It was the best of times, It was the worst of times

Last night was a night I'd marked on my calendar months ago, I'd even made efforts to not be scheduled to work. Was it a birthday? An anniversary? A holiday? No, it was the Duke v. UNC game. I've followed Duke basketball quite fiercely for the past few years and haven't given it up just because I moved across country. Since I don't have cable I found a local sports bar that does show some East Coast and watched a game there a few weeks ago, but wasn't able to hear the commentary :( I was hoping that I could watch the game with a traveler friend, or one of my Duke girls but wasn't able to due to conflicting work schedules. With the alternative of simply not watching the game (which really wasn't an alternative), going to the sports bar on my own, or having to man-up and make it happen I chose the latter of the 3 and I put on a brave face and sent an email out to a local church, looking for some company.

Dear women across America, if you would like to create quite a stir within the male population of a church send out a mass email that makes you appear as a sports enthusiast. Haha. I was not quite prepared for the responses I received, but everyone was quite ready to offer up suggestions of where to go. Below is what I sent out:

"Hey! I just attended Grace for the first time this past week, and didn't have a chance to meet any of you yet, but was added to the group emails. I'm new to the area and am looking for a place to watch the Duke v. UNC game tomorrow. I was hoping you all had some suggestions! In case you're wondering, I'm rooting for Duke!!! (It's the only time it feels right to cheer for the Devil, the Blue Devil that is!)"

In response I've had a 20+ email chain start, 75% of those being from guys. A few girls were kind enough to introduce themselves over email and express that they are looking forward to meeting me...and a few guys did too. Most of the guys wrote back to watch it at Old Pro, and a few sent follow up emails to see what I'd decided to do for the game. None came out and directly invited me to join them (which I'm fine with!). One of the guys went so far as to sign "with all my best love" AND one of the girls went so far as to invite me over to watch the game with her husband and friends, most of which had attended Duke for their undergrad. This seemed like the ideal option and I'm always game for making new friends.

It's always a little nerve wracking showing up someplace and hoping you rang the correct door bell. Boy was I glad to see that National Champs shirt greet me :) It was a fun group of people comprised of several Stanford residents, laywers, and 2 PICU nurses. One of the girls impressed me with her "Southerness" by actually bringing smoked pork! Yum! I hadn't baked for awhile, and was glad the hostess allowed me to bring dessert. I made one of my favorites, Marbelous Peanut Butter Bars and even managed to swirl the Duke "D" in the icing, although I think that fact went unnoticed. If you didn't watch you'll have to ask someone else for more details. It was painful to watch, so please don't make me relive that experience! I still have hope for the ACC Tourney, but more important, returning to the FInal Four for a back to back title. 


As sad I am about my team losing, the night wasn't a total loss as I've made several new friends who I hope to watch a few more games with and fellowship with at my new church! You should try emailing strangers and see what it does for you!