Dear Neighbor,

Thank you so much for driving Macy to the swim meet this morning. It was very nice of you to offer to take the kids that lived around you since it is an hour drive and the kids had to be there before 8. I have to say you surprised me when you came into the house to get her. I do not mind that you didn’t knock, sometimes I forget that we live in a homey, small town now where that occurs… although I will warn you that I know our neighbor on the other side keeps a shot gun by his lazy boy chair. If you ever go there… I suggest you give out a friendly “Hello!” as you cross the threshold.

My mom was the kind of woman that slept with a hairbrush on her nightstand. She would never have been caught by anyone with bad hair. As you could tell this morning, I am not like my mother in that way. She also almost always dressed immediately before she came out of her bedroom, and if she wasn’t dressed she was in a very pretty robe with flowers and cute little traction socks. I apologize that instead you got to see my stretched out, faded but well loved sweatshirt and my gingham patterned lounge pants. Be thankful you weren’t here in the summer when I sleep in an old ugly tank top and boxer shorts. And no, I don’t wear a bra to bed then either.

I am very tempted to get super dolled up and head to the beauty parlour for a cool hair do and a make over then show up at the very end of the meet after you have spent 3 hours at the pool in all that humidity and look it… but I think I will just hang out at home in my comfy clothes… or maybe even climb back into bed for an hour or so. That is really more my style.

And as far as the house goes…. We are not always so messy. We had a little family gathering last night and we were all tired and went to bed without a final clean up. No, I did not realize the puppy had dragged the toilet paper out of the bathroom and the trail led right through the hallway and up the staircase. By the way, the kids do know to put their backpacks and shoes in their rooms, but they find it so much more convenient to just drop everything in the doorway. Oh, we do actually eat at the kitchen table. Apparently, it was desk and locker clean out day at the everyone’s school… so we have 3 months worth of school work and notes to go through this weekend.

Next time you come over I will offer you a cup of coffee and have you sit for a minute or two. Unfortunately, you caught me this morning before my coffee finished brewing…. So if I looked like the cat in this picture, I am sure you can understand.

I do appreciate you taking that carload of middle schoolers to the meet. Oh… and while the drive this morning was probably enjoyable for you because the teens were all sleepy and quiet… I think your ride home with all of them wide awake and hyped on concession food and candy may just have you pulling at your own hair by the time you get back. ☺