I step into my house for the very first time, taking in the new scent of my house. I take a step back outside, and admire the wonderful view of my new home. I turn around to see my neighbour planting flowers in her garden, and she gives me a friendly smile. I return it with a grin that is so big, it fills half my face. I can faintly hear the sound of rushing water, the Grand River, and I can see some golfers across the street ready to tee off. I gaze over the other way to see children laughing and playing. I'm excited to meet them and become their friends. I am glad to call this lovely neighbourhood home sweet home.
D is for Deer Ridge. Deer Ridge is the neighbourhood that I live in, along with many other happy families. I have loved this community the second I saw it. The Grand River flows through it, and there is Pioneer Tower, located in a park near my house. It's even close enough for me to bike there. It's nice because lots of kids live near me that I can play with, including many from SJK, like Emelie, Andy, and Lyndsey. I love living near them because if I need help on homework or something, we can work on it together. Or we can just hang out if we want to.
I love our park because it has a great view of the Grand River, and you can go even closer and fish there. But I'm not a fisher, so I rarely visit down there. In the park, there is also a playground and Pioneer Tower. Sometimes, even if the gate is open, you can climb up inside the tower, and see a pretty view of the neighbourhood. Although, I'm really scared to go there at night, because there is a small graveyard there that always creeps me out, even during the day. There's not even a gate or anything, just a skimpy chain surrounding it. Every summer, me and my dad bike there and have a picnic under the tower. It's lots of fun because there is a great view of the Grand River, and I get some time to bond with my dad. We usually bike around the rest of the neighbourhood as well. Sometimes, we even go all the way to the entrance, and that's a long way. It's great to have a park so near my house, and every summer, I look forward to visiting the park.
My neighbours are as nice as they can be to me and my family. It's great to have so many kind people you can trust living around you. A lot of SJK families live around there, too. I'm glad to see so many friendly faces smiling at me when I go outside. It's a great neighbourhood for my dog as well because there are a lot of families with dogs in the area, and it's nice to have a big neighbourhood for my dog to go on walks in. Although, I don't think she would need so much room. She gets tired very easily. But she loves going to the park to run around in the grass. I'm really glad we chose this community to live in, because I enjoy everything about it.
I step back inside my house, satisfied with our decision in moving here. I will sleep well tonight, because I know I will enjoy this neighbourhood for as long as I live here. I am looking forward to meet all these friendly people, and I'm excited to live here for the years to come.
LIFE LESSON: Your neighbourhood is your home. Be happy with where you live, wherever you are in the world.
