*I started this post almost a month ago, so now it seems a little silly to post, but this was obviously a huge chapter in our lives so I do want to document that.
As everyone in my life already knows, we moved last month. And with that obviously came lots of emotions.
We bought our house on Cliff a little over five years ago. It was the first house John and I bought together. We moved from a new construction townhouse that John bought while we were dating. He lived there for two years and I for just one. It was a cute little starter home: big bedrooms and bathrooms {typical of new construction} but virtually no living space or yard. And it was a little further out of town than we would have preferred. We decided to list it for sale by owner and we had exactly one person come see it, and thankfully that one person decided to buy it.
We didn't have a new house yet, so we moved into a small apartment with our two dogs and gazillion boxes. We decided not to really unpack much since it was just a temporary solution. We lived off frozen pizzas and take out, and entertained ourselves by watching our Friends and The Office DVD's and playing the Wii. {Oh, life before kids. Sometimes I miss it. :) } We were there for about 6 weeks.
When we went to look at what would become our new home, I just had that feeling and knew it was "the one." I can still vividly remember the feeling I had when we walked in. John was not so sure. We decided to go back and look at it a second time, only to find out it had just gone under contract. I was so upset, but we kept on house hunting. Then about a short time later, we found out it was back on the market, so we looked at it again that day and put in an offer that night. We closed on July 30, 2008 {exactly one year to the day before Curran was born!}.
We always said it was going to be our 5-7 year house. We didn't know when we would start having kids, but I knew I wanted us to be settled in the neighborhood where we would be when they started elementary school {whether it was that particular neighborhood or somewhere else}. Plus it only had 3 bedrooms, and we knew we wanted 3 kids, plus with our parents needing a place to stay when they came in town, we knew we would eventually need more space.
Fast forward about four years, and John started talking about wanting to move. We were expecting Sallie Cate and I just did NOT have it in me to start looking. Plus I loved the house, and had no desire to move. John was just looking at the market and realized that financially it would be a good time to buy. I told him that "maybe in a year" we can talk about. He wanted an exact date that I would be ready to list the house. Really?!? Men!
Anyway, so 2013 rolled around and John was still talking about wanting to sell the house. I said the only way we were moving is if we found a house we loved first. I was content to stay in our current house and did not want to uproot two kids and a dog and move into a tiny apartment yet again. It just wasn't worth it to me. So we started looking at houses mid-summer. We ended up finding one we liked and put in an offer, but that didn't work out. I was upset but thank GOD He had a better plan. About two weeks later we ended up going to see the house we are now living it. I just knew it was "the one", and again John was a little slower to come around. See a trend? But soon he realized what a great house it was and had even planned a few fun things for himself, like a putting green and a new basketball goal. :)
But just because we love the new house, it has not made leaving Cliff Place any easier. I get very sentimentally attached to things {not for their material value of course, but for the memories attached}, this house being no exception. This was the longest I have lived anywhere except for the house where I grew up. For 10 years, I moved every single year, starting in college and continuing until I was 27, almost 28. So this became the first "real" home of my adulthood. John and I put our personal touches on it, made it really ours. We celebrated our first anniversary in this house. We brought our first baby home from the hospital to this house. She took her first steps in the dining room and then perfected those tiny steps out on the front porch. She celebrated her first 4 birthdays in that house. She became a big sister in that house. She learned to ride her bike there. We tearfully said goodbye to our first pet in that house. We made wonderful Christmas at that house last year. Her baby sister celebrated her many milestones in that house too. We have cultivated relationships and hosted many friends on the front porch. We have celebrated several engagements and babies in that house. We made a million memories there, developed an amazing friendship with our neighbors, and grew closer as a couple and as a family in that house. It's been the only home our children have ever known. They have best friends across the street. We could walk to parks, shops, restaurants, and the grocery store. For us, it was perfect.
But just because we love the new house, it has not made leaving Cliff Place any easier. I get very sentimentally attached to things {not for their material value of course, but for the memories attached}, this house being no exception. This was the longest I have lived anywhere except for the house where I grew up. For 10 years, I moved every single year, starting in college and continuing until I was 27, almost 28. So this became the first "real" home of my adulthood. John and I put our personal touches on it, made it really ours. We celebrated our first anniversary in this house. We brought our first baby home from the hospital to this house. She took her first steps in the dining room and then perfected those tiny steps out on the front porch. She celebrated her first 4 birthdays in that house. She became a big sister in that house. She learned to ride her bike there. We tearfully said goodbye to our first pet in that house. We made wonderful Christmas at that house last year. Her baby sister celebrated her many milestones in that house too. We have cultivated relationships and hosted many friends on the front porch. We have celebrated several engagements and babies in that house. We made a million memories there, developed an amazing friendship with our neighbors, and grew closer as a couple and as a family in that house. It's been the only home our children have ever known. They have best friends across the street. We could walk to parks, shops, restaurants, and the grocery store. For us, it was perfect.
And it has been hard to leave. I still get a pit in my stomach when I think about it. I am so thankful for the memories that 412 Cliff Place gave us. That home will always hold a special place in our hearts, and for our time there, we will be forever grateful.
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