Can't Keep Graham Down!

Graham and Forsan

Graham and his brother Gary

Graham is so amazing. You just can't keep this guy down. He had radiation in the morning, napped a bit, and then spent the afternoon with Forsan in the front garden installing a new pump for our fountain, and filling the bird feeder! And then he still had enough energy to enjoy having dinner with Gary, Forsan, Erika and John.

We got an after-dinner treat that put big smiles on our faces and made us say, "Awwww, that was sooo nice!!" We got a call from Ashish, whom we met through Duke's International Friends program way back in 1997. We have such fond memories of Ashish and his wife Anshuma because they are incredibly kind and loving. When we met them, they had just gotten married and Ashish was getting his MBA at Duke. They were always thinking of sweet things they could do to make the other one happy, just little gestures and acts of kindness that showed they were thinking of each other throughout the day. We found them really inspiring. We've always liked being around other happy couples.

Anshuma stayed with us one summer while Ashish was away on an internship, and what a great friend she was to us! We learned Bridge together with our neighbors Carol and Richard, and Anshuma taught me another fun card game called Bukaro that we would play each night to take her mind off of how much she missed Ashish. And she is such an amazing cook. Graham loves Indian food because of Anshuma and I love Indian clothes. It was so heartwarming to hear from Ashish, about his memories of that time and to catch up on what's happening with his family now. Thanks, Ashish!

THANK YOU: Thanks so much Ella for the wonderful borscht and sponge cake you made for us today. We enjoyed that for tonight's dinner, as well as the leftover brisket from Joyce and Jerry B, and leftover cabbage rolls from Aunt Marie. It's nice having friends and family who are such good cooks!