"I think I'm gonna like it here"

(hopefully you don't have "Annie's" annoying voice singing that song stuck in your head now like I do)

 Whenever we move someplace new I guess we always wonder how the neighbors and neighborhood will be. After we moved in we got a few friendly waves from people passing or calling out "welcome to the neighborhood" and everyone seemed nice enough.

The 3rd day in the house a lady stopped by to welcome us and give us a flyer to her church right down the road inviting us to come. I've actually been invited by 5 neighbors total to their church since. I just love the South. The most friendly thing you could do for someone new is invite them to your church. Love it.

Every single neighbor is retired/grandparents/great-grandparents of different ages, but all within that category. We also keep seeing a lot of visiting grandchildren. One neighbor was so excited that her grandchildren had other kids to play with when we moved in. 

STILL, you wonder if they're thinking, "WHAT is this CIRCUS that moved into our peaceful domain?!?!!"

Shortly after we moved in we had baked bread (ya know, to kiss up) and gone around to deliver loaves to all the homes on our small street. We were quick to find that MAYBE 50% were home......or answered the doors. I was thinking it's 6pm on a Sunday night, where would they be?!!? Apparently a few were at church, but we also learned that most neighbors are kind of hermits. I liked that too. 

Nice hermits. I mean they still gave my kids some of their chocolate turtles or old-people mints they had on hand, but also don't bother or aren't bothered easy. Perfect.

My next door neighbor (who is married to a cop.......can't decide if that's a GOOD thing or a BAD thing) is a sweet lady. Saturday morning she brought our family over a huge southern breakfast casserole, a container of grits and a big jug of orange juice. I was grateful beyond measure because the kids had already eaten breakfast but I used her food for dinner since I was flattened sick with everything going around here.

She is ALSO the neighbor that we had made a mutual agreement to stop the wanderers. She takes care of her elderly mother-in-law with Alzheimers......and I take care of......well.......Royce and Kellyn. We decided that if SHE sees any toddlers wandering away she would stop them, and if I see any 90 year old ladies wandering down the road, I would stop HER. I think this will work out great.

Then yesterday morning the Ladies Brigade of Walkers stopped by. Okay, okay, so I made up their name, but they were three ladies who walk together every morning. They came bearing stories of their great grandchildren, great nieces/nephews and grandchildren alike. They also came with thoughtful gifts. Two of them were teachers before retirement and brought the kids a pile of children's books. How sweet is that?

Then they brought ME 3 magazines saying they hoped I get a few minutes to myself during the day to read. Southern Living..........that pretty much describes these sweet ladies that have lived here for decades.

I don't think they were in it much for the walking though because they stayed for quite a while (hour and a half?) enjoying the action I think.......with smiles on their faces.

Get this, JUST now as I was typing this post (8:45 a.m.) I get a knock on the door. I went to answer it and it was another neighbor that I hadn't officially met yet (they were at church) that came home to tell me my lights were left on in the Yeti after driving the kids to school this morning. He's the man with the golfcart.......or that's what the boys call him. Mr Doug (another great-grandparent) just said when the weather got better that he can't wait to take my kids on golfcart rides. I hope he realizes how many trips he would have to do to cover everyone. ;)

All in all, I think we'll be weeeeeeeeeell taken care of here and fit in quite nicely.

And the BIGGEST evidence of that to me was the fact that every lady around here before 9 a.m. walk around in their bathrobes to the mailbox, cars, etc.

Can I just say, 

YES!!!! I FINALLY FIT IN SOMEWHERE!!!! I'M  IN BATHROBE HEAVEN!!!!!