Skip to main content

Neighborhood

A neighborhood has always been somewhat of a fairy tale-ish mystery to me my entire life.  I've never lived in one.  I would see neighborhoods on TV and I had friends who lived in neighborhoods, but I've never experienced living in one first hand.  There was a time in my life when I wanted nothing to do with a neighborhood--I wanted lots of space with woods and no one within seven arrow-flights (that's old Kanakuk Indian lingo for a ways away).  And then as my kids started getting older and multiplying, I started dreaming of a neighborhood with other children and other mothers.  I dreamed of evening street busy with activity:  boys on bikes, girls giggling and moms walking.  I dreamed of people just dropping by because they were on their way and of seeing people out my window and running to greet them. . . and then chatting for a while.

Well, guess where I live?  THERE!  I do!  After today and tonight I feel so at home here!  I have loved Durango since the moment I moved here and I thought that I felt at home, but I don't think I did.  I think I just loved Durango.  Now I know that I feel at home.

Today I got to run to Target and Sams with a girlfriend--I know, for you city people, that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is a day trip for us here in Durango.  Valerie has been one of my friends since we moved to Durango, but she is doctor and has been working all of the extra shifts she can in order to pay for a Rwandan adoption, so I don't see her often.  Today she had a day off and she needed to go to Target, so I quickly and happily jumped on board.  I spent the day with a girlfriend and we had a super time!

Then tonight got even better!  My across-the-street-neighbor, Kate (who was also Tiki's kindergarten teacher for two years), was on a jog and I ran up to the street to chat for a bit.  Once we were finished talking, two of Hays's friends biked by and he joined them.  Then a new friend, Kris, stopped by (she is the mother of those two boys).  Meanwhile, three high school girls came to chat and sell me cookie dough.  My driveway was full of people and I loved it!  I stayed outside chatting for about an hour while the kids played.  It was perfect. . . absolutely perfect.

My neighborhood!

And on a side note, my crazy dogs did amazing today!  I am so proud of them!  I had them "out" all day long with no leash and no shock collars and they just hung out in the yard.  It was wonderful!  I think they like living in the neighborhood to!  It was so nice to have "normal" dogs for the day!  (I realize that it may pass, so I am qualifying it with "for the day" for now.)

And to top it all off, my husband was so romantic today.  (He isn't typically Mr. Romance, so this was a biggie!)  He emailed me this picture:


and all he said was, "wish you were here."  Simple, but it swept me away!  Thank you, Andy!  I wish I were there, too!

What a great day!  I am home!


Comments

Brittany Watson said…
That is so great! I love that for you and can't wait to see it!
August 27, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Grief of a Stepmom

The grief of a stepmom.  This post has had so many titles:  The Invisible Grief of a Stepmom, The Silent Grief of a Stepmom, The Lonely Grief of a Stepmom. . . the grief of a stepmom is like no other grief because it feels so homeless. My stepson died a few weeks ago.   Marc and I have only been married eight months and Mackay, my stepson, lived in NYC and we rarely got to see him (he didn't get to come to the wedding or Cabo and didn't stay with us when he came to town), so I didn't have much of a relationship with him.  So there is a weird layer of loosing someone I hardly knew and I feel like that is the layer that makes the most sense to everyone.   While the family was mourning, I was the one organizing all of the meals coming in from our wonderful friends and neighbors, I was cleaning up one meal and setting up for the next.  I was keeping the house in order and making sure Marc was able to surround himself with the friends and family he needed to make it through the
8 comments
Read more

Should've Said No. . . ?

Andy proposed during a curtain call of Me and My Girl , a musical in which he played an old man who went most of his life without telling the woman he loved that he loved her... Twenty-three years ago today Andy asked me to marry him. . . .  he was my best friend and I thought he was the love of my life.  Should I have said no? I don't know how many times I have now been asked a version of that question in the past couple of years and I cannot count the number of times I have asked myself that question over the past decade, but it is a dumb question with no great answer. If I would have said no 23 years ago, I would have saved myself from so many tears and so much pain, but I would have missed so much laughter and so many exciting firsts and I would be such a different person. . . . Because of this day, 23 years ago, I am who I am and I have so much to be thankful for. Because of this day, 23 years ago, I have five of the best kids on the planet.  They are t
8 comments
Read more

Mother's Day Thoughts

I've been feeling so many Mother's Day feels this weekend.  For starters, my big kids came home to surprise me and that was the most wonderful thing!  I remember Mother's Day 2017 when I cried because Hays was a Senior in high school and heading to Texas A&M and I thought it would be my last Mother's Day with my five all together. . . . and yesterday proved those tears unnecessary!  And then, as if that wasn't more than I could ever wish for, Marc spoiled me like I have never been spoiled before.  I am consistently blown away and humbled by how much he appreciates me and shows me his appreciation with words, gifts, acts of service and more.  I am so grateful for this husband of mine and the way he loves me and shows our kids what selfless love is supposed to look like! But even before yesterday, I've been thinking a lot about all of the different dimensions of motherhood I now experience and it is shaping me into a new and stronger and more compassionate and
Post a Comment
Read more