Friday, November 22, 2019

This Old House

Today is moving day!!! It's an exciting day and a bittersweet day - all at the same time. I have waited for this day to come for years! I'm so excited about our new home and can't wait to make it "ours."

But we will be a little bit sad to say goodbye to our house. So many landmark moments happened in this home. We'll take those memories with us, but we will miss this house. The photos I am sharing below are from the listing so it doesn't quite look like it did with our stuff - truthfully, it looks better because our realtor has amazing taste! We will be gradually upgrading our furniture and decor in the new house and hopefully it will look a bit more like this in the end - it's good to have inspiration!

The house we moved out of was built in 1915 and it was the first home in this area. It was an original farm house that was part of an area called "Lyndale Farm" - so it was surrounded by farmland, which is hard to imagine. This house has seen so much history in the last 104 years. But we sure made a lot of history and formed many memories in the last 6 years. I'll share some below.

I'll never forget trying to get up these front steps after my hip surgery in 2016. You can't tell in this picture, but the landing of the front stairs is very small and the storm door opens one way while the front door opens the other way - so it's kind of an awkward entrance. Poor Phil had to carry me into the house (it was too small/awkward of a space to try using my crtucches) while trying not to bump my hip against anything and in that moment I thought I was going to throw up from the anesthesia. Oof, that was quite the day. I moved in with Phil on a Friday and had hip surgery the following Monday so we really had a trial by fire experience of living together. But you know what? It was totally fine. A lot of people talk about how difficult it is to move in with someone but I have to say it wasn't all that hard for us! I think it helps that we are both tidy people and are super practical. There were some disagreements over which dishes to keep and whether I have too much kitchen stuff but all in all, it was pretty smooth.We were also both older (35) when we moved in together - so I think we had a good idea of what battles to pick and how to let things go.


In this living room, we got engaged! We also had many, many conversations on this couch before getting engaged. Deep conversations about faith, priorities, family (both of origin and the family we would build together), what marriage means to us, etc. I'll never forget the time Phil prepared a list of questions about my beliefs as a Catholic. I think he must have had 20+ questions on that list and many of them were very difficult to answer because no one has asked me why I believed what I believed before. There were times I wanted to consult the Catholic catechism for help! It wasn't an attack on my beliefs - he just truly wanted to better understand what I believed, especially since we planned to raise our children Catholic.

This is also the living room where I spent countless hours rocking our sweet baby. And pumping. Oh my gosh, so many hours were spent pumping! It's also where Paul had so many firsts like rolling over, crawling and walking for the first time.

I also nursed my broken heart on this couch while recovering from my miscarriage with mindless tv shows to distract me from the physical and emotional pain. Not all memories made in this house are good ones - but that's life.


I prepared so many meals for our family in this kitchen. I mastered canning for the first time on my own in this kitchen, with several calls to my mom, the canning pro! We prepared a post-Thanksgiving day meal for my family in this kitchen as well as Paul's post-Baptism celebration.


Many meals were shared at this dining room table, like the celebrations mentioned above and smaller dinner parties. This is also where my "girls gone mild" bachelor party took place. I think we had 18 people around the table (it has 2 leaves so is quite large!). That was one of the most fun nights I've had in this house - there was so much laughter and the most amazing Mexican food.


Lastly, the backyard. We hosted parties and small gatherings in this space. Many meals were grilled out here and morning coffees were enjoyed on that deck. I spent a lot of time in that cozy hammock that is on the left in this picture. We discovered Paul's intense dislike of grass in this backyard- which had yet to go away at the end of the summer. Maybe 2020 will be the year he excepts the texture of grass!


So much happened in this old house. We'll miss her, but I know we'll love our new house as much if not more. What will happen in the next house? I have my hopes and dreams, like bringing a 2nd child home, sending our kids off to their first days of school, and celebrating milestone wedding anniversaries. Goodbye, old (1915) house, and hello to our new (1925) one!


11 comments:

  1. Best of luck today and this weekend, Lisa. I loved seeing your old home, the new and hearing the stories of how and why your old home was so special. They are (mostly) wonderful memories. I love how a house is a home, how it wraps its arms around you during good times and bad. Big smiles for you.

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  2. Yes, you will always hold many precious memories in that house, that no one can take away. It was hard to leave our house that we had lived in for 37 years where so many memories were made. I cherish them, and also the house where I grew up on the farm. Yes, a house is a home - love that statement! And a home is where you set down roots and grow together.
    So now you move on to make more memories in your new home and I'm so excited for you!
    Happy Moving Day!

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  3. Happy moving day!! I'm so excited for you guys to have finally found your new place!

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  4. Congratulations again and good luck in the new space!

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  5. I can so relate to this post, having moved from a house I loved last year. I NEVER, ever cry but I admit to shedding tears as I left that home! This house weathered hurricane Katrina, and coming home to it after a long and harrowing sojourn all over the state was incredibly emotional. Plus so many other memories formed there, as well (including getting engaged on the front porch). Luckily we moved on the same street, still manage the property, and are good friends with the landlady, so we don't feel like we left for good!
    I think your new house looks so classic and adorable, and I can't wait to see how it looks inside and furnished!

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  6. I love this ode to your first home with Phil! What sweet memories you made in that house - so many milestones. I can't wait to see what new memories and milestones you make in your new house. All the craziness is almost over! YAY!

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  7. Great post! You'll be making new memories in the new house! :)

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  8. Such a sweet ode to your house! Of course it's always bittersweet to leave somewhere behind that holds so many memories for you. But you'll have this post and photos of that house to look back on! So excited for all the amazing things to come for you guys in your new home!!

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  9. Your old house was very cute (I'd move into it in a heartbeat ;)) and you definitely made some great memories there.

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  10. This is such a lovely post and a beautiful goodbye to a really nice home.

    That new house - wow! It's gorgeous! Excellent curb appeal!

    I'm excited for you three as you make this new place feel like home, and as you make many new memories to treasure.

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