In Your Neighborhood

Although I am over-the-moon excited to be moving to our new house in just under six weeks, I am also starting to feel the bittersweetness of leaving this home, where I have lived now for ten years (minus ten days). Today was one of the best days in recent memory, and the old neighborhood did its level best to make good and sure there is plenty I will miss about it.

The day began with a call from Joie and an invitation to join her and Davy for a walk to Cultiva. I always forget how close it is and am kicking myself for not walking there much more often. And later in the afternoon, Jason took Simon and Clara on an errand, and Ian and I decided to venture out on a walk. What started out as a simple walk around the block ended up being an epic, and altogether delightful, tour of the neighborhood. It was good to remember that Ian by himself is a different kid than he is with his siblings around — not better or worse, just different — and I hope to make a habit of getting some one-on-one time with him (and with Simon and with Clara).

We stopped first at the “party,” also known as the Gong Show, a fundraising event for the Everett Community Nonprofit Organization. Ian was fascinated, and I was so proud of my neighbor Heidi for putting it all together. It looks like everyone had a great time. We headed down the street to Cooper Park, and then Ian decided he wanted to see where the sidewalk led. We practiced crossing streets for a while (No cars coming this way! No cars coming that way! Safe to cross!) and then chatted with a man about his apricot tree (I had no idea you could grow apricots in Nebraska).

At each intersection, I let Ian choose which way to go, and we played I Spy along the way, which is always entertaining when Ian is involved. We ended up at Everett Elementary, where we first played on the big kids’ playground and then found a really cool mural across the street. I could have taken pictures of the colorful mural all day, but Ian was ready to set off again.

I suggested we try to walk to the capitol, so at every corner Ian would look for the capitol and decide which way we should go to get closer. He actually did a really good job, and we got all the way to 12th and H before Jason arrived to pick us up. I was on a serious neighborhood love high and feeling kind of weepy about it. Our plan when Jason picked us up was to break in Simon’s new booster seat by driving by the new house. And, I’m happy to say, that was pretty good too.