Finally Friday!

Good morning internet people!

It appears that we have come to the end of the week yet again. Time flies when you're having "fun" huh?

Not much going on over the weekend that I know of. George has to go in to work tomorrow and I have a bunch of freelance to do, so not much to look forward to.

Survived grocery shopping with Shane yesterday, minus a diaper blowout with Caleb. Went to change him and realized that I'd used my last baby diaper on Sunday at church and forgotten to put more in my bag. So poor Caleb had to wear one of Shane's until we got home. Thankfully no leaks!

Driving home I cut through the neighborhood instead of staying on the main streets - helps to avoid some of the rush hour traffic and the stoplights. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with where I live, it's pretty much smack-dab in the middle of an Orthodox Jewish community. There are a couple of synagogues within walking distance from my house, a kosher grocery store, a big private school, a couple of kosher restaurants - you get the idea. I don't know much about the people, aside from the fact that they are a stricter denomination of Jews - they are pretty quiet and keep to themselves. In fact the men will even cross to the other side of the street if I'm out walking and won't make eye contact. At first I was insulted, but a Jewish friend of mine says that is actually a sign of respect - something along the lines of having limited contact with members of the opposite sex that are not spouses/family.

There is one street in particular that must be completely (or very nearly so) owned by these families for a good 3 block stretch, and this happens to be one of my cut through streets. I actually love driving down this street. If you ignore the oddities of dress (Well, that's probably not the right word. They all dress very formally - women in long sleeves and long skirts, men in suits and often hats and both sexes seeming to favor darker colors - so it stands out against the clothing choices that are more "typical" for this area in late spring) it is almost a blast to the past. Kids run and ride bikes up and down the streets and play in the front yards. Moms sit out on the front lawns with babies, or gather in small groups in the driveways to chat. Most of the men weren't out yet, though I did spy one elderly couple walking down the street together. It seems to be a very close-knit community, with all the moms watching all the kids.

Too bad it is not as simple as throwing on a long skirt to go and make friends. Aside from the differences in religion (I'm a Christian) I think we would get along well - many of the values I see portrayed there are ones I'd like to see instilled in my own children. Maybe one of these days I'll get the guts to take Jasmine for a walk that way and try saying hello. It's a little out of our way, and not really en route to anything on foot, but maybe we could meet someone?

Enough of my rambling, I hear Caleb fussing yet again. I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again on Monday.