After Court and I decided to get separate places (probably in the end, the best thing for our friendship, right C?) I moved into 354 W. Dickens with my new friend Liz. We were there for about a month before our other friend Heather’s living situation hit the skids and she needed a place to live, and fast! One conversation later, Heather was moving her stuff in and she and Liz shared a bedroom…and both had queen-size beds. Yes, the two of them got to be very familiar with each other.
The best part of the whole thing was twofold: One, we were at the height of 20somethings (Park’s singles ministry) and two blocks from church so socializing was super easy; and Two, rent was the cheapest I’ve EVER paid. The total was somewhere around $600, sooo…split three ways = a very happy Mander. More money for lipgloss and purses, yippee!! Seriously though, living with two other girls was definitely an exercise in patience and sharing, two things I’m constantly trying to get Charlie to grasp. It was fun, too…really fun. When those two decided to leave me a year later and get married, my pal Angela agreed to move in and that’s where I lived until I married Vann.My whole courtship and engagement happened while I was living at Dickens. The first conversation I ever had about Vann was in that kitchen. Many bridal magazines were read in that living room. And down the street, on the steps of Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder (the BEST pizza place EVER) I had my first “date” with my precious Em. I met this girl over a gold purse (yes, I still have it) at a birthday party and pursued her to be my friend. 6 years later, she is family to me. You could say that a lot of lifetime relationships started at Dickens. And, hey, girls, that couch we left out front because we couldn’t carry it to the dumpster? You’ll be happy to know it’s been claimed by some lucky person.