Although I have seen all of the Feuding Dog Park Men separately a few times, I have not seen them all together since The Incident, and I’m able to give them a nod and closed-lip Mona Lisa smile without being drawn into conversation with any of them. I did, however, get knocked off my feet by a large hound who, inexplicably, came running full speed into the back of my knees. I actually had some air time before landing on my left hip and right elbow and I am going to be grateful for my sons for nagging me about strength training, because I broke nothing. My hip still hurts, a few weeks later, but my doctor’s warning about osteoporosis was not for nothing; I guess my bones aren’t crumbling, thanks to my loathed-but-practiced strength routine and, probably, calcium-rich smoothies. The owner of the hound, a slow-moving elderly man, was horrified and apologetic, and Rex will not let the hound get within ten feet of me. When that dog is at the park, Rex is by my side, barking and growling if the dog gets too close.
Other than that, Rex is very friendly and playful with all the dogs we meet, particularly a three-legged doodle delightfully named Trio, and an actual trio of Bernese mountain dogs. His people! He’s halfway to being part of the group! Also, imagine what that owner’s house, back yard, and monthly dog food bill looks like. God bless, is all I can say.
Speaking of his people, we saw Rex’s doppleganger, Willie the other day, and it was just as cute as the first time. Rex’s social life has been very good of late.
A loose goal that I had created for myself on moving here and starting a new life with very few constraints or commitments was that I would say yes to everything I could, in terms of social engagements and new experiences. So far, this has really paid off in meeting new people, reconnecting and deepening my existing friendships, and generally making my life a lot fuller and more fun.
The past ten days have been a whirlwind of social activity, including a Girl’s Night at my house, a party at which I went in knowing zero people but ended up having a great time, and a mid-week visit from my parents. Having houseguests, sandwiched by parties, has been very fun and feels like a holiday, with big meals and lots of wine and dessert. Now, am I tired today and possibly in need of a cleanse and a liver detox? Yes I am. Do I desperately need to catch up on regular life, including massive amounts of laundry? Yes I do.
After these years of pandemic living followed by several months of packing and moving stress, I feel like my social life, along with everyone else’s on this planet, has taken a massive hit. I recently stumbled across an article about how having kids ruins your social life, and it felt like reading about a whole different world, one I could barely remember, with small children and playgrounds and simmering resentment between parents and non-parents. Clearly I am not the demographic for the original piece, which was written by, I believe, a woman in her thirties living the New York child-free lifestyle, ruing the changes in her friendships, but I read the entire article nonetheless, with interest similar to that of a social anthropologist examining an exotic group of people.
I do think that having children does vastly change one’s social life, for the simple reason that it is very difficult to go anywhere or do anything with small children, but in a way it actually improves one’s social life, as it is so easy to meet people when you have similar-aged children. If I was a woman, like the article’s author, going out five days a week in New York City, clubbing and eating at new restaurants, having leisurely boozy brunches on Sunday mornings, then I would absolutely agree that children wreck everything. Imagine paying for a babysitter for all those parties and taking small children to a fancy brunch; that would be nightmarish and expensive. However, even in my twenties I wasn’t a person who went out clubbing five days a week and now, close to fifty, the idea of going clubbing at all sounds dreadfully exhausting. Maybe if the club started at 2pm and ended at 7 I would be interested, but I’m fairly sure no such thing exists outside of nursing homes.
All of which is to say it isn’t my children that have suffocated my social life; if anything, the vast majority of my Calgary friends were ones who I met simply by having kids in the public school system; there was always a committee or school trip that needed volunteers, and of course, I was friends with the moms of my kids’ friends. So I did wonder what would happen, moving here, when I didn’t have school aged kids or a yoga studio or any of my other Meeting People Situations to rely on, that I have had my whole life. I wondered if I would have a hard time meeting people but so far this has not been the case; I have already met so many fun and interesting people who have been open and welcoming. Perhaps they too are tired of Lame Pandemic Social Lives and are willing to embrace new people; it sure feels that way.
