes at Duke has been a faith building challenge. Every week I feel that God is pulling and shaping my understandings of Him and how to read the Bible. Although I am being taught to wrestle with the tensions, academics, controversies, and historicity issues- it has become more clear to me than ever that our God is a God who has a wild love for us. He is willing to abandon all so that we may come close to Him in a intimate love relationship. This love is not only worthy of our enormous joy and praise, but also worthy of abandoning all to following our King.