Today is a very bittersweet day for my dad, sister, and me. Today, we sold our home – a home I’ve known my entire 29 years of life. My mom and dad built our home in 1972 (same year they were married). They lived in this house until just recently when my mom became sick.
Lisa, Daddy, and I visited the house one last time on Sunday. As I walked through the house, I could literally see my life flashing before my eyes. I know it is very cliché to say my life flashed before my eyes, but it really did! Just the smell of the heat cutting on made me feel all cozy inside and caused my mind to flood with memories.
That house is where Mama and Daddy brought me and Lisa home from the hospital. It’s where I took my first steps, learned to ride a bike, and had my first kiss. It’s where we planned for Santa to visit (we got to sleep in Mama and Daddy’s bed each Christmas Eve) and the Easter Bunny left footprints and fuzzies (pieces of cotton) around the yard. First dates, breakups, proms, weddings, crazy friends…the memories go on forever.
My future husband told me he loved me for the first time standing in the kitchen.
That walk in closet…it may look like just an ordinary closet, but it also doubles as an elevator- when Lisa and I played Plaza Inn Hotel. =)
That balloon stuck on the wall…it’s been there since I was 10 years old. Daddy hung balloons and a banner to welcome us back from a dance competition and the balloon melted to the wall. We tried and tried to get it off, but it was just stuck!
That hallway…it was great for getting a running start on a good handstand.
The backyard….oh the memories!! From Andy (neighborhood friend) chasing us with lizards to the endless dance recitals Lisa and I would hold – and Daddy would secretly videotape. It’s where our precious, precious dogs are buried (Prissy, Buffy, and Squeaky). And, it’s where we received the news that would turn our world upside down…"I’m a diabetic….And, I also have Cancer.” Mama told us this while sitting on the back porch swing.
My last good memories of my mother are also in that backyard. After she found out she was sick, she would spend hours on the swing outside. She loved that backyard. It has lots of trees – she loved her trees. The sun would shine so pretty through those trees. We would just sit on the swing and look at those trees and talk about life – what was to come and what had been. We would cry, laugh, pray, and cry some more. Very, very bittersweet moments spent on that swing.
One thing is for sure, Christy Drive in Pearl, MS will always have a piece of my heart. I hope its new owners create as many good memories in that house as we did.
View from our back porch - Mama's fav spot!
Daddy walking across to talk to our wonderful neighbors...something he did ALL the time. We had such great neighbors. We'll miss them so much!
Walk-In Closet (AKA - Elevator)
My old bedroom mirror...note the Hello Kitty stickers.
We found a snake wrapped up in those blinds one afternoon. Mama thought it was fake until she got a closer look. She was sooo freaked out by it! One of many crazy memories.
