The O.D.P. began on Feb 17th, 2009 when I woke up thinking about my Grandpa. He and my Grandma, married 55 and ½ years, were close friends with almost every one of their neighbors. They took an active interest in their lives and in the health of their community. Their door was always open and good people were always coming through it.

My Grandpa, the gentle giant, would greet everyone with a resounding “Hello there!” and Grandma, with her bluish grey hair, would rush to the kitchen for a pot of fresh coffee. We’d sit around the kitchen table, catch up on life’s recent happenings and laugh for hours. Those amazing people are still some of my most treasured memories.

Britta and I would like what my grandparents had. I think most of us would. The trouble is that we don’t know our neighbors and we don’t let them in as freely as they did back then. The Open Door Project was created to change those things and to carry on what Grandpa started.

Here’s our plan. We’ll begin by canvassing our neighborhood with flyers that explain our goal and invite everyone to create a profile at OpenDoorProject.org and to join us in some “getting to know you” surveys. We’ll print the results in a newsletter and distribute the tallied results. We’ll continue doing stuff like this for a few weeks and then we’ll host a community Potluck/Barbeque so we can all share a meal and finally meet the neighbors! That’s where things really get started.

Long term I would like to see the majority of our neighbors involved. I’d like us all to become a tightly knit community that looks out for each other and helps each other out. I would like to see us rally together to focus our energies on doing good things in our community and in the world around us. Ultimately I’d like to see the Open Door Project in every neighborhood and in every city around the world. I believe that truly knowing your neighbors is key to fixing a lot of things that trouble our world today and that by being a part of each other’s lives we can make a tremendous difference.

So that’s our plan, what will your Open Door Project look like? Create a free account on OpenDoorProject.org and you’ll get a fully customizable website like this one, along with the tools you’ll need to make a difference in your neighborhood. Don’t feel like a leader? No worries. Contact us and we’ll help. We look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,
Bryce, Britta and little Alora Peterson

As many of you know, Britta and I have waited a long time to find out if our little Peanut is a Boy or a Girl. April 2nd was Britta’s 28th Birthday and we both thought it would be the perfect time to find out. We recorded the moment to share it with you.

It’s been about three weeks since our last post and since then our lives have been CRAZY!! My company closed its doors without notice, we moved out of our apartment and in with Brandon and Kate and sadly we had to part ways with our two little kitties Ziggy and Dallas. You know it’s funny seeing it written down because it doesn’t look like much. Living it sure made it seem like a bigger deal.

Most folks we’ve told automatically felt like they should feel bad for us. I suppose we could be freaking out but everything has worked out so well. My pride is a little bruised because I’m not making the income that I was before, but other than that we are closer to the family we love. I’m learning how different children can be when your around for more than a few hours at a time. Our two families are able to help each other out in so many ways, splitting the bills being one of the sweetest! My favorite is that I now have the opportunity to work for myself full time from home while focusing most of my energy on the Open Door Project. I’m more determined than ever to see it through. Also, Britta will be going on maternity leave soon, and even without her income during that time I’ll be making more than enough to take of our needs. The best thing…which is also probably the cheesiest is that we still have each other. I am so proud of and so thankful for my beautifully pregnant wife. She is truly my favorite thing in life.

So…there you have it. Things are not at all according to the plan but we’re excited about the outcome and thrilled with the possibilities. As you can imagine we’re still adjusting and getting settled in, so BryceandBritta.com will be gradually getting back into full swing. Thank you to everyone for your terrific support. Especially Rick and Becky, Brandon and Kate, Karlee, Katie Ann, Emily, Jimmy and Chelsea. Hope I didn’t forget anyone…and if I did, chill out. I’ve got alot on my plate.

I’m sorry it’s been two weeks since our last post. I was horribly ill for part of it and for the rest I’ve been totally consumed with The Open Door Project. I’ve been researching social network platforms, writing manifestos and mission statements, interviewed developers, locating solid hosting providers, networking with other community minded people and generally just having an AMAZING time. If you can’t tell…I’m all in!

There’s been some exciting developments with the project that I’ll be sharing very soon. For now I’ll say that I’ve had the opportunity to share those ideas with a handful of folks and it has spread!!! This little idea has literally travelled around the world and many have written to share their thoughts and support. It seems that the Open Door Project has struck a chord with people and I’m more driven than ever to see it through. Here’s what a few folks have said:

“I think your project is a great idea. Your project…will allow connections to be made and (make) those involved a bigger more connected part of their immediate community.”

-Dwayne Storm from Scotland

“Your Open Door Project sounds very interesting! I really appreciate your courage and commitment to take the project forward.”

-Raju from India

“The Open Door Project sounds like a very cool idea. I too, have visions for bettering our communities through online community interaction.

