Sweet Moments

If you haven't already picked this up from my blog, I am a very sentimental person. My walls are covered in keepsakes and I have several "memory boxes" full of artwork, papers, and meaningful letters from people in my life. As we approach the closing of our old house on Friday (Praise the Lord!) I actually am kind of sad. I'm incredibly thankful that we sold the house but the door is officially closing on that part of my life. I grew up in that house. We had many wonderful times there, and some of my most important "God moments" took place in my bedroom in that house. So I wanted for our family to go over there and walk through the house room by room, remembering all of our most vivid memories and I would write them down and put them into a scrapbook with pictures of the rooms. My brothers thought it was so dumb but thankfully my parents made them go and even though they'll never admit it, I think they enjoyed it. So we jumped on the trampoline together, climbed up in the fort, crawled back to the secret hideout beneath the stairs, and compared our hands to the handprints we made in our concrete slab 9 years ago- all of these we did for the last time. We'll never do those things at that house again. But I was glad we got go back and do it and jot down our memories before time takes them away. It was also good to end on a high note. There were many reasons that we sold the house but whenever I walk in, I feel this oppressive weight. I suppose it's from the long year it's been carrying two mortgages, and the regrets we feel from buying that house in the first place. I feel sick when I consider all the money that we poured into that house. YET- we have learned SO MANY lessons this year and have come out stronger because of it. Anyway, here's a few pictures from tonight.

Praise the Lord!! We close on Friday!!

Less than 48 hours and this house will no longer be our burden!

The Last Time on the Trampoline. :(

In the Secret Hideout

Corinne and I spent lots of time in that closet painting, hammering, and decorating that hideout! We formed a "club" and even attempted to write a book in there when we were in 6th grade!

Placing our hands in the tiny handprints from 9 years ago was funny. I still remember not wanting to stick my hand in that "gross concrete!"