Memories, The Heart Of Our Home

Have you ever had something so monumental to tell that you had to wait, until you could get it just right?

Well, I have one of those things to tell. I hope I do it justice because to me, it is very monumental.

Rumors run rampant, sometimes, in our little town. Sometimes, they take on a life of their own. There are many, many things I love about Andrews, but the spreading of rumors is the one thing that I've always hated. So before the rumors start, I would like to tell the story.

If, perhaps, you have heard rumors that Cliff and I have sold our home and are moving from Andrews, then for once.....that rumor is true.

I have lived in Andrews for 49 years and Cliff has lived there his whole life. We've gone to school there, worked there, married there, had children there. We've raised our family there and our grandchildren were born there. Our mothers and most of my siblings still live there. And through the years, we have made so many memories there. We still love Andrews. It will always be home. But, there comes a time when you get to a crossroads and have to make a decision whether to stay or to go. For Cliff and I, the decision was to go.

When Whitney and Jason moved to Denver and when Emily and the children moved to the upstate, the decision got real easy. We wanted to be closer to our grandchildren and when we found the lake house, I knew it would only be a matter of time.  We didn't know when, but we knew the move was coming.

Having said that, I was caught completely off guard when this sweet young lady texted me and said that she had heard it through the grapevine that Cliff and I might be interested in selling our home and asked if it were true. It was true to some extent, but we had not been thinking about it for some time and we definitely had not been trying to sell. But that day, just a couple of months or so ago, we began a conversation and it ended with us selling our house to this wonderful young couple. I couldn't be happier for them. I know they will be great caretakers of our house and will love it and enjoy it, just as we did. I know they will make many memories there, just as we did.

I'm not gonna lie......I get so emotionally attached to things!  Although the decision to sell was easy and even though I know it's time to move on and start this new chapter, I am having a hard time leaving. Every thing I pack and every box I stow, there is a memory. Every cabinet I empty and every corner I clean, there is a memory. I look at the rocking chair and see myself rocking our grandbabies to sleep. I look at the floors and see my grandchildren crawling on them. I look at my kitchen sink and see the times I stood there washing dishes and Cliff sneaking up behind me to scare the bejeebies out of me. I look at the stairs and remember sneaking up them to listen to Emily and her friends as they sat on her bed and had girl talk. I remember when Whitney's science project went bad and she threw up on the same stairs. I still see red paint on the telephone pole out back from where Emily backed her car into it, not long after getting her driver's license. I still see Whitney getting ready for prom and having her picture made with her granddaddy with his arms wrapped proudly around her. I still see every Christmas tree, every meal, every family event spent there. I still see Whitney and her friend, Sarah, swinging in the hammock while eating watermelon. I still see Billy, the goat, as Emily caught him and held him by the horns to teach him a lesson in who or who not to head butt. I still see Lidia running to the barn, rope in hand, because she was going to lasso the horses. I still see Sawyer lying flat of his belly in the dirt watching ants crawl around. I still see Abbie, our lab, as she ran the perimeter of the property when we returned home as if to say....."It's safe, I've made it safe for you to live here." And safe it has been.....our sanctuary, our place of calm in troubled waters, our place of joy and laughter, our heart.....our home.

We will miss our home and Andrews so much! I can't even count the times I've broken down and cried over it. But, like I've said.....it's time to move on. I will take all the memories and love for this place with me. And I will come to love and make more memories down the road.

This is our last day as residents of Andrews. Today, we close this chapter and head on down that road. We have, for years now, been enjoying our little place at the beach and will continue to do so. And we have our place at the lake, as well. We will be living between the two, until........

Laurie