Yesterday we held the first of what hopefully become many block parties on Spring Court. Jennifer and I have talked about doing one for a long time. So she, Amber and Lacey (neighbors) decided to jump into action.

Anna and I made up some flyers and went door to door inviting people. We ordered a blow-up water slide and broke out the cornhole boards. Other neighbors volunteered to bring tents, chairs, and food to share.

I picked up 3 Boston butts to put on the smoker. Usually, my goal is to put them in the smoke for at least 13-14 hours. But, since we were planning to eat around 4:30 – 5 pm that meant I would need to get an early start. So I set my alarm for 2 am. Got the fire lit and had the meat on by 3 am. From there all that was left to do was wake up every hour and a half or so to make sure the temperature was a steady 225 degrees.

The meat turned out well. I also cooked up a bottle of mustard and sweet sauce. I started with a recipe from a friend of mine and have slowly tweeted it this year. I think I have the mustard sauce right where I want it. The sweet sauce is good, but not fully dialed in yet. Just means more testing is needed. ?

We had such a great time! I think everyone else did as well. More than just being enjoyable, I think it is also important to build relationships with the people who live around you. These are the people who we see every day. They are an extra set of eyes while your kids are outside. My kids will grow up in their homes.

It also provides you with an opportunity to help meet real needs. I am convinced that most of a community’s problems could be solved (or at least greatly reduced) if people would commit to simply being good neighbors.  Hopefully, this is a step in that direction. We already have good relationships with the people who live near us. But this was a great opportunity to meet people who live a few more houses down.