-Billy from the US

“Really nice meeting you. As a community developer myself, I am happy to see more participation in this arena. Thank you.”

-Vida Mas from Brazil

“I think it is bloody awesome!”

-Wes from Australia

I’m blown away by the support we’ve received. Many thanks to all of you! The funny thing is that it hasn’t even officially launched yet, it’s still just an idea. So having said that, here is the latest draft of the flier text we’ll be giving to our neighbors. Please let us know if you’d suggest any revisions. If not, we’ll be giving them out this Friday.

_______________________________

Hi. My name is Bryce. My wife Britta and I are your “neighbors” from apartment 1020.

For as long as I can remember, the front door to my Grandparents house was always open to visitors. Friends of our family would drop by all the time just to say hello. My Grandpa would greet everyone with a resounding “Hello there!” and Grandma would start some fresh coffee. We would all sit around the kitchen table, catch up on life’s recent happenings and laugh for what seemed like hours. Those conversations and all of those good people are still some of my favorite memories.

My wife and I would like what my grandparents had. The problem is that we don’t know our neighbors and we don’t let folks in as freely as they did back then. Well…we’ve decided that’s just not good enough.

We’ve come up with a plan. It may sound a little far out, but we would like to meet all the people who live in Wimberly Apartments that are willing, starting right here in building #10. We’re opening our door and inviting everyone over. We’ll hang out for a bit, eat some food, drink some drink and find out what great people live just outside our door.

I’ve written more about this on our family website. www.BryceandBritta.com. It might better explain our goal with this and will tell you a bit more about who we are. Begin by reading, “Meeting the Neighborhood” and then you can follow our progress by reading the Open Door Project updates.

Then, give us a call or send us an email so we can schedule a little time to hang out soon. We really look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Bryce and Britta Peterson

_______________________________

- Other posts from The Open Door Project -

Meeting the Neighborhood

Open Door Project | Part 2

Open Door Project | Part 3

I can remember the first time I saw him. He was tall, dark, handsome…and he had glasses. I have always loved glasses on a guy…reminds me of Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman; ). He had an infectious smile and oh, how he made me laugh…I thought he was the funniest man in the world! He called me “Beautiful Britta”. No man had ever been so flirtatious with me. He made me blush and I felt so special! I felt for the first time what he saw in me, beautiful. We only had one week to get to know each other…we were working in New Orleans. We sat at the same table on our breaks and I grew to like him even more. Our time together was short and when we parted we never got to say goodbye. I was so disappointed. I can remember saying to a friend, “There is something so attractive about that guy! That’s exactly the kind of guy I want to marry!”

Needless to say, he left an impression on me. Time passed and I didn’t see him. I thought I heard he had gotten married, so, of course, I put him out of my head. More time passed and it seemed that in one moment my world fell apart. Every open door shut in my face…including my brief encounter with a frog who failed to turn into a prince. That was the straw that broke the camels back! I felt I needed to move away from home. So I packed my bags and chose a place that was completely different from any place I had known. I was sad and lonely but knew that in time I would find happiness and hopefully, one day, love. Having not been very computer savvy up to this point, I decided to finally catch up with the times and open a Myspace account. Little did I know what would come of that, or rather, WHO would come from that. When I saw his name in my inbox I was surprised, shocked and a little weird-ed out! I had just thought of him a few days prior! He asked if I remembered him. I replied, “Of course I remember you! You’re only the funniest man in the world!” When he wrote me back, his 2nd message was much longer…and when he clarified that he was still single…I knew…THIS WAS THE MAN I WAS GONNA MARRY!

We continued to write and a week later he called me. We were SMITTEN! So I flew home to Seattle and he drove from Spokane to see me. Seeing him was overwhelming! He was gorgeous (even more than I had remembered), sweet, charismatic, and sexy! It was that week that I knew he was truly my soul mate. 6 months later he sold everything (including his beloved Storm Trooper armor) and left his home and family to live near me. He selflessly gave up everything to pursue me…and I loved him for that! Soon we were standing at the altar on our wedding day and I saw him in a new light. I saw my husband, my prince and the one my heart longed for since I was a child. I saw the man who had sacrificed for me, who truly loved me…and I adored him…and I vowed to love him all the days of my life. Unfortunately, as much as I loved him, I was on birth control and God only knows the raging mad woman I became! On top of that I was sick from it for several months. I was less then pleasant to live with and I knew this. He, however, was so patient, so loving, and so forgiving! I saw in him a man, a leader and a committed friend who wouldn’t give up on me, who would never leave me, NO MATTER WHAT! And I loved him EVEN MORE!

