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August 04, 2006
National Night Out
Did I mention that we have the coolest neighbors evah?
Tuesday evening, we enjoyed a National Night Out party hosted by our neighbors on Pasadena, Jack and Layne (I might not be spelling that correctly, hm...). It was a refreshing reminder of the power of community.
I met some of our older residents, those that have been in the 'hood since its inception in 1951. They talked about the changes they have seen over the years, how they watched the neighborhood grow, have families, move away, and pass away, and how families are finally moving back in.
I met some of our brand new residents, some who have been here only a few months. We talked about the homes, what we loved about them and what we would change.
People asked where we live. Our answer was, "The big purple house around the corner." We are "the big purple house" people. Jack laughed at one point, having heard me give this answer two or three times and hearing people respond, "Oh, the big purple house," and said, "You're going to hear that a lot!" Heh, I guess we will.
I stood in a little circle of moms with my next-door neighbor, Sarah. We had a group of newborns, and we talked about the baby boom happening in the area. We talked about having three kids and needing to remodel for more room. We talked about the schools and the preschools and the churches and the parks. We talked about babies, and I imagined hosting coffee (or maybe playing The Playgroup Drinking Game) around my dining room table with the little bits playing in the background.
It was all very pedestrian and picket fences. And I loved it.
We're not in the house yet. I've really been quite stressed out about it, especially about having to move from hotel to hotel as we try to figure out what the actual move-in date will be (will the real deadline please stand up?). I've been stressed about the mess of unpacking, and the craziness of starting a new school year with all of our belongings in boxes and fewer kitchen cabinets than planned (oh, don't get me started).
The National Night Out party totally recharged my batteries. I freaking love this neighborhood, and I was reminded that we are going to be here for a very long time and this week (or two) in a hotel is just a blip on the radar.
If you recognize your neighbors in the picture above, be sure to leave a little note with their names! Sadly, there was so much socializing that I can only remember a few of them!
Posted by Christiane at August 4, 2006 12:02 PM