Every Day's A Blessing: Fun in the 'Hood

This evening we had a block BBQ at the end of our cul-de-sac, and it was an absolute BLAST. For the last two years, we would have a bar-b-que on Memorial Day weekend with our neighbors in the townhouse community. It was low-key but fun. Over the last few weeks we had been thinking how much we would miss that this year. Then last weekend we were outside with our neighbors on either side of us, and they mentioned how fun it would be to have a gathering with all the people on our street. Ben and I jumped at the chance to tell them of our Memorial Day weekend tradition. We all decided this would be the perfect opportunity to have a block party and get all the families out and socializing.

It was a great time. The kids played games and chased each other until they could barely move any longer. Ava actually said to me at the end of the night, "Mom, after my bath I am going STRAIGHT to bed, because I am exhausted!!" I can't imagine a better way to measure the day's success. (She changed her mind about 30 seconds later, but that's beside the point.) I had such a great time getting to know my neighbors better. There are several younger families like us, but there are also a handful of older people - even a few original homeowners (these houses went up in the late '60s). One of the older ladies, a widow of a Navy man, just kept mentioning how nice it was to see kids playing out in the cul-de-sac again. We share our street with some great people. Once again I am so grateful we found this house, and the special neighborhood we didn't even know we were gaining in the process.