Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be (part 3 in a series of reflections)

We were really happy with reaction to our Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be series, and we are happy to be getting reflections from other members of the community. Throughout the week, we'll be sharing these notes. This morning, Crystal and Arvind Lal share their thoughts. Even if you haven't had the pleasure of knowing the Lals, you have probably been impacted in some way by their contributions to the community. Crystal and Arvind were among the founders of Cheverly Community Market; Crystal now heads Cheverly Weekday Nursery; Arvind was a scout leader for years; daughter Abby was a sought-after sitter; and Arvind and son Nick coached Boys & Girls Club baseball, and has been a lifeguard at Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club. Cheverly is fortunate to have the Lals!

Tell us a little about yourself:
Arvind is US Attorney, but be has also been a baseball coach for the Cheverly Wolverines and for many years a Boy Scout Troup Leader. Crystal teaches at Weekday Nursery School. Both of our children were born and raised in Cheverly. Nick is 21 and attends Emory in Atlanta and works as a lifeguard at the pool. Abby just turned 25 and lives in Brooklyn but comes down to visit often with her cat Willa.

How long have you lived in Cheverly?
Since 1988

How did you first learn aboutCheerly?
We got lost looking for houses in New Carrolton!

What's the biggest challenge about living here?
Not having a local public school for all children through grade 12.

What's your favorite thing about Cheverly?
Our neighbors! They are the best!

What's the most interesting thing you've learned about Cheverly?
Corey Flintoff has a house here!

Most surprising? 
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the pool was originally dug by hand by residents - or so told once by John Garrity who was our neighbor.

What would you like people to know about Cheverly?
When we were looking for houses more than 20 years ago, we were told that Cheverly was an oasis and that it's a great place to raise children. That's still true.

Can you sum up in one sentence why Cheverly is where you want to be?
Cheverly has a wonderful sense of community and a wonderful diversity of people from all walks of life.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Crystal  and Arvind! We agree -- Cheverly is a great place to raise a family, and neighbors are THE best!

If you're interested in sharing your perspective, please email us. We'd love to include many voices in this series. And don't forget: you can show everyone that Cheverly is where YOU want to be by wearing one of our great Cheverly Day 2016 t-shirts! They'll be available on Cheverly Day at the Midway, or you can contact Pat Nelson to get your shirt early!

Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be (part two in a series of reflections)

We were really happy with reaction to our first Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be post, and we are happy to be getting reflections from other members of the community. Throughout the week, we'll be sharing these notes. This morning, Teresa Williams of Touch as Art tells us why she wants to be in Cheverly:

Cheverly is where I want to be because I and my family have always felt welcome here. We moved to Cheverly, from DC, after hearing about it from a friend and we immediately fell in love with the neighborhood and proximity to not one but three interesting metropolitan areas. We also have ready access to natural space, something that is very important to me. After 19 years here, I still encounter places, people and situations that delight me around Cheverly. We required a metro stop and Cheverly has one. I enjoy knowing that I can walk out of my door, greet my wonderful neighbors, board public transportation and begin a trip to anywhere in the world that I may want to go. My adventures do not begin when I reach my final destination, they begin when I walk out of my door, no matter how far my travels eventually take me. 

Our children grew up, or are growing up here, and I am proud of that. My daughter recently told me on a walk, as she was admiring her neighborhood, that it was a shame that as an adult she will never be able to live here. When I asked why not, she replied that since, we, her parents already live here she could not even consider it. I'm hopeful that she changes her mind after she has some adventures away from us. I was fortunate and happy to be able to go down a long list of people that she knows who grew up in Cheverly, went away to college or for jobs for awhile, and are now raising their own children here. Even in our own lives our baby-sitting lineage has successfully passed through generations. My daughter baby-sits for the children of one of her former baby-sitters. For some in town that lineage is four generations strong. 