Weekly Reading
Hello Beautiful. I do not have sisters, so I have always been fascinated by sisterly relationships and dynamics. I also love a book that has complicated families and strong female characters, and I did like this book. However – and this is a Me Problem, not necessarily a This Book Problem – it is a modern retelling of Little Women, and I am NOT a fan of the modern retelling of anything, particularly when it comes to a beloved-by-me classic. I have read Little Women a few dozen times; it was a very formative book for me as a child, and I have reread it many times as an adult. And so I will say that this coloured the book for me, and not in a positive way. I felt like it tried to draw too many parallels to Little Women in too many obvious ways, although I did like the portrayal of the parents. Louisa Alcott’s father was much loved by her but famously useless; he was a friend of Thoreau (do NOT get me started on that guy, I cannot EVEN with Thoreau), and he burned through their money, necessitating Louisa’s very hard and constant work so he could basically Find Himself, and I felt that the fictional portrayal in Hello Beautiful was spot on. I also liked that the author took Marmee’s hidden anger and unhid it, in the portrayal of the girls’ mother. Overall I liked this book but didn’t love it, however, your mileage may vary.
My parents’ visit was timed to coincide with my younger son’s 18th birthday. I am officially a Mother of Adults, which makes me feel very Adultish myself. Landslide, etcetera. I read somewhere, years ago, that adolescence exists to help kids make the break into adulthood, but I think it must also exist to serve mothers too. I really loved – and still love, both boys are still in their teens – the teen years, and it’s an extremely satisfying feeling to know that I’ve shepherded them all this way and now I can step back. I mean, I guess I have been gradually stepping back throughout their adolescence, but it feels different now. Your children are not your children is something I think about a lot, especially these days.
So it truly feels like a whole new chapter, and there is more news to come after this week, which is going to be so hectic and busy. More about that later, and in the meantime, I hope you all have a beautiful week. xo
Love the fun theme of this post, Nicole! Last week in your comment on NGS’s post on minor complaints, I adored how *bubbly* you sounded–I could sense your excitement about your parents’ impending visit, and all the social activities in store :).
_Little Women_ was so formative for me as well… I identified with different sisters at different times in my life. I just HAVE to read the Napolitano now. You’ve probably seen the Greta Gerwig Little Women movie?
Also–Look how protective your boys are! Rex with the guarding and the human ones with strength training. Sorry about your hip pain and discomfort though–hope that goes away soon.
Who’s the social butterfly in the title? It could be Rex or it could be you :)!!
I think it’s both of us!
Yes, I did see the movie and I loved it! Maya! I have to see if you agree – one of my favourite parts in that movie was the juxtaposition between Meg at the ball, and then grimly discussing finances with John. I loved the way that was shot so much. I also really loved when Jo braced herself to go into the living room where everyone was celebrating Laurie and Amy. The movie was just so great!
I’ll have to look for that scene with Meg, Nicole… But yes! That scene with Jo! And there’s another one with Amy talking about marriage as a sort of career, which it absolutely was for women of that era.
Two social butterflies! What a fun time! <3
I LOVED that scene with Amy! “Do not tell me that marriage is not an economic decision for women, because it is.” I love it.
That cake!!! I would love a piece. Happy belated to your baby and I definitely think my kids help me be social, for what that’s worth 🙂
Thanks so much, Colleen! The filling was raspberry and had chocolate ganache, delicious!
Oof- that poem is powerful. I need to read it over and over again. My son and I are so similar that I didn’t have as much to grapple with, but my daughter is so, so different from me. I’m constantly having to remind myself that I can’t make her think the way I do. There are so many things I just have to let go. Anyway, happy birthday to your son! The cake looks delicious.
I’m glad you’re okay after the “attack” at the dog park! (I love how Rex feels he needs to protect you from that dog now.) Yes, your bones are strong! Maybe we need to fall every once in a while just to test them out, ha ha.
I didn’t realize Hello Beautiful is a retelling of Little Women. That’s a book everyone seems to love (Hello Beautiful, that is) and I just can’t get myself to read it for some reason. I think I’m officially giving myself permission to skip it.
I also loved the poem! I hadn’t read that before. With my boys really advancing now in the teen years (suddenly, it seems?) I have lots of these types of thoughts on my mind too. I also have many fundamental differences in way of thinking from my older son, too, and it can just be very frustrating. I think there is part of me that just wants to be able to “control” everything, but of course, we can’t. I find it very overwhelming and exhausting when I can see what (I) perceive to be an issue or problem but yet I can’t seem to make him respond how *I* think he should. It is a challenge to learn and accept that they really are their own people!! And they have to learn their own lessons in life. I’m glad to hear how much you have enjoyed the teen years. Overall I’m loving them so far too.
