Memories at Heidi Place

We're spending our last few nights at 4402 Heidi Place so I wanted to take a minute to reflect on almost 8 happy years here. The house sold so quickly (36 hours) that we haven't had much time to stop and think about everything we'd miss. We've just been so busy packing and trying to keep the kids from getting stressed out. Sometimes I just feel like I'm packing up for no reason and we aren't really moving. But I know when the movers show up on Saturday it will really hit me.  

We put the contract on our first home a mere 4 months after we were married. Those of you who know us well, know that we don't like to dawdle or dwell - we like to move on to the next big thing. In this case, we got married in November, went on our honeymoon, came home and got a dog (Duke) the day after Thanksgiving, enjoyed Christmas as a married couple, decided to move to Richmond in February, started house-hunting, and put a contract on a new construction home in April. Unfortunately we didn't realize that it would take 16 months for the house to be built, due to local zoning delays. 

Here we are, after the foundation had been poured. 

Testing out the bathtub. 
Move-in day, August 2005.

Our first family photo in our new house. 

First snowfall!
After 3 years we needed to expand our storage space. Eric and Dad spent several weekends over the fall building our shed. This building could withstand hurricane, tornadoes and floods! 


When we first moved into the house we had 4 dump truck loads of top soil brought in. We literally spread every single bit of dirt in our yard. Eric painstakingly planted and grew every single blade of grass. Every shrub, flower and ornamental tree was chosen, planted, and pruned with care. We spent weekends pulling out vines and brush to create garden paths and a woodland oasis that we could enjoy all four seasons. 

Later, after Ainsley was born, we screened in the deck, and a year later added another deck for entertaining. For Ainsley's 2nd birthday we built a playhouse. 



We spent so much of our time in the yard that I think that will be the thing I miss the most. The hours, money, energy, sweat and tears that went into our outdoor landscaping and entertaining are simply too high to count.  But I'll miss the house itself too, just for the many memories over the past 8 years:  

I'll remember when Eric stepped through the floor in the attic (the ceiling of the guest bedroom) a day before our housewarming party. I laughed 4 years later when a repair man did the exact same thing. 

We finally got around to replacing the carpet in our master bedroom closet from where Duke tried to dig his way into the floor during a thunderstorm. And we were quickly able to replace the floor of our bathroom when our new dog, Dixie, tried to dig under the door on her first day home by herself. We purchased a dog crate that night. 

I'll smile when I think about our many winter parties, and some of the, ahem, various household casualties. 

I continue to roll my eyes when I think of how we refused, when already pressed for the cash in our home closing and upgrades, to spend an additional $50 for an ice maker in our refrigerator. We've lived the past 8 years making ice the 'old-fashioned way.'  I think one of the reasons I'm so excited about our new house is that I get a new refrigerator - with both ice AND water in the door! 

Eric loves telling the story of when I tried to replace the bathtub faucet by myself but had failed to properly turn off the water line. 

While in labor with Ainsley, I was up at 4:30 in the morning weeding my flower beds. 

This is the home where both of my babies spent their first year. We carried them through the front door and it provided a sanctuary - a safe and happy place to begin our family. 

This is the home where our beloved first child, Duke dog, suffered from cancer and left us far too early. But I still find reminders of him all over the house - the blond dog hair behind the couch, the scratches on the dining room table from when he grabbed a block of cheese during a party, the marks on the hardwood floor from when he would run down the stairs as fast as possible but couldn't quite stop himself in time. 

I'll miss our 'other' pets. Our birds, squirrels, rabbits and other critters who have occupied our little plot of land and provided us with endless entertainment (and sometimes frustration). We've documented 27 varieties of birds in our yard, and I enjoy watching the seasons change and long-lost feathered friends returning after their winter away. 

Both of my children learned to walk in this house. They both climbed the same stairs, played in the same cabinets, chewed on the same door stops, and ran into the same corners. 

We've enjoyed many sled rides and snowball fights over the years. And no one loved snowball fights as much as Duke. 

We've had such wonderful neighbors, and always knew someone was watching over our home when we were away. Everyday Ainsley asks if the neighbors can move with us.

The kids are young and will quickly forget, but I will always remember this, our first home, where we started our family. I know the next house will have just as many wonderful memories, but it will be our family's home. 4402 Heidi Place was where we built our marriage. This is the home where we poured the foundation for our future, and it will always have a special place in my heart.  

Andiamo!

Comments

  1. What a wonderful house this has been for you guys! So many fun memories. It's all so bittersweet!

    ReplyDelete

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