I love it and definitely have a greater appreciation for the sport now than I did when I was younger.
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Positivity, Good News Only Thread
- Thread starter WoodArch4033
- Start date
Last week I took a little road trip with my new friend where we recently moved. We went to the Winston-Salem Open (tennis) in North Carolina, and it was a lot of fun. I invited my husband, but he's not as big a tennis fan as I am, and definitely not a fan of sitting outdoors in the summer heat for hours, so he said go ahead and go with my friend. It was the first time either of us took a trip without the other, and we missed each other a lot. We had a daily video call and were so excited to get back together again when the trip was done.
My friend and I had a great time. I'd never been to North Carolina before, and I loved it. Winston-Salem is very cute and quaint, with lots of old architecture preserved. I can't remember the last time I did a girls' trip. I enjoyed getting to know my new friend better. This was my first time attending a pro tournament, and it was pretty awesome. It's crazy how hard they hit the ball - you really don't get the full sense of it watching them play on TV. This is a smaller tournament and we got to sit really close, which puts you right in it with the players. You feel for them and get to enjoy the energy and excitement of the crowd. Now I'm extra inspired to compete in my fall through spring tennis league. For tennis fans, the U.S. Open is just starting!
I also got her to go to the nearby (American) Orthodox church with me, which was very cool. It's a relatively large, newly built church, and there were more people in attendance than I've experienced at any OCA (Orthodox Church of America) church. The choir was absolutely amazing - I was very moved by the singing and got teary. My friend is Protestant and not a church goer. She challenged some things and had lots of questions. What really struck me is that she was noticeably nicer and more thoughtful immediately after attending the service and for the rest of the trip. I did what I usually do and gave her the nicer room and that kind of thing. After church, she behaved in a more selfless, gracious way. Praise God for all His grace!
My friend and I had a great time. I'd never been to North Carolina before, and I loved it. Winston-Salem is very cute and quaint, with lots of old architecture preserved. I can't remember the last time I did a girls' trip. I enjoyed getting to know my new friend better. This was my first time attending a pro tournament, and it was pretty awesome. It's crazy how hard they hit the ball - you really don't get the full sense of it watching them play on TV. This is a smaller tournament and we got to sit really close, which puts you right in it with the players. You feel for them and get to enjoy the energy and excitement of the crowd. Now I'm extra inspired to compete in my fall through spring tennis league. For tennis fans, the U.S. Open is just starting!
I also got her to go to the nearby (American) Orthodox church with me, which was very cool. It's a relatively large, newly built church, and there were more people in attendance than I've experienced at any OCA (Orthodox Church of America) church. The choir was absolutely amazing - I was very moved by the singing and got teary. My friend is Protestant and not a church goer. She challenged some things and had lots of questions. What really struck me is that she was noticeably nicer and more thoughtful immediately after attending the service and for the rest of the trip. I did what I usually do and gave her the nicer room and that kind of thing. After church, she behaved in a more selfless, gracious way. Praise God for all His grace!
Grandmother survives in wilderness by drinking rainwater and ‘talking to a fox’
Survival instinct kicks in for 88-year-old who went missing for four days in woods near her home
www.telegraph.co.uk
I hope this is real. If so, amazing.
Those old Catholic churches have the most amazing acoustics, regardless if that clip was real. Bring back the Gregorian chant!
This makes me very happy! 
This makes me very happy!
Here's what it looked like before the fire. It was much darker inside, but I can't tell if that's due to lighting only, or if the colors were darker.
It looks like they went with the "modern" clean look, rather than having the extremely intricate detail of the original Gothic interior.
The clean look might resemble how the cathedral looked when new, while the darker tones were caused by soot gathering on the walls over centuries.
Not only that but it seems like the stained glass windows are not in yet. Those would give the cathedral a darker and warmer hue. New stone is clean and bright.
This makes me very happy!
I remember when it was set on fire and afterward they wanted to turn it into a "multi-religious place of worship." Thank God that never happened. However, the link above doesn't work anymore... at least for me.
Elon seems to have deleted the link. I don't know why.
El Dorado
Other Christian
Missing hiker found alive after 50 days in northern B.C. wilderness
A missing hiker who spent 50 days alone in the frozen wilderness of northern British Columbia has been found alive.
This is a weird story. They talk about him sleeping in his car a few days, then camping by a creek for 10-15 days, then moving deeper into the wilderness.Missing hiker found alive after 50 days in northern B.C. wilderness
A missing hiker who spent 50 days alone in the frozen wilderness of northern British Columbia has been found alive.bc.ctvnews.ca
He had only said he was going for a 10 day trip. They don't mention when or how he got lost. Sounds like he chose to stay out longer. Eventually he came out after his shelter burnt down.
They had a massive search effort for him, but it sounds like he wasn't lost. The artcile doesn't say this, but the things it does say sound funny to me.
It's great news for his family though.
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The Stranger in the Woods:
Christopher Thomas Knight - Wikipedia
I read the magazine article many years ago, and recently read the book. It's a very quick read, but quite interesting. Despite interviewing the guy himself, doesn't really get into the "why" of his disappearance, but perhaps it had been so long he didn't remember why.
I was thinking of this too. The Stranger in the Woods guy died pretty quickly as I recall. This guy lived 50 days in very cold conditions. Sounds like this guy was able to hunt for enough food, and had sufficient shelter, but then he got tripped up when his shelter burned down.The Stranger in the Woods:
Christopher Thomas Knight - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
I read the magazine article many years ago, and recently read the book. It's a very quick read, but quite interesting. Despite interviewing the guy himself, doesn't really get into the "why" of his disappearance, but perhaps it had been so long he didn't remember why.
If so, that's a very cool case of living off the land. It's not cool that he caused a massive search by disappearing intentionally, if my suspisions are correct.
I may be wrong, and the articles just aren't explaining why he failed to return after the 10 days he had told his family.
El Dorado
Other Christian
The Stranger in the Woods guy^ is still alive; are you thinking of Christopher McCandless up in Alaska (Into the Wild)?
But yeah, this story is definitely odd...maybe a story for David Paulides Missing 411...who knows, may be a paranormal element to this...
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Yes, I didn't click your link, but I thought from the link description it was McCandliss, and I thought that was the name of the book and movie about him.