Love Where You Live: San Patricio County

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At the beginning of my marriage my husband and I lived in a two-story, efficiency apartment. It had a bedroom and bath upstairs and living room and kitchen downstairs. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for the two of us. When we found out we were expecting our first baby, we thought about transitioning into a bigger home to better fit the needs of our little family. 

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Our first home as a family of three!

Our opportunity arose when my father-in-law bought a foreclosure home in a small town in San Patricio County and decided not to move into it. Instead, he offered it to us. We moved in with all of our things one month after our son was born.

It has been the best move we have ever made. 

Upon moving into our new home, we noticed the neighborhood was a quiet place. As I started to watch the homes around us, I noticed many of the people were older, which for my children’s sake, I was ok with. Small town, even smaller neighborhood, I could work with this. 

As the weeks went on we started seeing some of our neighbors outside. One of those neighbors was an older man who was sitting in his yard talking with a friend of his. I walked up to him to say hi and introduce myself. He wasn’t too sure about me. You could tell by the look in his eyes that he saw my husband and me as young people who could be potential trouble makers for their peaceful neighborhood.

Slowly over time we had got to know the man and his wife.

We wave every time we leave the house. We would peek out our door to see if our new friends were outside on the porch. My kids just fell in love with them. Before my oldest could even walk we would go sit on their front porch and just spend time with them. Those are memories that I could only wish for my children to have. 

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He went next door on Easter to go show PopoJoe his Easter suit!

We have lived in our small town home for four and a half years now. My kids to this day call that “grumpy” old man, PopoJoe. They prefer to be at his house over our own. They know if they see him they will get vanilla cookies with vanilla cream in the middle. That “grumpy” old man… really isn’t so grumpy. I have gotten to see another side to him that most people don’t get to see. He is a very important part of my babies’ lives. For that I am forever grateful.

PopoJoe’s beautiful wife passed away recently. She was Grandma M., an amazing woman, on the inside and out, whom I could only hope to be like. Grandma M was most likely the reason my son disappeared from our home from time to time, leaving me in a panic. It only took a quick call next door for me to learn he was playing safely in their kitchen. This happened more than I liked to admit. Even though my kiddos were not her blood, she claimed them as her own.

I couldn’t ask for a better set of neighbors, or as we tell everyone we know… they aren’t neighbors… they are family. Better yet, grandparents.

A while back some of our neighbors across the road moved out, and another man, along with his son, moved in.

Now, in case you haven’t noticed… my kids claim people.

Ice Cream at Mr. M’s house!

We got lucky that Mr. M allowed my kids to claim him. Almost every night when he goes outside to sit on his porch and relax, my kids are screaming his name and begging to go see him. Now it may be the icecream and Gatorade that he gives them as treats while we sit with him that started it all, but I know they want to see him because they enjoy the time and love he gives them. So whether he was prepared for it or not… my kids claimed him as family, too. 

I have always said that children can sense if a person is a GOOD person or not. My kids have proven to me time and time again that they can sense it. Our neighbors are not just the people who live next door. They have become important people in my children’s lives, and to us. They are family.

I love where I live because it is an amazing place for my kids to grow up. My life is about my kids and them having more people in their lives who help them to understand, grow, feel special, and be loved.

That is important to me. It isn’t the material things that I love, it’s the relationships that my little family has gained over the few years we have lived here. I pray that we have these amazing people around us for many, many more years to come. 

Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who LOVE YOU no matter what.” – Unknown

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Allison
Allison married her husband, Aaron, 6 years ago. She is a stay at home mom to two minions... or, children. Chevy {4} and Avaleigh {2}. The family is just started their homeschooling adventure. They love to learn everyday! Allison enjoys time with her husband and kids. She prefers to do things as a family, and this leads to not so much Mommy Time. It isn't always easy, but everything is a learning opportunity that they can't miss out on! Allison has breastfed for 4 years straight between her two littles, co-sleeps, and has even cloth diapered part time. Her favorite stress reliever is being on the beach surf fishing with her family. Some of her favorites are: Jesus, reading, video games, watching Netflix (oh yes, cartoons on repeat also!), surf fishing, working on cars with her husband, DIY projects, and watching her kiddos learn new stuff for the first time. Some Not-So-Favorites: Cooking, Cleaning, and the housewife part of being a SAHM... Haha...