Won't you be my Neighbor

It still amazes me that Tim and I lived in our house for 4 years before meeting our neighbors in the house behind us, directly across the alley.  We met Erin and Eric in the spring of 2009, when Ryan was about 18 months old, and we quickly learned that they had a daughter, Ava, only 3 weeks younger than Ryan.  Erin invited Ryan and I to a Saturday morning playgroup, and soon enough we were hanging out more often than not, both with the other playgroup moms, and on our own.  The kids hit it off immediately, and Tim and I really enjoyed spending time with Erin and Eric.  With most of our friends not having kids yet, it was fun to hang out with another set of parents, comparing notes while the kids enjoyed being together.  We especially bonded during the snowstorms of December 2009, and February 2010, wading through the snow in our back "yards" to have happy hours together while the snow fell.  We have babysat for each other, cooked for each other, provided spare keys, picked up each other's mail, borrowed ingredients from an egg to a cup of sugar, listened to each other, been there for each other through life's ups and downs, and shared more wine and beer than I can even keep track of!  There were many a weekend morning where we would send a quick text that the kids were stir crazy, and within minutes we were gathered at one house or the other.  I will especially never forget in December 2011, when Tim, Ryan and I packed up on short notice to head to MA after my grandmother passed away.  Within minutes Eric was at our house to be instructed on how to disable the alarm so he could water our tree while we were away.  And when we returned one week later, late on a Saturday evening, emotionally and physically exhausted, Erin texted us within minutes that she had dinner for us, and came over with a fully cooked sausage and pierogie dinner for us.  It made our return home a little less sad, and a little less lonely.  And those are the types of things they did for us all the time.  They started as neighbors, and along the way they became very good friends.  Ryan and Ava adore each other, and we adore them all.  A few months ago, they decided to put their house on the market as well, and it sold very quickly.  They moved a couple of weeks ago, and their absence is one of the things making our move a bit easier to bear.  Knowing that they are no longer a quick walk across the alley away makes it easier to leave the 'hood. We will continue to keep in touch, and we will continue to get together, but we will always miss our first real neighbor friends...

"Last" Dinner at Panera

"Last dinner at Panera" - Ryan's words, not mine!

"Last" City Happpy Hour

Moving Helper

The times they are a changin...

Almost 3 years ago, in August 2009, I wrote on this blog about being at a crossroads.  Several of our friends were preparing to move out of Baltimore City, and I knew change was on the horizon.  Little did I know exactly how much change was in store.  Several months  later, I found out that the company I had worked at since I had moved to Baltimore in 1998, would be reorganizing their technology group, and eliminating hundreds of jobs in the process.  Were all given ample notice (14 months to be exact!), as well as generous severance packages, and retention bonuses for staying on board through the 14 month transition period.  Tim and I had always thought that when we left our Baltimore City house, we would head north - to New England, where almost my entire family lives, and only a few hours from most of his immediate family.  We knew it didn't make sense for me to leave before this 14 month period was over, as the lucrative package would be a huge boost for us in upgrading to our next home.  So we decided that we would wait it out, and plan to make the move shortly after my job was done, in July 2011.

The closer we got to the end of my job, the less I could think about leaving Baltimore.  It had truly become a home for us.  We had created a life here, and we were (and are!) happy here.  I won't lie - it is not always easy to live far away from family, but our friends have become our Baltimore family.  When people asked about our future plans post July, I usually brushed off the question or changed the subject.  Deep down, I knew that if I couldn't even talk about leaving, actually going through with it was even LESS likely to happen.  Finally, a couple of months before my employment ended, Tim and I were out one night alone, and over Orange Crushes at Mamas on the Half Shell, we decided to officially make Maryland our home.  And as much as we loved our little city house, we knew it wasn't our permanent home.  It was time to move on.

That was  almost one year ago, and a lot has happened in the past year.  My job ended, and I split the summer of 2011 between having fun, and getting work done.  When I wasn't on vacation in OBX, visiting family in MA, or attending bachelorette parties in Ocean City, I was hard at work, decluttering our house and getting it ready to put on the market.  In late August, I got a new job, just as my work around the house was wrapping up.  And on September 19, 2011, I started a new job, and our house was listed for sale.  With the market not being the best, we knew it would take awhile, and I breathed a sigh of relief that this would give me time to get used to the idea of leaving our first home.  Six months later, we found a buyer.  Then we found a new home.  And in three weeks we will become residents of Howard County, in a new house with a garage (!), a yard, a back deck, a pool and a swing set.

I know this is the right thing for our family.  Ryan deserves a yard and a place to ride his bike (other than the alley and strip of sidewalk in front of our house!)  I am excited about not having to double park when I bring in groceries, and getting in a warm car in the winter in our garage, as well as tons of kitchen counter space, with more than one drawer.  Tim is excited about ALL of it - from an office, to the yard, to the pool, to even having a lawn to mow and take care of.

As anyone who knows me will attest to, I don't deal well with change.  I soak up every bit of something before I leave it behind, taking comfort in all of our "last rituals."  And Ryan has jumped on this as well - talking about our last dinner at Panera, last walk to the library, last dinner at Tutti Gusti.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess!

So onward and upward, there are plenty of new memories to be made.  But for now, I will cherish the memories in this little house as I look around at everything for the last time...

The Pagoda

The theme of April seems to be squeezing in all the tourist activities in Baltimore that we can before we move out.  I am sure we will venture back to the city for various events and activities, but we also want to take advantage of being in walking distance of so many great spots, and are fitting in everything we can!  Over the years, we have spent LOTS of time at Patterson Park - first with BSSC sports, then on trips to the playground with Ryan.  We drive by the park every single day, and have seen the Pagoda thousands of times, however we had never been inside, and today we decided to change that.  We went in, climbed to the top, and enjoyed great views of the





Dragon Boats

Today was beautiful, and we decided to head to the Inner Harbor to take Ryan on the dragon boats, another activity we had never done!  Ryan absolutely loved  riding on the boats, and helping us steer the dragon around.  After our boat ride, we grabbed an outdoor table and had an early dinner overlooking the water.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Iphone picture dump

Halftime

Earlier this week, Ryan was watching one of his TV shows that is On Demand, and he has recently figured out that if he pauses the show, he can see on the screen how much time is left.  I was making dinner and asked if the show was almost over.  He paused it, then said "Mommy, it's halftime."

Cheers to "Big Nana"

Happy Birthday Nana - I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying one of these - Miss you