Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Winding Down

The countdown is on, and it is ticking away faster than I thought it would. We are now only five days away from move day. I am almost done packing. The entire upstairs is done, with the exception of the last few office items that we are still using, and the few things that will go on the road trip with us. Tomorrow I will finish downstairs. All that's left down there is to take the pictures off the wall in the living room, and to box up the pots and pans, cooking utensils, and one set of dishes in the kitchen. We're down to bare bones in the fridge. There is still some milk and cheese, and some condiments. Oh, and a few veggies. In the freezer are the frozen meals that we'll eat for the next few days, and a bag of chicken breasts that I'll give to a friend on Saturday.

Today as I was packing, I spent some time remembering some of my favorite things that have happened in this house. This is the first home we have ever owned, so that makes it extra special.

I remember arriving here on March 2, 2006. It was so thrilling to pull into the driveway, knowing that this home belonged to us and that we could decorate it however we wanted.

I remember being 7 months pregnant with Pepper, and oh so miserable. My hip joints loosened up so much that my hips would pop out of socket when I climbed stairs. Every time I stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up, it seemed like a mountain. For 2 months I had to crawl up the stairs on my knees, and come down sitting on my behind.

I remember the first severe thunderstorm I had ever experienced. Snapper was 3, and Pepper was still a bun in the oven. Matt was at work. I was sitting in the living room when the brightness went out of the room. I quickly went to look out the back window, and there was a wall of dark clouds rolling toward the house. Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind slammed the house, and the downpour began. I sat by the window in complete fascination as for an hour, lightning flashed almost constantly, and the roar of the thunder never really stopped. I love those amazing storms.

I remember bringing Pepper home from the hospital, and putting him in his crib in his Noah's Ark room. That nursery was so cute, a quiet haven for me to enjoy with my baby.

I remember Snapper's first slumber party in our home with her best friends V and S. All three of them cuddled together in Snapper's bed. They were 4, 5, and 6 years old.

I remember our first snowfall here. Hot cocoa and popcorn while waiting for the snow to accumulate, followed by sledding and a snowball fight with the neighbor kids.

There are so many great memories in this house. Popsicles on the front porch. Fireflies at midnight. Bunko nights with my girlfriends. Gatherings of friends for community group. Hours upon hours of scrapbooking. A year of homeschooling. Backyard swings. The sprinkler under the trampoline. Visits from family and friends. Severe thunderstorms. Hiding in the closet under the stairs listening to the tornado sirens, hoping the tornado wasn't going to hit us. Waffles and scrambled eggs. Birthday parties. Bike riding in the cul-de-sac. At least 50 watermelons! Family movie nights. Watching my kids growing up. Growing closer to my husband. Deepening my relationship with my God. These years have been sweet. How thankful I am that God brought us to Little Rock. Wow, am I ever going to miss it!

5 comments:

About Southern Belle said...

What priceless memories of your first home and many more to come with your new one. Blessings!

Unknown said...

oh my... that makes me want to cry. I can only imagine how you're feeling... I can't wait to hear about the new memories in the new town!!!

Stef said...

okay, this gave me a good cry. I love blogs for this very reason.

I can't believe you'll be moving in 5 days! I was thinking the other day, the cool thing about you living in Orlando is, when we make a trip there (notice I said WHEN and not if?!) we have people we know that we can stay with!! :)

We've been making a list of places we want to travel to and Florida is on our list!

Lori said...

I'm listening to thunder as I read this! Such sweet memories of your home - a life well lived!

momto5minnies said...

Little Rock has been an amazing memory maker for our family too. Coming here was never our plan, but GOD made it worth our while ;)