- Each morning when I walk down the stairs to leave for school, the sweet ladies are lined up outside the dining room with their walkers waiting to go in for breakfast. I have to leave a few minutes early so that I can chat with them before I go. They sure do love to chat with us!
- Obviously, I love everyone that lives here, but I've gotten to know some of the ladies better than others. My friends are Nellie, Jean, Betty, Becha, Katherine, another Betty, Nancy, and Annette. They are SO FUNNY! Every time I walk in the door, Jean looks at me and says something along the lines of, "well, look who's here!". They get so excited to see me every time. It is so precious.
- Last Wednesday was the November birthday party. I went, of course, because it was Betty and Nellie's birthday month. We had cake and chatted with them for a while. I got pictures with the birthday girls :) Jean and Nellie told us that in one of their resident's meetings, they told them that boys weren't allowed to come upstairs to our rooms. We explained that boys aren't allowed up in the dorms either. Sometimes, Jean just says the absolute funniest things. She started talking about how "we don't want no hanky panky goin on up there! I don't want to hear no bed springs creakin when I walk down the hall!!" I was ROLLING. She's hilarious!!!
- I try to eat lunch with them every Sunday. One Sunday, I was sitting at a table with some of the ladies and another resident came up to sit with them. I offered to move so that she could sit in my seat because it would be easier for her to get to. After we all got situated, she thanked me for giving her that seat back. Apparently she sits in it every day and has for a lot of years. Bahaha I apologized, of course, but you just never know what they're going to say.
- I've ridden the Harding Place Shuttle to school several times. They get the biggest kick out of it when I ride the shuttle with them!
- Last Thursday night, I spent several hours working on puzzles with them and playing Skip Bo. They take their card games very seriously and they don't really have a whole lot of patience for people who don't know how to play (you know, like me). I picked it up pretty quickly and everyone was happy, but they really are so intense about their cards!
- This afternoon, I stopped by the cake and conversation social in the dining room. I told Ms. Betty that I was in Memphis yesterday for a half marathon. She said, "Oh my! Half a mile?" Uhhh no, Ms. Betty. 13, actually. And I'm feeling every one of them today!
- Before I left for Memphis, two of them told me several times that they hoped "that you win your race!" Thanks, Ms. Nellie and Ms. Jean, but that is definitely not going to happen.
I am so obsessed with living here. Unfortunately, I won't be for much longer. In January when i come back to student teach, I'll be living in an apartment off campus. I'm excited to live off campus, but I literally want to cry when I think about not seeing all my friends every day. This has been such an incredible opportunity and I am so blessed to know all of these precious ladies!
