We had a great time this weekend with Molly here.  After Martin got over the fact that Molly was not the dog he'd been expecting, he warmed up to her right away.  Sophie LOVED having her here, and tried to repeat everything she said.  I'll credit Molly with teaching Sophie to say "No way" after every question.  We didn't do a whole lot, mostly just had a normal Nelson day at home.  We played outside, had snacks, went for walks, went to parks, and went for several drives to get the kids to sleep without battles.

Taking Molly around town and having her be part of our normal life made me more aware of my surroundings and changes in myself.  She pointed out that lots of people in Hutchinson park their extra vehicles on their lawn - something I'd never noticed in the four years I've lived here.  I realized that I don't know much about my neighbors, and am probably at the least social point in my life so far.  And I realized that I really like living here.  I'm happy living in this small town, despite the lack of restaurants, shops or activities that I used to find when I lived in Minneapolis.  I'm happy knowing that the kids in our neighborhood are the same ones my kids will grow up with and probably know all through school.  I like where we live and especially like our house and yard.  I think we're all pretty lucky to be here.

And it also made me realize that I miss having my girlfriends living nearby.  I'm thankful for every visit, and VERY thankful for email, this site, and the wireless internet connection and laptop that make it possible to stay in touch with my friends despite a busy life and distance.  I hope that it helps to make it as possible it can be for my friends to participate (even in a voyeuristic way) in our lives.  At least until I talk all of you to moving to Hutchinson.  I mean why wouldn't you want to live here - apparently you can park your car anywhere you want.