It wasn’t very long into our marriage before his grandfather suddenly passed away. It was the moment I hoped would never come, the moment I knew he dreaded even to consider. He was crushed and seeing his pain made me understand the scripture, “…and the two shall become one”. My heart broke with him, but I knew only time could heal. Through that crisis, I saw how deeply he loved his family and how much relationships mean to him. I saw him as the pilar in his family…as a leader in a crisis. I saw him honor an honorable man…and that made HIM honorable…that made me respect him…and I loved him even more! We were changed by this experience. We realized that our time here is short and we decided that family is a legacy worth leaving.

I remember the day he woke me up so excited to tell me something! He had an epiphany. He felt it was time to start trying for a baby! I was ecstatic and totally game! Within a month of trying, our little peanut started to grow in my belly. We were so excited when we saw that little pink line! I am 7 1/2 months along now and I am huge! I have cankles and feet which resemble those of a Hobbit, a few stretch marks, and I have begun to develop a slight double chin. Yet, he still thinks I am beautiful! I swear those glasses of his have special lenses in them…lenses that work in my favor; ). He has been such a support to me as I have endured 5 months of morning sickness, the flu (2 times) and mood swings as my hormones ride on an emotional roller coaster. He has been so loving, so understanding, and has managed in all of that to make me laugh EVERY SINGLE DAY! He has endured sleep deprivation due to my outrageous pregnant snoring and yet still keeps a positive attitude! Everyday when I look into his gorgeous green eyes, I see the father of my child, my very best friend, the strong leader of my family, my comedian, and my lover! I see the young man in his heart and the old patriarch in his future! I see a man deserving of the best things in life and I see a hard worker. I see a man that sometimes I can’t imaging loving any more than I do now…and then I do! It has been a short journey for us up until now and I am overwhelmed by our growing passion…our growing love. I can’t wait to be old one day with him at the kitchen table, drinking our coffee, chatting, and laughing with our children and grandchildren. I can’t even wait for the day when we are so damn old that we have to rely on viagra! I can’t wait because I know I will love him SO MUCH MORE! Love is a great thing and I am so lucky to have found it, so incredibly lucky to have found Bryce!

So here’s the first rough draft of the letter we’ll be giving to the neighbors when we start the Open Door Project. I’m really hoping to get some feedback on this letter so please share your thoughts. I want to know what it honestly makes you think of or feel. The goal of the letter is to clearly communicate our goal without freaking people out!

It’s probably gonna look something like this…

And depending on you, will probably read something like this…

As long as I can remember, the front door to my Grandparents house was always wide open. Friends of the family would drop by all the time just to say hello. Grandpa would greet everyone with a resounding “Hello there!” and Grandma would quickly put on some fresh coffee. We’d sit around the kitchen table, catch up on life’s recent happenings and laugh for hours. Those conversations and all of those good friends are still some of my favorite memories.

These days I have my own family and my own home but September 2001 changed things and we don’t let folks in as freely as before. Honestly, I became afraid of really getting to know new people, let alone invite them into my home. The open door that I loved so much has been shut tight and extra locks installed for added comfort. I believe this may be true for a lot of folks. I also believe that what my Grandparents had may just help reopen our doors.

What would happen if you personally knew everyone in your neighborhood? How much more would we laugh and share? How much less would we fear? How much more support would we have when we needed it and how many more opportunities would we have to help others when they need us? What incredible stories, experiences and people live just outside our walls? I don’t know yet…but I want to.

It may sound a little crazy, but I’ve decided that I want to get to know everyone in the Wimberly apartments, starting right here in building #10. I want to invite everyone to our home and spend a few minutes or maybe a few hours getting to know the poeple who live around us.

I’ve written an article on our family website that explains a bit more about this goal. I’ll also be documenting the process there on our site, so please stay tuned for updates.

Visit our family website at www.BryceandBritta.com and read, “Meeting the Neighborhood”. Then, if you are interested, please contact us so we can make time to hang out. We look forward to it!

Best wishes,

Bryce and Britta Peterson

_______________________________

- Other posts from The Open Door Project -

Meeting the Neighborhood

Open Door Project | Part 2

Open Door Project | Part 4

The “Open Door Project” as it’s being called for now, has not been forgotten. To refresh your memory, this is where I decided I wanted to get to know all 550 plus people in our apartment complex. Crazy?

Honestly, this has nearly consumed every free moment of my time. It appears to be one of those rare moments in life where everything lines up to direct you in a clear and certain path. I believe this experiment will change our lives and hopefully the lives of many others. I hope you get as excited as we are. If you didn’t catch anything I was just talking about, consider checking out Meeting The Neighborhood.

Since I first began to imagine meeting everyone in our neighborhood, I’ve gone through several interesting stages. The first one was called, “Wow..could this work”?

