You were are first. And we knew upon claiming you as that, you would not be our last. At times, sour, but mostly sweet, you... became more than a framed structure of a house. You... became our home. Your sour disposition only showed itself on occasion. Though we knew you had your flaws, we found ways to make due, or make you over. You earned some new accessories in the way of light fixtures, a delightfully grassy new lawn, updated tile in the shower, and plenty of paint in nearly every room of the home.
The sweet has always outweighed the sour, however. Nothing can replace the fact that this "huge-to-us" home was all ours, as a newly married couple. We had plenty of space when it came to being just the two of us. Then, there was something special and wonderful about welcoming our first born into this home. With a few strokes of paint, the once temporary guest/storage room became a light shade of pink and smelled of sweet, new baby girl. Our home became quite comfortable for the three of us. We snugly, yet contentedly sat around our table in the tiny dining area. Everything felt so right.
Before we knew it, we had to sell our bookcases and desk that filled the second room, serving us as our office. Boy, we were going to miss the convenience of a place to file things away, but nothing made us happier than to fill that space with the joy of a new baby boy on the way. Suddenly, it seemed as though it was a room for a baby all along. The upper level of our home became strictly 'sleeping quarters' and we were beginning to feel a bit cozy here, the four of us.
Sometimes, surprises come in the form of making decisions you didn't think you'd have to make for a while. Such as, "how are we going to fit three car seats in the back of my Accord?" Or, "where exactly are we going to have the nursery for our new baby?" And those were just some of the thoughts that surrounded us as we learned of our latest pregnancy last June. Then, we remembered to breathe. Hey, it takes 9 months for those babies to grow. We have plenty of time to figure things out. ;)
And sometimes, 9 months passes so quickly. Oh yes. And with a collection of past conversations about when the right time is to make our big move, we do it. We list you, our beloved first home. With sweat and tears we prepare and plan to let strangers browse through our home deciding if they care for it in the way that we did. The agony of leaving the home with two small kids and a newborn, and the prep work of dusting, vacuuming, wiping, washing, spraying, and fluffing every last fiber of this sweet home, often times met with zero interest from prospective buyers.
A part of us wondered if we could just build higher. I mean, would it really be that hard to add on another level? We do love this area we live in...
Finally, [and in reality] with very little time to wait, someone sees you and they want you. We feel relieved, yet strangely sad. We know we have to give you up if we want the room to grow and move on, but no one said it would be quite so hard to say goodbye.
You, dear home, served us in many ways. We came home to you after weary days at work. We kicked off our shoes after Sunday church and smelled the aroma of pot roast in the crock pot as we relaxed to watch some football together. We brought home three newborn babies to this home and they've come to know this place as "theirs" too. We've had two 'first birthdays' here with lots of frosting and wrapping paper strewn about. We invited friends over on many occasions to share life together. Ken has willingly spilled drink upon drink on your carpet, and I, have cleaned and sopped up the spilt liquid time and time again. We've made fires in the fireplace for cold and cozy nights in the Winter. We've rolled in the grass with the kids in Springtime and Summer. We've dreamt of our future during late night talks in the bedroom. We've all piled around the single sink in the bathroom to brush our teeth and maybe fold a load of laundry at the same time. We've loved, we've laughed, we've cried, we've savored. And now, it's time to let go. You've been so good to us, dear, sweet home. And we'll never forget that. Your quirky ways and smaller home charm won't be forgotten.
Thankfully, we know we can and will create new, exciting, wonderful memories in the new house; that is sure to become 'home'.
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