brighter than sunshine

It has been far too long since my last post.  So, here is a brief recap of all that I've encountered since I last posted.  Country Music Awards happened to roll up into Downtown Nashville.  Here is a picture of a group of girls getting interviewed.

A few of my coworkers walking downtown as we went to a rose garden to eat our lunches.

This is the actual building I work at!

So, my roommate Meera from back home in Durham has a few good friends that live in Nashville.  Because I didn't really know anyone when I first arrived, Meera connected me to her good friends that live here.  This is Mary Kate and her roommate's dog, Luna:

I attended a coupon workshop that was given by a few local women who do their own coupon-ing when they shop.  This notebook belongs to one of those women.

Honestly, my concern with that is that some coupon-ing can turn into an addiction.  Furthermore, some of our women don't know how to do basic math.  While this could help out with basic mathematical skills, this could also hinder those who become frustrated easily with seemingly simple math problems.

AND I went to prison!  Missionary Sarah Young donated many copies of her book Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence to The Next Door.  So, we are donating them to organizations that are willing and able to place the devotional in the hands of women and men currently incarcerated around the country.  Of the thousands of devotionals we already had, I had the opportunity to hand deliver them with some of my colleagues to TPW, the Tennessee Prison for Women.

This is my supervisor, Rachel LeNeave.

April Ban, Rachel LeNeave, and Linda Leathers posing for a glamour shot in front of the super heavy cart of books.  Don't worry, y'all.  I had the chance to help push these devotionals all the way into maximum security.

When I interviewed for my summer field placement at Duke, I knew that I would definitely need a week off mid-summer to be in the wedding of one of my dear friends, Saja.  So, The Next Door was totally cool with this and I flew back to NC for a few days!  Here is a picture of me with my beautiful friend, Alison Harman, before Saja's dinner party that her mother hosted a few days prior to her wedding:

Here is the beautiful bride and her groom:

After a short stay in North Carolina, I flew back to Tennessee and was immediately entrusted to care for my host family's plants and dog, Bo.  Here, you can see that I'm killing two birds with one stone, metaphorically speaking:

Well, I've caught you all up to this week at The Next Door.  Check back soon for some fresh thoughts and happenings in Nashville, TN!

Until later,

Meredith