In that phase I imagined being able to enjoy a similar culture to the one my grandparents enjoyed in their home. I was thrilled to realize that what they had might not be gone forever and that I might get to share it with Britta and our children. Although this stage was wonderful, it was very short-lived and quickly replaced by a slightly less motivating one. I like to call this stage, “They won’t want to meet you” or “Fear”.

In the “Fear” stage, I began to realize the implications of opening my door to the neighborhood. The potential downside is very real and includes rejection, crime and terribly awkward situations. Those are just the ones that come to mind. Who would want to meet us like this? Are there other people out there who are tired of coming home from work, and locking themselves inside? What about crime? I don’t know the people in my neighborhood. Are there any criminals? If so, what did they do? Are there any child molesters, thieves or rapists? Should I expose my family to that potential? Finally, there’s bound to be LOTS of awkward situations. People that we don’t click with. So ultimately is all of this worth it? Are the people around me worth knowing enough to accept the risk? Those questions led me to the stage I’m in now. This stage is called “Grandpa was right”.

You are always welcome in my Grandparents home. In fact if you stopped by the old farm house on Hardesty Road right now, Grandpa wouldn’t be there but Grandma would welcome you in with open arms. So the answer to all the questions that I faced in the Fear stage is yes. Yes the people around me are worth knowing. Yes there is risk, but I believe there is more good than bad. Yes there will be awkward situations but those will likely make the best stories. Yes, there is a downside to opening our door in this day and age but I believe that Grandpa is still right.

Britta and I have been working hard deciding on how to best move forward. For now we’ve decided to begin by first reaching out to the 12 apartments in our own building. By the end of this month, we will deliver little packages to our neighbors with cookies inside and a letter attached. Then we wait.

So stay tuned! Tomorrow I’ll be posting the text of the flier and we would LOVE your feedback. Also, we would like to find a name for our experiment and hope you’ll have some suggestions. Thanks for reading! We can’t wait to get started.

_______________________________

- Other posts from The Open Door Project -

Meeting the Neighborhood

Open Door Project | Part 3

Open Door Project | Part 4

As you may already know, Britta and I are doing a little experiment for the next 30 days to see how many hours we spend fighting in that time. (Click here if you missed that post.) Here’s a little update on our progress.

Yesterday, Day #2, Britta and I were driving home from Brandon and Kate’s house. As we were pulling into our driveway, I said something that was a REALLY butt hole thing to say. In response to that stupid remark I anticipated  a volley of sharply tipped comebacks aimed straight at my face. What I received instead was patient understanding and a calm resolve to fix the situation. I was so blown away that once I collected myself, I thanked her for handling my remark the way she did. She could have been angry, I deserved it, but she wasn’t. I was deeply proud of how she treated me and how she disarmed the situation. That was when it hit me.

There was no true resolve. Britta was no bringer of peace. “You don’t want to fight because of the experiment”, I shouted with mock anger. With even more calm resolve she replied, “That’s not true at all, I simply wish to do things differently.” “LIAR” I cried…you just don’t want 87 readers to know we fought. After a brief and labored silence, we both began laughing hysterically.

As I began writing this, my goal was to expose the devious way my wife avoided an argument. That is until I realized how totally ridiculous that was. It turns out that two days into this I’ve already learned something. Whether it’s sincere or not, there are better ways to handle our spouses when they’re not exactly at their best. Ways that can actually make the “jerk” feel better.

Even though her motives were TOTALLY selfish, I’m glad she did what she did, and I hope to make it part of my own battlefront repertoire. Well, maybe next month. An experiment has to have data right?!

Stay tuned for more of The Wedlock Headlock

How much marital arguing is normal? Is one good “knock down, drag out” per month normal, or is that sufficient cause to explore counseling options? Britta and I have our fair share of “heated discussions” so I began looking into the subject. To my surprise, no one seemed to have an opinion. Many sources said that fighting is normal and healthy, but none would say how much. I’m sure the answer is different for every marriage, but that does little to satisfy my curiosity. So in an effort to find an answer, I’ve decided to conduct a little experiment. Britta and I will be giving you a ring side seat to every argument, big or small for the next 30 days.

So here’s the plan. I’ve purchased a little pocket calender. In that calendar I will record all of our arguments, fights, brawls and disagreements. Each day will be broken down into segments by the hour and quarrels will be recorded as Good, Bad, and Ugly. “Good” means exactly what you’d think. It’s the normal loving relationship that is typical of our daily life. “Ugly” is the heat of battle, the pinnacle of relational fury and “Bad” is that period of time just before we get back to Good. When it’s done we’ll have a graph that looks like this.

This should be an interesting month. Of course, when it’s done we’ll need your input as to where you think we rate. Check back from time to time for status updates, and in 30 days for the final tally.