These are the people in your neighborhood

It occurs to me (though not for the first time) that I may have watched too much Sesame Street as a kid.

Of the many things I love about The Loop, my favorite has got to be the people - meeting Loop Members, hearing the stories about who they are and what they do, and sharing bits of those stories with you.

It makes my heart so happy, I find myself singing the song of the Street.

Today, we're wishing a "Happy Anniversary" to four such members and celebrating by doing some of that very sharing. Here's what stands out when I think of each of them (pictured above, left to right):

• Paula Meeker Photography: This one's a personal pleasure because I've known Paula since 2006 when we bought a house down the road and our kids were in school (and soccer and boy scouts...) together. She was passionate about pictures when I met her and it's been a joy to watch her take that passion and turn it into her profession!
• Scott Fano, Cutler Real Estate: Scott became a sponsor of the farmers market during its last few years and his "why not?" attitude had a huge impact on what we were able to do! I've not done any househunting since I met him but it's easy to see how that vision for possibilities and eagerness to act on them would serve him (and his clients!) well.
• Ascend Health Center: It's been just a few years since Nick Angelis opened his Copley doors under the umbrella of a larger company but just a few months ago, he made the bold decision to become independent in order to be better connected to the community. Not only is that a decision I can totally get behind, but his care for helping people with chronic pain and depression shines through every conversation.
• SHE Did It Videography: Jenny Young and I quickly bonded over a love of local thanks to coffee and Instagram and my life has been all the better for it. She's another kindred "can do!" spirit who frequently makes me smile, occasionally makes me think, and almost always makes me wonder if we have the same amount of hours in a day!

I'm grateful I'm able to share their stories with you. If only I could sing them...