It is definitely a challenge to accept where someone is, but it’s so good to do that – they do have to learn their own lessons and in their own way for sure. I love the teen years so much!
Jenny, years and years ago I was talking to a woman who was probably just a few years older than I am now. She mentioned something about her adult son and said “It’s not a choice I would make. But it’s his journey.” And I think about that all the time. It’s their journey. It’s not ours. It’s such a fabulous way to look at life, especially with people who are different from us.
That cake. It looks incredible. Happy birthday to your son. I, too, have mostly enjoyed the teen years. My kids have fun personaltities and great senses of humor. Watching movies with them and hearing them interact or learning about their perspective on things is a treat.
I love how protective Rex is and I’m relieved that you weren’t really hurt when tackled. In high school, I got sick while I was babysitting. My brother came to the house to swap places to me. The baby was already in bed. The St. Bernard was NOT having it. He didn’t want my brother to come anywhere near me or enter the house at all. I was like OH, FLEETWOOD. YOU ARE THE BEST, BUT REALLY – THIS IS MY BROTHER AND YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT HIM AS A GOOD GUY.
We have met many of our friends through our kids. I will say that as the kids have gotten older we’ve struggled a bit socially and I think that’s because many of the people we were friends with didn’t have as many kids and therefore weren’t tied to as many sporting events or kid-centric stuff that we are still doing. It’s fine. We enjoy attending our kids games. We’ve had to really make an effort to carve out social time and by ‘we’, I mean me. Coach is socially exhausted after chatting with patients all day. I’m home with toddlers all day and I crave adult time. I REALLY love meeting the parents of my college kids’ friends. Such fun, awesome people. I wish we could get together more regularly.
Oh wow, yes, Ernie, you have such a busy life I don’t know how you would squeeze one more thing in! There is a huge difference between two kids and six!
Awww, Fleetwood. He’s protecting you! God I love dogs.
Dog parks are so dangerous! Dogs can just come bounding in from anywhere and knock your feet right out from under you. There are sleds in our dog park to help remove injured dogs, but I’m always much more concerned about how we would get out a human being if they had a broken leg/torn ACL! I’m glad you didn’t suffer any lasting damage!
I will say that it has been very hard for me to maintain friendships with people with children. It’s not impossible, but it feels very one-sided and I am hoping that as my friend’s children grow up, they will remember all the times I reached out to them and reciprocate. But if they don’t, then that’s fine. I’ll have done my best!
I was really looking forward to your perspective on this, Engie. I don’t have a ton of child-free friends but I do have one very good friend who is child-free by choice, and close to my age. She watched my kids grow up and was like an auntie to them, and as they got older she would hire them to cat sit, etc. Once my kids reached a certain age we were able to do things just the two of us, but also, she came along with the three of us for hikes, trips to the amusement park, etc., and was (still is) a very valued friend. I feel like it will be the same for you.
Since we don’t have a ton of family close by, friends who are honorary aunties and grans to my kids are extra special.
My social life has suddenly become very busy too. Like you, I’m making a concerted effort to get out there. Maybe because I’m a day away from emptying the nest? Or have finally emotionally recovered from the pandemic? It seems like everyone is finally emerging from their homes after a very long sleep. I have been a social butterfly, which I love, but as an introvert, is also wearing me out. But I have to say I’m enjoying falling into bed after a day of socializing.
Laura, you hit the nail on the head. Empty nest + emotionally recovering from pandemic = SOCIAL LIFE! I have a huge week ahead of me so by next Sunday I think I’ll be just doing laundry and silently reading.
Congrats on being the parent of adults. My younger child’s adolescence has given me many opportunities to meditate on that poem, starting when they were eleven or so. It’s been a bumpy ride, not quite over.
It’s been a really long time since I’ve gotten together with friends. I just get out of the habit sometimes, but I’m sure it would do me good.
It’s so tricky, isn’t it, letting them set their own path.
I’m telling you, if you moved only 3000 miles away and were in my neighbourhood, we could hang out! Beth would love it in Canada, we have snow! And now I’m in a city with a lake, so kayaking galore. Wait, I think you’d be close to your mom and sister! *starts petition to have Steph move*
I adored Hello Beautiful but had forgotten there were supposed to be parallels between the book and Little Women, so I wasn’t looking for them and even if I had looked for them, they might have gone over my head since I have only read Little Women a couple of times and am not a SUPER fan. I liked the book but don’t feel compelled to reread it? I’m glad you mostly likely it, retelling aspects aside. That book is still in #1 for 2023 reads!
