To the little house that made us...

Six months ago we moved into a "new" home. It has been a wonderful change for our family, one that we are so glad we made. Last week we drove through our old neighborhood, reminiscing about our favorite rooms and the precious memories we have of our old house. We drove by the house slowly, admiring the work that the new owners had begun... a small rose garden off the back patio, a new decorative wall in the back yard...we craned our necks to take it all in. Then we looped back around the block and drove past again.

Today I found a post tucked in my archives that I had forgotten I had written, and it made me smile...

Written February 2013...

To the little house that made us,

Within your four walls so much life was made. From the night we arrived on your doorstep as newlyweds, to the day we crossed the threshold with a new baby in our arms, you have provided the perfect place for memories to be made. We have sanded, spackled, and painted you, driven nails into you and shingled you...we have removed some things and added other things to you... we have fixed you when you have broken, and polished you as we went.

You have been privy to laughter over dinners with friends and newborn cries in the middle of the night...to twinkle lights filling your corners in the winter, and sunshine filling your walls in the summer. Little fingers and toes have rolled, crawled, and walked all over you, while four paws followed close behind.

We purchased you as two individuals with a big dream of a life together, and are leaving you with more memories, smiles, and happiness than we ever could have imagined when we first held your keys. We opened the door that first day as a boy and girl with a new diamond ring and a few paintbrushes, and are closing the door behind us in a few short weeks as a husband and wife with a sweet boy, his furry best friend, and a new bun in the oven...

So here's to you little house, thank you for the warmth your walls provided. Although we will miss you, we are taking the very best with us to the next home we will share...

May your rooms continue to be filled with joy and love and laughter in the coming months, as a new family makes you theirs.