Welcome to the neighborhood

I was sitting at my computer (surprise… surprise) on Tuesday morning while Lexi was quietly doing yet another art project. It was only about 9:30 and both us girls were still in our jammies. We had to run errands that day, but it was rainy outside and I was feeling quite lazy because of it.

I had my robe tied tight around me and still had two blankets on top. (We have yet to turn the furnace on, so it’s been chilly in the house.) I had my hot cup of coffee right beside me for that extra shot of warmth. I had my notes on my lap, working on ads. My hair was a mess… my house, even worse!

Then there was a knock at the door… OH NO! I can’t open the door like THIS with my house looking like THIS! I looked at the door and it’s my new neighbor. GREAT! What is she going to think of me?!?! But I had to answer because she saw me sitting there.

I answer the door, quickly fluffing my ratty hair and tieing my robe a little tighter. There she stood with two cappiccinos and a smile! “I hope you like coffee,” she says.

So I invite her in, apologizing for the mess, both on me and in my house. Now, I DO have to say that my house was not that bad… but bad enough. I had just done about 8 loads of laundry the day before, and they were still folded in little piles all over the kitchen counter. There were toys scattered here and there, but not as bad as they usually are. It has been worse on many occasion!

We sat and talked for about a half hour. We both like to read, although it sounds like what takes her a few hours takes me a few weeks to read. I wish I could read faster than I do! She’s also an “out-of-towner”. Which means a lot in Goodhue! We out-of-towners don’t seem to fit in real well. We try to talk to our neighbors, go to community functions, and patronize the local businesses, but no one seems to let us in their little Goodhue world. So I was glad to hear it when she said after living in town for five years, she still had not fit in. It made me feel a LITTLE less like a loser! We out-of-towners have to stick together or we will die alone!

She has a 17-year-old daughter and two sons. One is a couple years older than Emma and one is in Emma’s grade… how great is that? Kids to play with! YAY! They have already played with them a few times and they all seem to get along pretty well. They are not moved in yet as they are doing work to the house before they move in. But when they do, I will be excited.

She seems super nice and I can’t wait to get to know her better…