“Maybe if the club started at 2pm and ended at 7” – yes to this!! I think having kids makes it easier to make friends/have a social life. For many parents, we are happier if we are out and about so I am more apt to make plans like play dates/park meet ups. When I was single, it was higher stakes to suggest meet ups and then I’d have to be out late. Now I am can my best life which means being in bed at 8:30 with a book and I can blame my children. Lol. Also I feel more empowered to say no to things and have boundaries around social plans. I never felt like I could say no when I didn’t have kids. Which is a shame. Lastly, my friends all had kids WAY before me. Like nearly a decade before I did. I still maintained friendships with them – I would just generally come to them. And yes there were conversations about kids/parenting but it didn’t like ruin the friendship. And now I am so glad that they led the way and I can learn from them! And they think toddlers/preschoolers are adorable so are very entertained by my kids.
Oh, that’s so wonderful, Lisa! I have a few friends with younger kids but mostly *I* am the younger friend – a lot of my friends have kids my kids’ ages or older. And you’re right! I did learn a lot from them!
I did like Hello Beautiful but I just didn’t love it the way I thought I would. I am, however, a LW Super Fan.
Your new life sounds like so much (well deserved) fun! Laundry has a way of getting done when it needs to.
I absolutely adored Hello Beautiful even though it made me cry buckets. I took it as a tribute to LW and not a retelling, though TBH it’s been a long time since I’ve read LW and I don’t really remember the details.
I liked it, for sure! I just didn’t love it, but honestly, I am SO emotionally attached to LW, which colours my experience a lot.
This is such an interesting topic. I had no concerns whatsoever about you making friends 🙂 Even if you have kids, it’s still hard to make friends with people with kids. There is always a sports game, music practice, etc, times however many kids there are. Even setting up playdates for my kids is difficult. Even though I have an almost 10 year old, I’m not friends with any parents. I’m still confused about how one does that! I’ve chatted with other parents at birthday parties, but it never results in us doing anything non kid-related. In fact, my best friends do not have kids, because they tend to be less busy, and we actually have time to make plans.
You’re so busy, Sarah! There will be a time when life isn’t so busy and scheduling things will be easier. Your kids are still young!
You are a true inspiration. When I think of my friends, two of them I’ve known before I had kids, and the one I’ve had the longest is one I met when I was single, before I had kids, and we’ve been through almost everything together. I wonder if I would have been friends with some of the people I am now if it hadn’t been for the children. That being said, you have made me consider moving away from the area where we raised our children. I admire your willingness to put yourself out there and meet new people. When it comes to making plans, I am much more introverted than you, but if we met on the street, I am confident we would hit it off.
I love all of this for you. Continue to share your friends and new adventures. Perhaps you will inspire someone to step outside their comfort zone.
PS- That Kahlil Gibran quote has always been one of my favorites. 😘❤️
Oh Kari, what a nice thing to say. Thank you! And I am also certain that we would hit it off too. I feel like we are very connected!
Moving away from the area where your children were raised is a scary prospect, but it’s been really great for me so far!
I’m so glad. 😘
WE DON’T TALK ABOUT THOREAU Sorry to yell, I just get heated about that guy. ANYWAY, the dog park situation sounds really good! My first dog with H was a Bernese Mountain Dog – she was lovely and sweet and my god the thought of having three of them at once makes me feel poor and somewhat claustrophobic (unless I also got a much bigger house).
The modern retelling thing is interesting because there are some books that I will read (or watch) virtually every iteration of. For example, Pride and Prejudice – set in outer space? I’ll read it. Set in a modern NY neighborhood? I’ll read it. Set in India? Reading it! Set on Fire Island with only gay male characters? Watched it. Other books I really don’t like updated or changed. I’m not even sure why but some books just need to remain as they are for me.
Finally, having my first did mess up my social life for awhile because I was exhausted and none of my friends had kids. Down the road though having kids made it easier for me to make friends – so much time standing on sidelines watching games, volunteering at school, or regularly being in situations in which I automatically had something in common with other adults made it easier for this introvert to make friends. So doubled edged sword I guess (although I will also say that I was not brunching and clubbing when I had oldest – I was deep in grad school debt and working a bunch, so in that respect not much changed after I had Oldest)
We don’t talk about Thoreau is our new mantra, Maggie. I love that you feel the same way. DO NOT TALK ABOUT LIVING INTENTIONALLY IN THE WOODS, SIR.
I haven’t yet found a modern retelling of anything that I like – but never say never!
I agree having young babies is exhausting and hard to manage going out – I definitely think school aged kids really helped me make friends, with all the situations you mention.
I just finished Hello Beautiful this weekend and really enjoyed it. I will admit that I don’t have a huge attachment to Little Women, so didn’t get too many of the parallels. I thought it was pretty masterfully written and gripping. I read it in two sittings.
Rex is so handsome. And I love that you’re finding a community in Kelowna.
Also, that cake looks AMAZING. Please come bake for me <3
It absolutely was masterfully written and gripping! I just…didn’t love it. But I liked it.
I would also absolutely bake for you! It’s my love language.
Wow that dog! So glad you are ok. It’s really sweet how Rex now protects you from him. I’m so happy you are making so many new friends. It sounds like your first months there have been pretty wonderful. And that cake— my mouth is watering.
Pat, it was crazy. Years ago a friend had a similar incident and ended up with a badly broken ankle. I couldn’t believe how hard this dog hit me! I felt very lucky to be okay.
I feel the same way as you about Hello Beautiful. I though it was good, but not as great as some people did. I also do not have sisters, so maybe that is part of it. I also do not really have a big loud family, so maybe that is part of it? For whatever reason, I thought it was just good.
I am so glad you are making friends easily! I have found that in a new place it takes me a while to find my people, but this is probably because I do not invite them all over to my house (although I have in the past) very often. I tend to keep to myself and like routine, so saying yes on a whim is kind of scary!
I tend to be very routine driven as well and I am not very spontaneous – but I’m trying to be a bit more flexible. The people I met are not “last minute” planners, which helps immensely.
Oh gosh, Nicole, I’m glad you weren’t badly hurt at the dog park! Here I was worrying about that bear….and turns out a dang dog was more dangerous!!
Congratulations on being a mother of adults! That’s awesome!
Lol, if it’s not the bears it’s the dogs!
I can’t believe you were Taken Down at the dog park. So sorry and I’m glad that your bones are strong and you will be ok, but GEEZE!
Three Bernese Mountain Dogs. Um, NO THANKS. 😳
I always found that I made friends easily when my girls were young; I mean, there were SO many opportunities: PTA, Car pool, Girl Scouts, Softball, etc…
I mean, I still find it easy to make friends, but the opportunities are just less, which is ok because I kinda feel like my plate is full with amazing people.
Happy belated birthday to your newest Adult!!
It sounds like you might need a vacation from all the socializing.
Yes, Suz! There were just so many things when the boys were young. It was so easy to meet people!
Imagine the POOP with three Bernese!
I could not relate less to that kids ruining your social life essay. I have a tendency to hermit, and having kids forced me not to do that, in very good ways. I’ve met some of my closest current friends through my kids being friends with their kids. I do see how it could happen, and I feel very lucky.
I LOVE Berners but yeah, three of them in one house and backyard? Eeeee. Although my friend has two King Shepherds and they don’t ever let them poop in the backyard – they are trained to only do it on walks so it is disposed of that way every day.
Getting demoed by a big dog at our age is no joke, even if one is bendy and strength conditioned. I hope your pain is gone soon.
I have some friends who trained their dogs to only poop on walks, but I do not think that would have ever worked for me. Like, what if you couldn’t take them for a walk right away? Or, in the case of Calgary, what if it was -30 and you didn’t want to take the dog out for more than 5 minutes? What if the dog was sick and had diarrhea? So many poop questions.
That’s great that your newly-acquired muscles protected you! Awww…sweet Rex protecting you from that dog from now on! Such a good dog! (An aside: I just saw the movie Strays and it was so sad how that dog said he never heard his owner say, “Good dog!” :-(.
Belated happy birthday greetings to your son! Yummm…that cake looks delicious!
Sounds like you are making great friends and settling well in your new environment! Way to bloom where you’re planted, Nicole!
Thanks M!
I have never seen or even heard of the movie Strays, and I am thinking I probably don’t have the emotional bandwidth for it, just from that one line. Awwww. Poor puppers.
My mouth is watering from looking at that chocolate cake! YUM! I kept seeing Hello Beautiful being recommended, but when I read the summary, it sounded like it was about basketball, so I skipped it!🤣 I did just finish Nora Went Off Script and loved it. Now I’m reading Sunshine Nails and it’s pretty good, but not great. About a Vietnamese family who owns a nail salon in an older section of Toronto.
