So, there’s a “SOLD” sign in front of my childhood house now.
My family has been trying to sell that house for years now. It’s been on and off the market several times. And this time, it took. Someone else is buying our house. It’s a weird feeling and I didn’t exactly know that it would cause me to think about it so much.
There were so many memories made in that house. Now, someone else’s, some other family’s memories are going to be made in that house.
So, I must say a proper goodbye to this wonderful house of mine – even though I’m not in Colorado to bid it farewell in person.
Let’s reminisce (in no particular order).
I very vaguely remember when my dad lived in that house with us.
I used to get scared and sleep on the stairs leading up to their bedroom. Sometimes I’d sleep there the whole night and my mom or dad would practically trip on me the next morning.
I remember when my mom brought us into the house one night – she was all excited for some reason. My brother and I were standing in the dining room and all of a sudden, these two little tiny kittens game bounding out of the hall bathroom to greet us. Of course, I took the fluffy one and my brother took the short haired one. They were Tugger and Misty (or Bitchy, or Sassy – she has attitude). I miss them.
I remember opening presents in the family room during Hannukah. All the presents would be lined up by the fireplace and my brother and I eventually caught on to my mom wrapping our presents in slightly different paper so she could remember which gift went to which child.
I painted my bedroom yellow and periwinkle. My two favorite colors at the time.
I remember sneaking out my bedroom window (and getting caught). Well, I was only caught once. I used to sneak out, climb the back fence, and just look at the stars on the greenbelt (sorry, mom, if you didn’t know that).
I remember having to sleep with the closet doors completely shut because I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of them.
Speaking of my closet, oh how I loved those full-length mirrored doors. My girlfriends and I did many a fashion show in front of those mirrors.
I remember the sweltering summer heat that radiated throughout the house and how absolutely miserable it was to even attempt to sleep at night.
I remember spending hours and hours at the clubhouse pool. I’d take all my friends and we’d just lie out under the sun. I’d swim laps in the pool and we’d just have a blast.
I remember coming home after the pool and taking (bathing suit clad) showers with all my friends to “wash off the chlorine.” Ali, especially. Man did we take some showers together. My mom would always make fun of us.
I remember getting caught with one of my first boyfriends kissing on my bed with the door closed. My mom wasn’t even mad about the kissing – she just wanted my bedroom door open.
Whoa, I just remembered the sandbox we used to have on the deck. Wow, I must’ve been little.
I remember being forced to pick weeds in the garden in the backyard. It was 90 percent deck 10 percent yard, but man that yard had some weeds.
Once we took the silver and red (yes, I even remember the colors) swing set down and put in alongside the house in the rocks, I remember always going back there and playing on it still – walking on the poles, pretending it was a fort.
I remember my stepdad asking my permission to marry my mom outside the pool one night. He asked me if he could see my earring (I was wearing little hoops) and he put it on my mom’s finger and said, “How do you think a ring would look on there?” And I jumped for joy.
I remember my stepdad packing up all his things and leaving that house.
I remember Mike from across the street. We always used to walk home together. We’d lie on his lawn and try to make shapes and figures out of the wispy clouds.
I remember babysitting for the Bocher’s, playing with Kelsey and Kara all the time. I loved those little girls.
I remember Sharon and her son Kyle would always watch my brother and me after school to make sure we didn’t get into trouble.
I remember walking to the park, along the greenbelt to go play on the playground. I walked with boyfriends and friends down that path to go for walks at sunset.
I remember racing down to the park to be at soccer practice on time so I wouldn’t have to run laps around the field.
I remember walking to Safeway or Starbucks since they were in the same shopping center, right by my house.
I remember jumping the fence in the backyard so I could go play in the greenbelt. We’d roll down the hill at full speed and get caught in all the pussy willows at the bottom.
I tried to walk to Park Meadows Mall once from my house. I think I made it, I don’t remember. All I remember is that it was much farther than I had thought it was despite it being only a five minute car ride.
I spent many a summer days at that mall with Ali. I remember even having a birthday party there once – a scavenger hunt.
I remember Tyler, one of my first crushes, who lived next door. We used to have sleepovers in his bunk bed.
I remember when Tyler found a gun in the greenbelt behind our house.
I can still see the glow-in-the-dark stars that I insisted on putting up on my ceiling. I got them at summer camp and refused to take them down.
I remember all the fights I got in with my mom and brother when I would just lock myself in my room and turn up the music so loud I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts.
I remember my mom having to clear space in the garage for my car when it snowed.
I remember parking my car in the same place in front of the house. Then, when my brother got a car, we would fight for it.
I remember my mom getting crazy mad at the loud, rude neighbors for parking their gross, dirty cars in front of the house.
I remember the Homeowners Association having crazy rules about everything. Like, we couldn’t leave our trash out for the trash man to pick up the night before; we had to wake up super early in the morning to put it out.
I remember the Willow Creek Fourth of July bicycle parade and the barbeques and fireworks in our cul-de-sac.
I remember the screen door always locking me out. That damn door never worked right.
I remember running through the sprinklers and mom always making me turn the sprinklers off which, inevitably, meant that I was going to get wet regardless of how close I stayed to the house.
I remember my brother’s nearly fatal bicycle accident that happened right in our cul-de-sac.
I was sad when I left for college and I packed up my pretty little yellow and periwinkle room into boxes.
I was even sadder when my yellow and periwinkle bedroom turned into red and tan when my brother moved in.
