-Ilana at mommyshorts.com
I got that quote out of Parents magazine, one of two magazines I currently have a subscription to. (The other is Better Homes and Gardens, which caused to me have a mini life crisis one day when I realized my light reading habits signify that I'm A HOUSEWIFE).
The quote is spot-on. So much so that I haven't written here in a while because every day runs into the next. I'd ask to myself: "Do I have anything to write about?" And my brain, numb from being in the house for the majority of the past three months, would answer back: "Nuh-uh."
This extreme winter weather has caused us to stay within a 5-mile radius for the past couple weeks. Not that I mind, but I catch myself dreaming of being behind the wheel on dry, clear roads with the sun shining into my clean windshield. I get wistful about birds chirping, flowers, green grass, and leaves on the trees. One day I wore flip flops in the house just to pretend it was that time of the year. It's like the nice weather broke up with me and I just can't let go.
Friends
But we've had some fun. A married couple we're friends with bought a home in our town. One night (after snowy day) we ventured down the road to their house. It was awesome; we were there in less than 10 minutes. They gave us the tour of their new home, like we had done for them earlier in the year. Over appetizers and wine, we chatted about the house buying process and decorating ideas. They had a basket of toys for Emmie, so she was happily occupied. We even played a game of cards! A little past Emmie's bedtime, we left. It was a very grownup evening. Bruce and I both remember attending nights like that with our parents, riding sleepily home at the end of the night.
Party
The next day the same couple came over to our house for the Superbowl. They brought his sister and her boyfriend, and Denny came over, too. It was a little last minute party. Bruce made buffalo chicken dip, guacamole, and lemon squares. Our friends brought food, too, so it was quite a spread. We were stuffed. Good thing we had good eats, because the game and the commercials sucked!
Neighbors
Have I mentioned how neat it is to know our neighbors here? There really is a sense of small town friendliness. One snowy night we went to the grocery store across the street. There we ran into a neighbor from the apartment complex on the side of us. We introduced ourselves, and she apologized for her husband's loud truck - which I definitely appreciated. Turns out he works as a laborer for the same manufacturing company as Bruce's sister, though she's in Marketing up in Wisconsin. "We're lucky," our neighbor confided to us in the freezer aisle, as our kids stared at each other. "He got to keep his job, though they had all those layoffs." Somehow, that made me view their old, obnoxious pickup truck in a more accepting light.
Then, two days ago, our doorbell rang. Standing on our stoop was the lady who lives in the house attached to ours. A few days ago she had gone out of town, leaving us with her snowblower, since the meterologists accurately (and annoyingly) predicted it would snow like crazy. Bruce used it to clear both sides of our driveway.
In her hands were a plate of brownies. "I feel like I'm getting the better end of this deal!" She exclaimed, and passed me the treats. She asked me to thank Bruce. I thanked her for lending us the snowblower. Then she offered to let us keep it, if we would continue doing her side. It's exactly what we hoped for! No more shoveling! What a sweet deal.
And the brownies were unbelievably delicious.Friends
But we've had some fun. A married couple we're friends with bought a home in our town. One night (after snowy day) we ventured down the road to their house. It was awesome; we were there in less than 10 minutes. They gave us the tour of their new home, like we had done for them earlier in the year. Over appetizers and wine, we chatted about the house buying process and decorating ideas. They had a basket of toys for Emmie, so she was happily occupied. We even played a game of cards! A little past Emmie's bedtime, we left. It was a very grownup evening. Bruce and I both remember attending nights like that with our parents, riding sleepily home at the end of the night.
Party
The next day the same couple came over to our house for the Superbowl. They brought his sister and her boyfriend, and Denny came over, too. It was a little last minute party. Bruce made buffalo chicken dip, guacamole, and lemon squares. Our friends brought food, too, so it was quite a spread. We were stuffed. Good thing we had good eats, because the game and the commercials sucked!
Neighbors
Then, two days ago, our doorbell rang. Standing on our stoop was the lady who lives in the house attached to ours. A few days ago she had gone out of town, leaving us with her snowblower, since the meterologists accurately (and annoyingly) predicted it would snow like crazy. Bruce used it to clear both sides of our driveway.
In her hands were a plate of brownies. "I feel like I'm getting the better end of this deal!" She exclaimed, and passed me the treats. She asked me to thank Bruce. I thanked her for lending us the snowblower. Then she offered to let us keep it, if we would continue doing her side. It's exactly what we hoped for! No more shoveling! What a sweet deal.
Nightlife
Speaking of Bruce's sister, she stayed with us for a few days this past week. She worked out of the Illinois location. It was so nice having her here! On Friday, she entertained some clients at our newly-renovated local bowling alley. She got to go there before we did!
That night, she watched Emmie so Bruce and I could go on a date. All I wanted to do was check out some places in town we've never been to. We went to a sports bar and had these incredible Buffalo-style shrimp. Mmm... We're going back for those someday.
Then we checked out the bowling alley. It was nice, but it was league night, so we couldn't get a lane. Instead we listened to some live music in the bar area and observed our fellow townspeople. So this is what the nightlife is like here! Let's just say, there were all sorts of people out.
Bruce and I had a blast. We got to have some time to ourselves with the perk of new experiences in our town.
We're really starting to feel like we're a part of it.
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