Letter #19 from North Carolina

This is so exciting to see that we are up to 19 letters.I know we have a long ways to go but I still think even 19 letters from perfect strangers is a big accomplishment and we are just beyond thrilled at the response!Thanks again to all of you for contributing!

Our 19th letter comes from Judy in North Carolina.I think she lives about 4 hours from us,so not very far.Her oldest daughter is named Carolina...yes,she is named after their state.I guess Carolina is thankful her mom wasn't in Hawaii when she was born..that could be an awkward name to have. :) Judy is an airline reservationist for a major airline....I hope people are being kind to you.If you make a reservation through Judy,you better be nice to her. :) I'm sure it can sometimes be a terrible job when people hold you responsible for cancelled flights,etc.

Anyways,she is going back to college...yeah for Judy!She wants to get her degree in Creative Writing...my favorite subject.I hope she is very successful.Maybe she'll be a famous writer one day.At least we can say we heard from her first.

She told us that their state capital,Raleigh is named for Sir Walter Raleigh,who was given the land grant by Elizabeth I. Judy and her family are part of their local Renaissance re-enactment group.I think that must be very interesting to play the role of people from history.She is also a seamstress and makes some of the costumes.I would just love to see the costumes she sews...I bet they are amazing!

North Carolina has a really interesting history.She recommends us look into the "Lost Colony",she says it's a mystery involving the first English child born in this country and when the ship left for supplies,it returned only to find all the people gone.I will definitely be looking for the book for my children to read.I am really curious to see what happened to the people.She didn't want to give us too much info,she recommended us do what I always tell my children to do....look it up!Haha,she must really know me.

Also in Raleigh are Duke University and the University of North Carolina.They are well known for many reasons,which include,of course,basketball.My husband watches the games,so we are familiar with these 2 teams.They also have 2 large medical hospitals and research centers..

Judy also told us that Raleigh is close to both the beach and mountains.If you drive 1.5 hours east,you can visit the Atlantic Ocean and if you drive 2 hours west,you will arrive in the Smoky Mountains.The Appalachian Trail also passes through her state.She also gets to enjoy all 4 seasons,with no extremes....just enough to enjoy the season.They do have to worry about hurricanes,but have been lucky to avoid them for the past few years.Judy,I would like to keep in touch with you because we do plan to visit Raleigh,so I would love some help with the area.Thanks!

Thanks so much Judy for your lovely letter that has really taught us so much about the area...when we go to Raleigh,I'm sure we will be referring to your letter and remembering what you told us when we see those places.We also loved the postcards.Thanks for writing!Please enjoy Judy's lovely letter and postcards below: