Just call me Julie

Because I am the neighborhood cruise director.

There are things that we love about where we live -- great house with lots of light and good house karma, wonderful view, hiking on our doorstep, easy access to the mountains. Then there are the things we don't love so much -- the big city suburban traffic and crime, distance from my parents, and most of all, the lack of a "center." Our neighborhood was built in the 1960s and 1970s, and is typical suburban sprawl. It lacks a heart. There is a neighborhood strip mall -- that doesn't count. There's a neighborhood elementary school, but nobody we know is sending their kids there because it's a terrible school. There's a neighborhood park, but it was built when the neighborhood was new, and it's never been improved (that's supposed to happen this summer, but I'll believe it when I see it, given the state of the economy), so it's awful.

We have friends who live in an eastern suburb of the city, where everything is shiny and new. Their schools and libraries are beautiful, and the parks are plentiful. Their neighborhood is chock-full of families with young kids, and they have a pool and community center. There's always something social going on. We've always been a tiny bit jealous of all that, but not jealous enough to move. We'd rather have all that right here (or move out of the city entirely, to a small town, but that's another blog post).

So in an effort to create a sense of community right here at home, we sponsored a neighborhood family happy hour last Saturday. We made up some flyers, and dropped them off with all the people we've met who have kids near the ages of ours. Lots of these kids also happen to go to the same preschool our kids go to, but they're all going to different schools for kindergarten, so we'll lose even that tenuous connection soon. My hope was that it would be easy for everyone -- for us, because all we have to do is tidy up a little for company, and for everyone else because all they have to do is bring a snack or a drink, then take home tired kids who are ready for bed. That part was a great success. It was laid-back and fun, and just about everyone said they were missing that sense of community in this neighborhood too, and were glad someone had taken a step to do something about it. The second part of my plan was that someone else would host another one in a few weeks, and again, success -- there's already a volunteer. Last but not least, I put out a sign-up sheet, so everyone who came could put down their address, phone, email, and the names and ages of their kids. My hope was that I could circulate the list, and we'd all have ready access to people who are up for playdates or carpooling, and maybe we could even set up a babysitting exchange. We'll have to see how that last part goes.

We're here for awhile, since we just refinanced the mortgage. It would be GREAT if we could have a community of friends both for M and me and for the kids, dontcha think?

Sebastian, who is one month older than B and lives about three blocks north (and did NOT want his picture taken):

B & Sebastian being sillly:

Sebastian's little brother Orlando, who is a few months younger than Z, and his dad:

Orlando, looking soulful as he strolls through my garden with a guitar:

Arthur, who has been in the same class as B at preschool all year, and just moved a few blocks east of us:

Our own Miss Z, looking cute as a button:

Rachael and Jody -- they actually live in the next neighborhood north of here, but it's still on our backyard mountain, so I thought it counted. Plus, we've known them for nearly three years now. I saw them at the neighborhood Mexican joint that we eat at once a week, and struck up a conversation. This was when we were still waiting for Z. Rachael goes to preschool with B, but is about a year younger than him. She and Z are both from Jiangxi Province in China.

Grace, who is about two months younger than B and lives two blocks north of us:

Grace's little sister, Maggie, who is about the same age as Z:

Quinn, who is a year younger than B, goes to preschool with him, and lives two blocks north of us:

Helen, Quinn's little sister, who is just a few months younger than Z:

B and Quinn have a fiery relationship. Their problem is that they are exactly alike! They are the best of friends and the worst of friends. I think they'll work it out as they get older though, and have the potential to be just the best of friends with not so much of the worst.

So B, Grace, and Sebastian are all about the same age, and will be in the same year in school. Same for Z, Helen, Orlando, and Maggie. Arthur, Rachael, and Quinn are in between the ages of our two kids, but close enough that they can play together. And all the parents are nice and fun. Friends for everyone!

PS - yes, names for the friends. I keep our names private, since I'd rather not have strangers connect our family dots and figure out who we are, where we live, etc. There are some sickos out there, you know (none of you, my dear friends & regular readers, of course!). But I doubt anyone is going to connect our initials (which in some cases don't even correspond to actual names) and the first names of kids in the neighborhood and put it all together. If you see your own kid's name on here and would rather I remove it, just let me know and I'll be glad to.