Charlotte

So today I signed a lease for an apartment in Charlotte. You can see the roof of my building from my brother-and-family's front porch. I'm very excited. There is a family nearby with a son who has autism who I will be meeting once I get moved (I'm moving June 4 or 5 or something like that) and probably working with. That mom knows another family or two she thinks will be interested in hiring me. So things are looking good. I have plans to do a regular weekly babysitting for my nieces and nephew, and something with them individually maybe once a month or so. Special auntie time. I'm considering doing a Baha'i children's Feast, or plugging into the children's classes my brother's kids go to, or hosting a devotional gathering at my home. Not all three at once, don't worry. Or if I do all 3, the devotions will be monthly. Or something. Who knows, these are all just kinda ideas percolating around. Except the weekly babysitting and the monthly-ish auntie time. I'm definitely doing those.
My brother is building a raised-bed garden, which I'm thinking about trading working time in for some produce (ie I work an hour a week in the garden and in return get 3 cucumbers a week, or whatever).
Where I will be living is a great neighborhood for walking, there's gorgeous trees and sidewalks all over, so I will definitely keep up my 2-miles a day, and continue gradually increasing that. I can also walk to (within a mile or so) several parks, 2 or 3 grocery stores with health/organic things available, several restaurants, a Target, a library... it's a great location for me. Near the interstates as well, so I can get pretty much anywhere easily when I start working with families.
AND... I will have internet and a computer again!!!