About 12 years ago we rented a house down the street from a colleague of mine. They had kids. We had kids. They homeschooled. We homeschooled. We all had common interests. After a few years, we moved away. Then they moved farther away.  We’ve kept in touch off and on.  But’s what’s been really neat is to see how their kids, who were older than mine, have started turning out. Their oldest has been in town for the summer, and we had him over for dinner.

He brought Cool Ranch Doritos and was an instant hit. INSTANT, I tell you. Because all beings with a Y chromosome love Cool Ranch Doritos.

This guy was a baby the last time our families had seen each other.  When our neighbors moved away, they gave us their wooden swingset, which we were very grateful to have.

It’s still gets a lot of use. They also gave us a large Ficus tree. My neighbor had been given the plant in the hospital when she had her firstborn.

Now their oldest is nearly 22 and so is this amazing tree. It’s our Christmas tree every year.

Here’s all of ours; the younger half were born after we moved away.

Everyone had a great time, and it was fun to reconnect with old friends.

This last shot is for you, Kelly. It’s got you written all over it.

We love and miss you all.