Thank Goodness for my In-Laws!

I live less than a quarter mile from my in-laws. We are definitely within walking distance. We didn't move here on purpose just to be close to them. We scoured every area from New Lenox, IL to Cedar Lake, IN and somehow we just ended up here - a few blocks away from my husbands parents, sister, and nephews.

I know it's stereotypical to whine about this kind of thing, but I am actually quite happy they are so close by. It's nice to know I have built in friends down the street who are ready to go to lunch with me at a moments notice on days when I just need to get out of the house. It's nice to know that they are there when I need to borrow a couple of eggs or if we need someone to run over and let our dogs out while we are away. It's nice to know that someone is always looking out for us and that they are just a minute away if we need help carrying the Christmas tree up from the basement or assembling new furniture.

Today my father-in-law came to the rescue twice! First, after a particularly painstaking and rough morning (more on that later - same issues as yesterday) I discovered that the cover of our pool had blown off and was sitting in our pool. I also discovered several of the railings around the top of the pool had popped off. Being that I don't own a wetsuit I didn't want to get in the pool. My father-in-law showed up and with his help, we got the cover back on and with the help of some zip-ties we got the railings back on. (People don't believe me when I tell them how windy it is here in Beecher, but last night's windstorm caused these problems for me and we have wind like this on a weekly basis.)

Later on at the end of my super stressful day, my father-in-law stopped over to borrow our carpet cleaner and invited me for dinner. With Den working late, it was nice to get out of the house, enjoy some company, and escape from the madness I have been dealing with at home. I accepted the invitation and enjoyed some great pork chops and mac and cheese. I also got big hugs from my nephews and had the chance to laugh and share jokes with my mother-in-law. It was just what the doctor ordered.

As much as "Ray and Debora" complain about living next door to "Frank and Marie" on "Everybody Loves Raymond" I have to say that I feel certainly lucky to have my in-laws so close by. I am truly blessed to have such great family and friendship with my husband's family and for that I am grateful.