Nostalgia

So, tomorrow I am officially becoming an adult. At least that is how I see it. . . purchasing a house is a significant rite of passage into adulthood, and I'm a little anxious but mostly excited and optimistic to be a homeowner. I've been a little nostalgic b/c the neighborhood my husband and I moved into when we first got to Milwaukee is where we've been for the past 1.5/2 years. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and have continued to love it - The East Side. . . and I am going to miss it for many, many reasons. My husband and I had a conversation about what emotion weighs heavier right now - excitement over buying a new home or sadness to leave our current home. It's a toss-up. I know we won't regret it, but it's just another chapter in our lives that we are moving on to. Every day as I walk through my neighborhood I think about the things I'll miss and there's always something else...

I'm going to miss being able to walk 97 steps to Jo Cats. I'm going to miss late night karaoke parties post bar-time when it's -20 outside and nobody wants to go home yet. I'm going to miss our friends at the Dog Haus and Baxter's bar-time hot dogs. He's going to miss his bar-time hot dogs! I'm going to miss saxophone lullabies. I'm going to miss Peperoni Canoli. . . and all of the other Brady Street Characters - Lester, the seven foot tall gay black man (talk about forgetting stereotypes), and the 80s skateboarder that cruises around w/ his "boombox", the roaming harmonica player, the crazy Thurman's regular whose name I forget. . ., the man in a skirt, seeing my neighbor on his porch w/ a drink and a cigarette almost 24/7 no matter what the weather, all of our awesome neighbors who all look out for each other in very different ways, impromtu friend stop-bys, dog park in my back yard, lake runs, window shopping, being able to walk just about anywhere I want to go . . . I truly could go on and on.

I'm going to miss Brady street and all of it's quirkiness and constant crazy energy. The East Side will always have a little piece of my heart - thank you for making my first year in Milwaukee what it was!

I sure hope I can sleep in the peace and quiet.