Five for Friday - Sometimes You Want to Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name

There is just something about going to a place where people recognize you. I think it makes the world feel smaller, or maybe an area feel more like home. I love when someone sees our little family and his face lights up with recognition and joy. Here are the places that happens most often...

1. BJ's Resturant. BJ's has actually become a joke, because everyone who has visited us has eaten at least one meal there. The wait staff come by and say "hi" to us even when we are not seated in their section. I no longer have to request a booth because the hostess already knows that is what our family prefers. When AC and I came in alone last Sunday, the waitress asked if Matthew was out of town and then said that the mozzarella sticks would be out shortly (before I had even ordered them).

2. Create It! This little pottery painting shop is a bit of an oasis during the HOT summer months, but we also drop by throughout the year when we are looking for a relaxing, peaceful activity. Ms. Nikki always greets us with a smile and asks Anna Cate if she is still planning on owning a store of her own once she is grown.

3. Target. We spend a lot of time in Target, but still, it is a big store and this is a big area, so I didn't expect for the employees to get to know us. But, one day when Anna Cate was at school, the cashier asked about her absence. It was funny to think that we had made that much of an impression.

4. Anasazi Animal Clinic. This one may not seem that unusual, but we have honestly only been in the office maybe seven times since Abby came to live with us two years ago. But, I have to be honest, it's not Anna Cate, Matthew or I that they remember. They remember Abby and they love her. The lady actually thanked me for "letting" Abby stay with them while we were away. It was like she was staying over at a friend's home or something.

5. Bath and Body Works. It was actually at this store that I started to notice people were remembering us. I walked in like normal, was offered a shopping bag and then the lady looked at Anna Cate and asked her if she was "a puppy or a little girl today".

So, maybe we are creatures of habit and visit the same places too often, or maybe we are a little strange and people notice it, or maybe, just maybe, Arizona is becoming a little more closer to home for us.