I think I could go on reminiscing about this house for hours upon hours. It was my house. My home. Times are a-changing and it’s time for someone else to make memories in that home. It’s time for my mom to move out and start her new life in a new place. Time is moving on.
But memories last forever.
Anyone who’s reading this and has been to my mom’s house in Colorado, leave your favorite memory of your time spent at that house. I’m sure there are plenty I’ve forgotten!
I can totally relate. My family and I never lived in a place quite that long, but the one closest to it (the place my mom bought on her own while supporting three children as a single mother) was VERY hard to move out of when it sold/she married my stepdad. I still get a little sad when I drive by it when I’m back in my hometown. Memories are impossible to replace… It’s important to just keep making new ones. 🙂
I’ve never really had a family home like this, you’re so lucky with all the memories. My family is kind of a clan of gypsies, moving from Orange County to London and then I moved to LA…sometimes I wish I had this kind of stuff to look back on.
I hope you had a good weekend love!
My mom and I just sold our family home too. We moved there when I was six weeks old. So very many memories are rooted there. Man, do I know how you feel. Even when you’re not around, knowing your home will never again be YOURS is sad.
Moms move on and memories last forever. We DO need to move on so that others can make their memories in what was once our place. Memories upon memories…it’s what our world holds. No wonder you can feel the energy of a place.
Lo:
I cannot even begin to explain to you how this particular piece touched my life. As you know I am going through the exact same thing with my mom, she will be putting my childhood house up for sale as well and I have so many emotions about all if it that it really helped to read what you had written. I want to eventually be in the place wehre you are. I want to just remeber the memories and be able to let go of my home but like you said, it is my home! So through reading your post I have decided to make my own list of memories for my own home and maybe that will make this whole thing seem a little brighter and a little easier! But until I make my own list here are my list of memories from your house: a place where I spent a lot of my time, especially during summer.
1.) My very first memory of your house was when I came over for the very first time and we made shirts for spirt week (homecoming week) and I had so much fun and I thought this is a girl I could be friends with! 🙂
2.)Getting ready in your room, to go out to the club or over to our boyfriend’s to hang out.
3.) I too remember the hundreds of showers we took together after a pool day.
4.) I remember sassy, I loved that mean old cat, but for some reason she was always really nice to me.
5.) I remember dancing in front of your closet mirrors to any cheeseball song that came onto the radio or that we played in your huge stero.
6.) I remember locking your brother out of your room a hundred times (sorry Brandon)
7.) I remember parking outside of your house and never being able to get into that front door because of that dam screan door. 🙂
8.) I remember sitting on your bed and crying to you about boys and how I hated them so much but loved them at the same time.
9.) I remember the boards on your wall that used to have tons of pictures on them (mostly of summer camp)
10.) I remember the yellow and the blue of your room and how you were never able to keep your room clean enough for your mom.
11.) I remember your closet was never big enough for all of your purses
12.) We always watched sex and the city in your living room when we needed girl time.
13.) I remember how frustrated you were about the heat of your house in the summer…so we went to the pool 🙂
14.) I remember how close our houses were to one other and how we loved getting our license so we could drive back and forth.
I remember so many things about your house. I am sad to see it go but I am so happy to go through memories with you! 🙂 I love you so much and I am so gald we again are going to be able to go through this together!
XOXO,
Ali
Lauren – I’ve been so busy packing (will it ever end) that I havent had time to respond to your WONDERFUL post about the house. Thank you so much for writing a blog on this – I know it was hard for you to write and just as hard for me to read. It means so much to me that you put so many of my thoughts and memories into words that I havent had time to verbally express.
We had some wonderful times in this house – and some difficult ones too – but all are part of the memories we will take with us forever. I have to admit that some of yours I was not aware of! When did you have overnights with Tyler??? You and Ali showered together?? I also have to admit that moving has been harder than I thought it would be (and I am not just talking about the masses and masses of boxes all over the place).
This is where I raised you and your brother and now both of you are off pursuing your own lives. So many changes going on at once. I do know that this is my opportunity to do the same and have a fresh start and truly I’ve been so busy that I havent had a lot of time on my hands to reminisce.
Here a few of my memories worth a mention:
Not letting Brandon move into your Periwinkle and Butter Cream painted room for a year after you went to college because I just couldnt bring myself to think that you had moved out. Then spending monthes trying to paint that darn wall red that Brandon wanted (what a nightmare – 6 coats of paint)so that he could move in.
Spending so much time with you and Brandon at the pool in the summer -packing up tons of food and just hanging there for the day.
The look on your faces when the kitties came bouncing out of the bathroom. Sheer joy! The look on your faces when I asked you both to clean the litter box. It’s not my turn!
You getting ready for your all your parties, proms and dates – I loved watching you and your girlfriends all standing curling your hair, putting on makeup, modeling.
Waiting up for you to get home from your nights out – I just couldnt go to sleep until I knew you were home safe and sound. Just so you know, I did the same with Brandon :-).
The friends and boyfriends coming and going. I always wanted a house full of teenagers (dont ask me why).
The music BLARING! Thank goodness your brother toned it down.
The struggles to keep your room clean as you mentioned also.
Pulling weeds together – at least we had some bonding time.
When you got older, sharing a glass of wine and watching a chick flick in the family room together – crying at stupid, sappy moments together.
I could go on and on as well – but the next box is calling my name.
I love you Lauren and thanks for the memories!
That’s a lot of memories. You’d definitely miss that house. 🙁
But hey, we got to move on with our lives, right? Yeah, even that house needs to move on…