Hello Neighbor

I'm pretty awkward at meeting new people as it is, and the Covid dimension makes it waaaaaaaaaay too easy for me to slip away and keep away and do what's easiest for me socially (i.e. nothing). So, when I finally got the guts together to run over and leave a welcome letter in my new neighbors' mailbox, it was a big step for me.

I made sure they weren't at home, first ;)

I'm kinda proud of myself. And kinda ashamed that this stuff is STILL so hard for me *eye roll*.

Anyway, I got an email back from my neighbor today. Shocker! They seem really nice, and normal, and nerdy. Similar interests and such. This could be really good for both families. The letter I wrote was the first time I had to describe/introduce our family to anyone in a long time, so I thought I'd post it here for posterity :) Alice read it over before I delivered it and said it was accurate and not embarrassing to anyone (as a 13-year-old, it's waaaaay too easy for me to embarrass her, so getting her stamp of approval is a BIG deal). We didn't have any recent family photos, so I had to give her one from last summer. We mostly look the same...

 

5 November 2020

 

Hello new(est) neighbors!

 

You’ve lived across the street for a couple months and we’re only just now saying hi. Many, many apologies. The first thing you should know about us is that we are a bunch of nerdy homebodies who have a hard time meeting new people and making conversation :) but I also want you to know that we are excited to have you here and we look forward to getting to know your family a little better with time.

 

We all LOVED your Halloween decorations. So fun!

 

Let me briefly introduce each family member.

 

My husband, Bobby (41), is a software engineer at NVIDIA. The company has a small site located nearby in the U of I research park, but he’s working from home these days. Bobby grew up in Idaho, went to college in Utah, and served a church mission for two years in Brazil before we married. He volunteers as a financial clerk at our church and enjoys running outdoors, hiking, Mediterranean food, and keeping up with the news.

 

I, Susan (41), am trained as a registered dietitian nutritionist, but I’ve been at home full-time with our kids for the last 13 years. I grew up in southern California and attended college in Utah and grad school in Illinois. I am passionate about local food production and try to squeeze in other interests like learning Spanish, acoustic guitar, and participating in nearby triathlons. I volunteer a few hours a week at Sola Gratia Farm and as a Sunday School teacher for children (3-11 years old) at our church.

 

Alice (13, 8^th grade) makes us look like good parents, but I swear she just came that way. She takes after her quiet, nerdy parents and spends a lot of time reading, listening to music, and writing sketch comedy. She loves to bake and is teaching herself to play ukulele.

 

Robert (10, 5^th grade) also makes us look good, but he was strongly influenced by Alice’s example. I swear the next two kids are very, very normal. Robert lives and breathes Minecraft right now. He only gets to play it a few hours a week, but he’s always planning, building, and thinking about “what if…”. He’s an avid reader, a watchful caretaker of his younger siblings, and a real stickler for the rules.

 

James (8, 2^nd grade) is a loud, outdoor kind of kid. He enjoys gardening, fishing, caring for the chickens (we have 6), digging enormous mud pits, building shelters/forts, designing fairy houses, and exploring all things creepy crawly. A boy after my own heart. He doesn’t say much, but I can tell from some of his questions that he’s thinking a lot about life and the natural world.

 

Matthew (6, Kindergarten) is shy and playful and eager to please. He loves to be with and around people all day, which is fortunate for a 4^th child during Covid-19 restrictions :) If you ever have a chance to meet him, he probably won’t tell you his real name. He’ll want you to call him “baby kitty.”

 

If you’d like to get a hold of us for any reason (James is especially fond of caring for others’ small pets while they are away), I am including our email addresses and phone numbers below. Texting is just fine.

  

Welcome to the neighborhood!