Today is next door neighbor day!

Today I want to give a shout out to my next door neighbor(s). In both Hawaii AND Utah.

You all remember Martha, right? Martha, Martha, Martha!? The one who was always borrowing my hub? And pushing people around to get ahead?

Those of you who have been reading me since forevers know that Martha will always be my next door neighbor at heart, even though she is technically, in real life, now just my ex-door neighbor. (sniff).

Well today is Martha's birthday! GROUP HUG for Martha! LY Martha!!!!

Luckily my new next door neighbors are almost as cool as Martha. No, they don't make me pasta salad, or organize my children's sports calendars, or slam a tennis ball through my chest if I start kicking their trash on the court. But they do have one thing going for them. They're pirates. Every last one of them, including their dog, Pearl. Alls except for the man of the house, Adam, whom I call Grizzly Adam because he can grow a beard from here to Vermont.

However, for the record, his face is the only grizzly part of him. His soul is as smooth as a baby's booty. And his eyes could light the world on fire.

At least that's what Lenny Kravitz would say if he saw him.

The minute I laid eyes on Grizzly Adam I knew we were going to be happy in our new neighborhood, and not just because his kids say ARRRR! and Ahoy Matey! and Yer a scurvy bilge rat, ya pompous gasbag! He just reminded me of someone who would live in Hawaii.

Don't get me wrong, there are other cool cats here in my Utah hood--like the grinning lady who walks up and down the street in her pj's, and the grumpy old man who gives out pine nuts and swear words for Christmas, and the widow who bleaches her driveway with soft scrub--but Grizzly Adam is by far my favorite atypical Utard in a long beard. He's got soul, braddah.

Which means, he loves music.

Especially music with a meaningful message--like FiReWoRk or like Waka Waka or like Boom Boom Pow.

Every once in a while he slips me a few musical suggestions in the foyer at church. And he may or may not suggest that I pass his suggestions along to you all, my readers, who laugh and cry with me, because life is so stinkin' funny. In such a stinkin' hard-ish way.

His most recent suggestion is called Blessings by Laura Story, which as a title seems is so appropriate, being that it's Martha's b-day and all.

The lyrics however are more appropriate to all the emotional truth we've been batting around over the past few months, so if you've ever felt any pain or loss or grief or even any mild displeasure, go ahead and click on the link above. Or you can click on this link right here to watch the loverly video. From Grizzly Adam to you!

Group hug for Grizzly Adam and his pack of pirates! Happy Next Door Neighbor Day!

(Miss you, Martha!)