Top 5 House Memories

Packing up this house has been harder than I thought it would be. Of course, it's hard because I stink at packing and I never know what to do with big bulky items that won't fit in a box. But mostly it's hard because I can hardly believe that we are actually leaving. I am taking our home apart. We can never walk through the door and find things the way they used to be. For some reason when I think of things like that I feel so sad. I'm always excited to move until I start packing and that's when I start feeling lost in the world. Still, I'm very excited to move to Michigan. I'll be fine once we are settled there. I guess it is just the unknown that is a little unnerving.

So with all the nostalgia that is consuming me as I pack up my home, I decided to do a little blogger therapy and document some of my favorite memories of this house. Sappy, maybe. I'll try to resist breaking out in lyrics from 'The Way We Were'. Clearly, we have a LOT of memories in the house but I tried to focus on memories actually involving the house somehow. I've left out anything involving injuries because I don't want to remember those. I also left out anything that would prevent us from getting our deposit back. In no particular order...

#1 Bringing Luke home from the hospital.

We had just moved in a few weeks before Luke was born. Everything was so bare-looking. No pictures on the wall and hardly any furniture. It's a great analogy for how we felt as new parents. Just the basics, no frills, a little bare-boned in the experience department. I remember sitting down on the sofa appropriated from my in-laws house, laying that little baby on my lap, and wondering if I would ever be able to take my eyes off him for a second.



Clearly Andrew had no problem taking his eyes off the baby.

I took out my camera and took some pictures (obviously). I was certain that I would never get tired of staring at him or holding him. I just couldn't believe that he was mine. I also couldn't believe that when the time would come to move out of this house, that he would be almost 4 years old (except, at the time, I thought we would move when he was almost 3 years old). But thinking of him walking up those stairs all by himself one day made me so happy and excited for some reason.

This was the house where I became a mother. That is a post in and of itself. But I will leave it at that for now.

#2 Boards

When Andrew was finishing up his second year of med school, he had to take the 'step one' board exams that pretty much would determine the rest of his life in medicine. Board scores are so important if you want to match into something competitive. You can read more about that whole experience here. It was stressful and required months of intense studying. To help Andrew think positively (we needed all the subliminal help we could get) we printed off about 30 sheets of paper that had, what we considered, a good score to aim for.  They were posted all over our house: on every door, the walls, the refrigerator, mirrors, etc.

I think it helped. But it's not kosher to divulge board scores.

Afterwards, we took them all down, except for this one above our bedroom door. I like to leave it up, I'm not entirely sure why, but maybe because it reminds me of that time in our lives and the lessons we learned. It reminds me that when we are completely vulnerable, stressed-out, and feel like everything is on the line, etc, that those moments are only temporary. Then, before you know it, it's all over and everything is fine. More often than not, things work out (especially when you study for 300+ hours).

One time, I explained to my friend what this sign was for and she said, "Oh, I always thought that was just Andrew's goal weight." Nope.

#3 Grey Walls

Too bad I already primed over this little paint test strip because the story would be better if I could have a comparison shot. I have a fascination for grey walls. I don't know why but I am very drawn to them. I painted the wall going up our staircase grey and had big plans for things to hang on it, etc (which, by the way,  never happened). Anyway, months after painting the staircase wall, I decided that our bedroom needed to be painted. I am constantly changing this place. Especially in the winter when I'm stir crazy. It is not always a change for the better, I'll admit. I thought maybe a bright color like turquoise or yellow would be fun...I was open to crazy possibilities. I went to the paint store and after deliberating for a long time I picked up a tester, went home, and threw the color on the wall. IT WAS THE EXACT SAME COLOR AS THE STAIRCASE. I could hardly believe it. I swear the color did not look grey at the paint store. How did I manage to pick the exact same color? I guess this story isn't terribly interesting, except that Andrew teased me about it forever. That little paint splotch remained on our wall for about three years until I primed over it a few weeks ago. Whenever Andrew saw it he would say, "so when are you going to paint the walls that new and exciting color?".

#4  The Blinds

This is another memory that is probably interesting to no one else but us. When Andrew and I think of this house, I'm sure we will always remember how annoying it was that 11 out of 24 blinds broke off from our back door. Do we open our blinds more vigorously than most people? Do we fail to turn the knob adjuster completely? Are our children little monsters that swing from the blinds for a good time? (the answer to that last question is 'no' in case you were wondering). For whatever reason, every time I touch these things another blind seems to fall down. We are painfully aware of this as we eat dinner and hold our heads in really awkward positions to try and keep the sun out of our eyes. Rarely does a sunny dinnertime pass without some kind of murmuring about them. These blinds will never be in my life again...no matter how poor I am.

#5 Laps in the Evening

By the time 5:30 rolls around, my boys need to get out and run. Even if we've had a day packed with adventure and fun, they still need to be outside in the evening and burn off some energy before bed. I can't tell you how many times I have stood and watched this scene. Luke running away from me, down to the end of the street and around the corner. He never stops. Actually, he is getting better at stopping sometimes and coming back when I yell his name. But at least 1/3 of the time he just keeps going and does a lap around the building. The other neighborhood kids come out too and some follow him. I'm sure this makes their parents so happy. But even though it drives me bonkers sometimes, I have to admit, watching the kids run and play at dusk while I chat with my neighbors will be the thing I miss most about this place.  Our conversations are always interrupted by shouts of, "Stop! Come Back!" or "I'm going to count to 3 and then you're going to time-out!". But there is no better way to finish off the day than listening to the kids laugh to their hearts content. And I've chalked up some good therapy sessions with my neighbors after days when I was ready to pull my hair out. This probably isn't the best location for kids to play (notice the semi-busy streets all around) but there are times when it has seemed almost idyllic.

I'm limiting myself to 5. There are more. But empty boxes await.