I recently had the opportunity to take my sister-in-law on a walking tour of Cheverly and got to see her reaction to sights and symbols that I take for granted. I told her about the Little Free Libraries in the neighborhood as she admired the just blooming azaleas all over town. On our way to Woodworth Park, which is one of my favorite neighborhood gems, we stopped at the Elephant, ‘Puzzle It Out,’ at Town Hall. Even though our family spearheaded the effort to paint it, we could not, on our own bring it to Cheverly. It was part of a larger public art installation in DC that was ultimately intended to raise money for the arts and humanities. All of the Party Animals, including ‘Puzzle It Out,’ were auctioned off after being displayed around Washington for the summer in 2002. (Puzzle It Out was displayed at the Children's Museum in DC, which is no longer in existence.) A heartwarming and inspiring effort by the Cheverly Mayor (Larry Beyna, at the time) and other elected officials, Cheverly citizens, teachers and students at Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary and the Town Administration successfully fought off a determined and unexpected bidder to ultimately bring our Elephant home. Even though I generally identify as a donkey, our elephant at Town Hall is a reminder of the community spirit that is exhibited in so many ways in Cheverly. These are just some of the reasons why Cheverly is Where I Want to Be.

Thanks, Teresa! We love to get everyone's perspectives on Cheverly and what makes it such a special place! 

If you're interested in sharing your perspective, please email us. We'd love to include many voices in this series. And don't forget: you can show everyone that Cheverly is where YOU want to be by wearing one of our great Cheverly Day 2016 t-shirts! They'll be available on Cheverly Day at the Midway, or you can contact Pat Nelson to get your shirt early!

Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be

We're less than two weeks from the big celebration, so this seems like a good time to really think about this year's theme, Cheverly: It's Where You Want to Be. Some of us have lived in Cheverly our whole lives, some 50 years, some 20, some only a year or two. However long it's been, we all have our own stories about why we are here. Over the next week, we'll be sharing some of those stories here. 

First up: Lisa Schultz, founder of ichoosecheverly. We're big fans of this blog, especially the Doors of Cheverly feature, as well as all the great community information that Lisa shares. She was kind enough to answer a few questions recently:

Tell us about yourself and ichoosecheverly: 
My name is Lisa Schultz and I’ve lived in Cheverly for 11 years. I bought my first house here on the east side of Cheverly as a single gal and now I have a home on the west side of Cheverly Ave with my husband and two children. I am originally from Oklahoma City but spent seven years of my twenties living in Europe. I currently work for the US Senate as a Chief of Staff.  ICHOOSECHEVERLY was ‘born’ two years ago in June 2014. 

How did you first get into blogging? What inspired you to start your blog? 

A couple years ago I remember thinking to myself, Tim and I could live pretty much anywhere in the DC area but we honestly choose to live in Cheverly. “I Choose Cheverly” became the mantra that I told my friends on Capitol Hill. None of my friends had heard of my amazing town so I figured I could start a blog to share my pictures and stories. It was as simple as that! I’m also obsessed with the diversity of our homes. 

What’s the biggest challenge for you as a blogger? 

The biggest challenge for me as a blogger is time. Not content, but time. I work outside the home and have two young boys that need my time and attention. Combine that with possibly starting a photography business and the blog gets pushed to the back burner.

How do you come up with your story ideas? 

I come up with blog ideas by checking the town newsletter for events. I also love real estate. Even if I were not blogging, I’d be checking the market on an almost daily basis. My husband says I should be in real estate! I also have friends who email me ideas and I check the search engines for PG County news.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about Cheverly? Most surprising? 

The most interesting thing I’ve learned about Cheverly since blogging has been the number of people who have lived here for 30 plus years. People are as obsessed with this little place as I am. The thing I’ve been most surprised about is just how many clubs/groups/activities happen in Chevelry. Who knew that there was a potluck group, a home brewers group, a running group, volleyball group?!

What would you like people to know about Cheverly? 

One of the many reasons I choose to live in Cheverly is the community. It truly feels like a small Midwestern type town in many ways. People in DC think they must live an hour outside of the city to feel safe and to let their children ride bikes alone, but Cheverly is only one mile outside of DC and it is one of the safest places to live! It truly amazes me.

Sum up in one sentence why Cheverly is where you want to be. 

Cheverly is where I want to be because my neighbors are like family. 

Thanks, Lisa! It's always interesting to hear a different perspective on this great neighborhood. If you're interested in sharing your perspective, please email us. We'd love to include many voices in this series. And don't forget: you can show everyone that Cheverly is where YOU want to be by wearing one of our great Cheverly Day 2016 t-shirts! They'll be available on Cheverly Day at the Midway (and possibly earlier...news coming soon!)