We had our neighborhood association Christmas party last night down the street. It was a great turnout, and we got to meet some neighbors we’ve never met, as well as some new ones who moved in only a few weeks ago.
Let me preface this story by saying that we absolutely love our neighborhood. The majority of homeowners are couples about our age with either no kids or young ones. We’ve also got a few families that have lived here for 30 or so years, so it’s a great mix. We’ve got doctors, dentists, lawyers, cooks, bankers, teachers, musicians and coaches. It’s our own little piece of “Leave It to Beaver” right here in Northeast Jackson.
But, since it is in the great metropolis known as the city of Jackson, we still need to lock our doors and just be generally aware of anything out of the ordinary. I think we rank as the 14th most dangerous city in the country or some crazy statistic like that, but also included on that list are Atlanta, St. Louis, Birmingham, Memphis and New Orleans, all of which rank higher than we do, and I know plenty of nice people that live in all of those cities… which brings me back to the point of just being cautious wherever you go and not taking your safety for granted. Nine times out of 10, you can quickly figure out where to go and where not to go.
Well, of course this topic comes up during our “informal meeting” at the party last night, and we get into the discussion of general safety tips and using the buddy system with your neighbors by swapping keys or whatever when you go out of town… And of course we dive into the topic of who not to let do your yard work because they might steal your tools… And of course we beat a dead horse with the topic of keeping your eyes open to suspicious activity or any suspicious people in the neighborhood ... All good tips and repeat discussions from previous meetings, but the poor new neighbors who just moved here from Texas looked terrified. At one point, the mom asked, “Is it okay for me to play with the children in our front yard?” Seriously.
So then we had to back the train up and talk about how wonderful our little Fourth of July parade and picnic is and how great is it to live in a neighborhood where you can still walk over and borrow a cup of sugar or milk or whatever and how everyone in the neighborhood is there to help with whatever you might need.
It really is a great place to live, and we’ve never had any problems. Obviously people like living here, so I just hope the new neighbors didn’t wake up this morning questioning their decision of moving here. I guess we’ll know soon enough if we see them playing outside in their front yard. :)
Here's Derek with John, the birthday boy. These two go way back to elementary school. Aren't they cute? :)
Here's me with my girls, Allison and Christy. It's only taken a year and a half to get Christy and Ryan to come visit us in Jackson! :) I think they had a great time though, and I'm so glad they were able to come...
Here's Johnny P. blowing out his makeshift birthday cake - a homemade sugar cookie with a match that we turned into a candle. We're pretty creative, I know. 
Here's Ryan towards the end of the night doing a very impressive Elvis impersonation. We told him he should go pro with it. :)