I am NOT surprised you are making friends left and right, just based on how fun you are on this blog. I do miss the ease of making friends while volunteering in my kids’ schools, back in the day.
There was some about basketball, but I didn’t think it was too much basketball (and I’m not a basketball fan). I’m glad you loved Nora Goes Off Script! Such a fun book!
Nicole! Your dog park experiences are so wild since you moved! I am glad you are okay, thank goodness for your steely bones, but sheesh.
A Mother of Adults. Wow. Deep, cleansing breath. That is both shocking and also WOW, what an accomplishment. You did the thing. You raised these boys and now they are capable of going into the world and spreading all the love and light you have imbued them with during their childhoods. Happy birthday to your youngest adult, and hooray for cake.
Hoping all is going well with your event this week, and I hope this next chapter is the best one yet.
xxoo
DEEP CLEANSING BREATHS INDEED! It feels great actually, and I wonder how I would feel had I not moved. Maybe it would have been a lot different, I don’t know.
Hope YOU are well! I was so happy to see your name pop up. xoxoxo
Perhaps they too are tired of Lame Pandemic Social Lives and are willing to embrace new people; it sure feels that way. I’d like to meet some of these people too. From what I can tell socializing is still not happening around here– or I’m not invited which could also be the case. I’m pleased you’ve found some new people who will know you as a woman with adult children who you love but don’t need to ferry around anymore. Totally different kind of relationships I’m sure.
Ally, I hope some of your people start also coming out to socialize – too bad we aren’t closer together, because we could shrug off our lame pandemic social lives together! And yes, it is a whole new world meeting people in a different way.
Oh, I have THINGS TO SAY about being the childless-by-choice friend! I am that friend, but I guess because I’ve always been the low-key friend who would rather just hang out with you at home than go out, it’s easier for me to maintain friendships with my friends who have kids. One of my best friends has three children and I was talking to her last year about the loneliness I was experiencing. And her response was that I was invited over whenever I wanted to have dinner with her family. She said she couldn’t just make plans with me whenever, but I was always welcome at her house. And I think that’s the point here. It’s not that childless people cannot be friends with people with kids… you just have to be willing to change what you’re doing. No more spontaneous dinners, and more low-key hangs where there will likely be children around. Of course, it’s a two-way street and I’m grateful that my friend makes a point to check in with me and engage with my life. I think it helps that I ALSO have good friends who are single like me and can be that spontaneous friend when I need them. I think it’s really about both sides of the equation: Are you, the childless friend, willing to change what you’re doing and hang out with your friend with her kids around? And are you, the friend with kids, willing to go the extra mile to include your childless friend in your life?
Also! I’m so sorry you got injured at the dog park! I love that Rex is like, “GTFO” every time that dog comes near now. Nobody messes with his mom and gets away with it!
Stephany, I am so glad to hear your perspective on this! I think you’re exactly right, and it speaks to a larger concept, that we need to meet people where they are in life. And friendship goes both ways – if you are willing to go to your friend’s for dinner and family time, and she is willing to absorb you into that family life, then it sounds perfect! One of my very good friends is child-free as well, and she has been a great “aunt” to my kids, and as they got older and I had more time, we were able to deepen our friendship. Bonus: the kids love her too!
I was very similar, social-life-wise, before having children. I remember being pregnant at 24 and some of my friends/co-workers were AGHAST—but they were smoking pot, experimenting with living in tents/buses, going out to clubs all weekend every weekend, and I was…at home, playing solitaire and baking cookies and reading books and emailing my friends. Children didn’t shake that up too much.
“experimenting with living in tents/ buses” – my eyes just got wide, thinking about how there was no period in my life that I thought that would be a fun idea. I guess I prefer non-ambulatory housing situations with walls.
I love this so much that you’ve already found a community in your new hometown, Nicole. Where did you meet these women? I need some of your socializing skills. I am completely lacking in the local friend’s department. Why can’t I just hang out with all of my blog peeps?
Wouldn’t it be fun if we all could get together? It’s too bad this continent is so big! I feel like we could have a great time!
I would like to second San’s suggestion about just getting the blog people together. I already like all of you; it makes perfect sense, then, that we should just, you know, get together. Preferably somewhere beautiful. 😉
Well, where I live is beautiful so…come on over!