Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well, one day late. But for those of us that are truly Irish, it's St. Patrick's Day every day, and we're blessed all year long. After all, look at everything I have to be thankful for - a great husband, two beautiful healthy kids, two smelly yet lovable dogs, and a happy home that manages to house all of us without busting at the seams. And, of course, we live in Kohler - what could be better than that?

We went to dinner and then to a fun party last night. As I looked around the party, I realized how truly blessed we are to live in Kohler. Jim and I have been trying to make a move to Wisconsin for so long that it's crazy. We spent 8 years trying to get to where we wanted to be - right here. Even though we didn't know it was Kohler we wanted, this just seems to be our match. I was rooting for Chicago, Jim was rooting for anywhere in Wisconsin - and we got a great compromise. Two hours from Chicago but in a teensy town that holds more charm than some cities twice it's size.

When this opportunity came up, we were so delighted that it was offered to us. We were excited about the possibility of living closer to my parents, excited about moving out of Atlanta, excited about the potential for buying a great house...the list goes on and on. There are a lot of places to live in Sheboygan. We chose Kohler because Jim can walk to work, but also because when we drove by the school (the school, meaning a single school that houses kindergarten through senior high school!) the kids had their bikes in the bike racks with no locks. Leave a bike without a lock in Atlanta for 15 minutes and it's gone.

What sealed the deal on this house for us is our neighbors, David and Kate. The day we looked at the house, their two lovely girls were outside playing. There were very few kids in our Atlanta neighborhood. As it turns out, one of their girls is in Rachel's class. The other is a little older, and is the sweetest girl I've ever met. Both the girls treat her like a little sister, which is very endearing. That day, after we were done looking at the house, we stopped and spoke with Kate, and we just knew that this was it.

I consider our neighbors, and Kohler, the pot of gold at the end of our rainbow. A couple of days after Jim was diagnosed, I was crying to Kate and I said "we just got everything we ever wanted, and then this happened". And do you know know what Kate said? She said "Well, now you know what you're fighting for." And you know, she was right. I think about what she said all the time.

Going to parties and seeing friends, spending time with people we care about, enjoying our cute little village house, and living in a place where our kids can walk to school or ride their bikes (without locking them!) - those are our everyday reminders of the special things we have in our lives.

So even though our last name is Marventano, we've got the luck of the Irish every day.