While I do not believe in guardian angels-for the most part-I do believe in Deborah.  Look at her.  Deborah owned the beloved brownstone we lived in for years in New York, she knew I was pregnant before I did, and she audio signed her voice mail messages- “Bye Kids, Love Deborah.”  She passed away when I was six months pregnant, so sometimes I like to think she watches over us.

When we arrived in St. Louis to join my husband on the road, we were convinced Deborah made special arrangements to welcome us to this new phase of our lives.  We thought we were staying in a two bedroom apartment,     but it was a two bedroom house-an actual three story Painted Lady built in 1880.  We thought there had been a mistake.

When we were in San Francisco we stalked the famous photo-op of the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square.  According to wikipedia, the term Painted Ladies refers to a swath of Victorian and Edwardian homes in the United States Their features are highlighted by three or more different colors of exterior paint.  The most famous examples are the ones in San Francisco and the ones in St. Louis in Lafayette Square.  Well, dear Reader, we are in Lafayette Square as I live and breathe.  It couldn’t be a better welcome to the tour.

Why do we think Deborah’s behind it?  We lived in the parlor and master bedroom floor through of her brownstone.  It was also built in the 1880s-the architecture’s exactly the same.  We were reminded of her and our time spent there the minute we walked in.  More so than that, it’s furnished with several of the same pieces of furniture we had at Deborah’s, right down to the exact same color and type of curtains.  It’s so similar, I wake up in the middle of the night and think I’m back in New York again.