NBTB...

Hello summer!! AAAHHH, it was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day to work and play outside.

So early this morning, Matt and Tracey (our neighbor directly across the street) went to buy a couple of truckloads of mulch for the landscaping. While they were gone, I took Katherine and Caleb on a walk around the neighborhood... Caleb in his stroller, Katherine on her new "big girl" bright pink bike complete with Ariel helmet.

When we were about 2 blocks from home, we came up to a house that had a boat and a car in the driveway -- both on the same side. The sidewalk, which, by the way is a public right of way, was completely blocked. The other side of the driveway was empty. Anyway, the boat took up a large portion of the driveway, so the car was not only covering 100% of the sidewalk, but it was also about a foot from the street. So, the question is... what would you do??? You have two kids, one in a stroller, the other on a big girl bike with training wheels.... Do you have your 4 year old daughter go in front of the car (ie between the car and boat) or down the driveway and very close to (if not IN) the street?

Being the safety freak that I am, I had her go between the car and the boat. There is NO WAY I'd EVER teach my child that it's a good idea to drive their bike in the street. So she gets off her bike and I help her wheel it around the car. As I'm doing this, a guy comes out from the house and we have the following conversation...

Random Guy (RG): I guess I should have moved my car.

Me: That's fine, don't worry about it.

RG: Well I am worrying about it, because you had your kid ride her bike through my grass, and now look at the lines that will be there for the next several hours.

Me: Wow, I apologize, but the sidewalk was blocked, and

RG: No AND... you should have taken her out in the street rather through my lawn.

** OK, for the record, she put small tire tracks in a two foot stretch of grass. If I had gone down the driveway, she would have tire tracks over about a 6 foot stretch of grass.

Me: Again, I apologize. I didn't realize it was that big of a deal, but if it's something you feel strongly about, I suggest you don't block the right of way in the future. (Especially considering there's a billion kids in the neighborhood).

Random Guy get in his car, moves it to the totally vacant side of the driveway and wants to keep yelling at me. As much as I would have liked to had it out with him, Katherine was there, and this, more than anything was a lesson for her.

On a totally different note....

I am so thankful for my girlfriends. Some old... some new... some right in my back yard... others far away... some I chat with daily (OK.. several times a day)... others I talk to less often. Some I share the bond of motherhood... others a memory of single days living in the sorority house... and some like Val, a shared childhood... a similar history... memories from way back in elementary school... and dreams of what our future would be like... Back when we were both on the high school debate team (and NO we weren't nerds!) we always put "NBTB" on the bottom of our briefs.... It represented a funny similar characteristic that we both had and it was something we always kept from the boys....just our little secret, an inside joke.... So today when I opened my blog and saw NBTB in her comment, I had to laugh. Thanks Val -- it's been a day, and you have no idea how much I needed it. There are some (but very few) things I can't put in this blog, and let's just say, one such thing happened today. Yes, I'll call you later, but the last 24 hours have been ....... UUUGH, I can't even find the words.... But.... I'm so thankful for you... so thankful for our friendship... for our shared history... and so thankful all the wonderful girlfriends I'm blessed to have in my life. Thanks for making me smile. Oh, and NBTB to you.