Hello, my name is Stupid.

If you've been reading for awhile, you know that we have already met many of our neighbors and were excited to find out how nice they all are. Jill brought us spinach dip and chips on Saturday, Kriste brought cookies on Monday and Renee graciously gave me plastic utensils at 9:00pm on Saturday so we didn't have to eat Chinese with our fingers.

But I really put their neighborliness to the test yesterday morning. I took Oliver and Lola for their morning walk and managed to lock us out of the house. The garage door we exited through is locked. As is the front door, the back door and all twenty-five windows. And I don't have house keys or car keys or either of my two cell phones. And I am wearing Nate's yucky yard shoes.

What's a girl to do? Nearly everyone on the block works, at least the ones that we have met. I am a mess from moving all morning and I have two frantic dogs who are waiting anxiously for their treats. Then God smiled on me, and sent Jill's mother outside with little Zack. I'm sure she didn't know what to make of this stranger walking up and asking to use her phone, but she graciously gave me her cell phone and let me call Nate. And when he didn't answer, she volunteered her husband to drive me the twenty minutes to Nate's office to pick up the keys so that I wouldn't have to wait for him. Half an hour later, wearing zero makeup, a dog-hair-covered sweatshirt, and sandals that are three sizes too big, I am knocking on the door of Nate's building begging to be let in! I must have looked like a homeless person to the poor guy who let me in. Fortunately I didn't run in to anyone I actually know from his office and only took a mild ribbing from Nate while I snatched the keys and fled in embarrassment (it probably helped that there was already someone in his office - he had to be nice to me!).

An hour and a half after we set out for our walk, we finally got back into the house. I know that I will be obsessively checking that garage door lock for weeks to come!