This is a bitter sweet post, and week. My parents have officially sold their home that they have lived in the last 12 years and will be moving out this Wednesday. Their home has a very special place in my heart because it is where I continued to grow up and become not only a teenager and then adult, but also a wife and a mother. Though I lived there for only 7 seven years of my life they were probably one of the most drastic and important years of my life. It is where I spent my years figuring out the teenager life, then to leave for two short years for my college days, and return home to raise my son, get married, and live two years until we could manage on our own.

That home had its moments, it was the house that broke my heart from leaving my true home. When at 15 years old we had to relocate after being raised in this same home and school my entire life. It was a house that was suppose to be a new beginning for our family and though it gave us many good years, it also had so many uneasy years. After four short years of my dad having a his fabulous promotion it was taken away and not long after he had to deal with health issues that left him on disability to this day. With my dad’s loss of his job the mortgage became more difficult to deal with and eventually drained them to the point that there was no option then to sell the new and beautiful home that they thought just a few short years ago was the future and high point to their life. Well just as that would have solved everything, their struggle to sell the house was unexplainable.  A beautiful home that they put multiple renovations into was just not selling. Fortunately for their faith in God it got them through this tough time and when all else seemed impossible God made it possible for them to still manage (with less wiggle room) but manage. God is good like that though. You never know why he puts things in our lives but when your faith can grow from it all you come out realizing maybe that’s all he was trying to make of the situation. It showed myself what true faith looks like and that no matter what the tough time seems like he always held them up and got them through it all.

The day finally came I believe four offers and five years later…the house has SOLD! An answer to pray and a jump for joy situation. This is what it all has been about…God’s timing and the right timing. My parents can now easily move into their new home within a months time and begin a new journey as they look towards retirement in the next few years and another house to be their home. Weirdly this will only be their home….I think it dawned on me the other day that they will not be moving into a home that I will be with them. Our family home, the one that I know had a bedroom left behind from me and a closet filled with boxes of memories and dresses hung there for years from each homecoming event, prom, and my wedding day. This will now be their own journey…like they have grown up or something. Though my home with my children and husband is my HOME, having that feeling of going to mom and dad’s that still feels like home will not be there anymore. It’s a lump in the throat feeling, but one that I am about to get use to. I am truly happy for my parents and ready to see them live life again now that this burden of paying a much larger mortgage than they could afford will be gone. They won’t have to worry about taking care of the landscaping any longer with their 55+ development that will be included, and they can hopefully have a fun filled lifestyle with the stress of selling a home behind them.

I did want to go down memory lane though of this home and I found a few photos from the time I lived there and wanted to share some of the great memories.

Here is my first homecoming in this house. It was a rough start at my school with girls that weren’t so welcoming and a fresh start at 15, but I can say this night was a ton of fun. I had friends at this point and had a blast. The girls that I had a great time with that night are still my friends to this day. Girls that though our lives have changed and we are all in different boats  at 27 are still the ones I can consider my best friends for life. I believe the “hit” song of the time and night was Hey-ya!

Some of my girls getting ready in my old room before another Homecoming. Miss these days!

These two beautiful animals, Samson and Bonita, were 2 of the 3 pets that had a home here. They brought tons of love in that home and heavy hearts when they left us.

This photo just made me remember the days of being just me at home with mom and dad. Those days went fast and some days I wish I could have just a chance to be alone awaiting Sunday dinner with them and sitting there with a conversation among the three of us. I seriously tell me kids everyday (especially my oldest) to enjoy being young it truly goes so fast…gosh it would be great to be 16 for a day!

And then there were Proms! I was always the one to organize everything, so somehow it ended up at my house. I think the moment I walked into this home when we came through it with the realtor I envisioned my Prom photos and then Wedding day photos taken here on the above staircase and am I a lucky girl that I got to have both. 

Graduation day came quickly here…but at 18 all you want in the world is to graduate and move out and have the days of college freedom! It was a perfect day back on 6/16/2006

This was a few nights before we all left for college. Some of my girls celebrating together with some “good girl” fun just some ice-cream cake and laughs.

Not long after going to college I brought this guy home ; ) Of course I did not have a photo of that so this is us a few years later.

A few yeas into us dating we celebrated our son Anthony coming into this world. My mom threw me a baby shower in our backyard with all my favorite girls while Dan went off for some military training.

See those letters on the wall? Yep…one of the first DIY projects. I loved making this little nursery for him and we were so blessed to have the extra room at my parents home while we got on our feet and I finished school.

This little guy just brought so much joy to us and though life was not always so easy back then…I think overall it was wonderful my parents got to be so close to him and really watch Anthony grow the first two years under their roof.

And of course my wedding day I got ready here at mom and dad’s house with all my brides maids and this beautiful baby of mine.

This home is ready for the next family, and my parents are ready for their new journey. Once again a bitter sweet feeling saying goodbye to another home. May not be as hard as “the house that built me”, but it still has it’s memories. I just wanted to share a piece of this with you all as we all know how important our homes are. I know I talk a lot about decorating here and DIYing and making my home pretty, but memories that come from a home are what will truly last forever. Goodbye Alexander Avenue you were special for us and though times got tough at the end God had a plan all along.