Saying goodbye to cherished neighbors

Even though we've only lived in this home for less than 2 years, that was plenty of time to become close friends with some of the greatest neighbors around.  The Schouten family lives right next door, and we happen to each have 3 children that line up perfectly by age, not to mention hobbies and interests!  Moritz and Gavin are energetic kids who enjoy any and all sports; Charlotte and Cassidy enjoy arts, crafts and drawing; Tyler and Jort enjoy cars, trains, and riding their skoot bikes up and down the street.  When we moved in and found them nextdoor, especially after moving from a neighborhood where most people kept to themselves or didn't have kids our age - it made the move feel so "right."  I'm not sure they know how thankful I was to have them there, on those days the kids might have been missing their old familiar bedroom or backyard - the Schouten kids would pop over, and any sadness would be forgotten!  I'd go so far as to say that it felt that we were placed in each other's paths for a reason - to make this move transition easier for our family, and to make their remaining time in Wilmette fun as well.  The Schoutens are Dutch, and they moved to Wilmette from the Netherlands for a temporary 3-year stint for Rob's job.  We met them about a year and a half into that, and we had the most fun together for those next 18 months!  We knew from the start it was not permanent; we talked often about how we'd have to plan a trip to Amsterdam someday to catch up again, and we always told them our door was open if they ever wanted to return to Chicago and revisit favorite places.  Well, the time came this month for them to return home to The Netherlands, so we had to say goodbye to our cherished friends.  I will miss the daily doorbell rings (Jort got so comfy he'd just ring and come on in, sometimes getting down the basement to look for Tyler before I'd found him to say hello) and I'll miss seeing Gavin and Moritz play baseball and basketball for hours on end across the backyards.  I'll also miss the daily chats with Karin and Rob in the yard as the kids played, or as they walked Stella, their golden lab.  Their house is dark now and up for sale, but we know someday soon it will be filled again with (hopefully!) new friendly faces.  Wishing you all the best, Schouten Family!  You will be missed!