My Little House to My Big House
Memories to be Made
It was hard for me to make the decision to move. Our 1,350 square foot home was on a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood that I loved. We had a walking trail to the elementary school and neighbors who became some of our best friends.
We had outgrown our home though, with a family of four including two children plus a tabby cat and a lab puppy.
Our home was cozy and warm. I didn’t need much more, except maybe a playroom and an extra bedroom for guests. Ok, and another bathroom. I wanted space where I could host parties and my childrens’ friends could come over to play.
My husband and I decided to have a 2,650 sq. ft. house built 20 minutes down the road. Not a huge house, but big enough for us. It was a long-awaited dream after living in an apartment and then a small townhome with a baby. It was everything we wanted and worked hard for. I would have a library/office and my husband would have more space (plus an ugly La-Z-Boy for the living room).
At the time, I had a position working for someone who paid me well but was unhappy and angry. That unhappiness bled into other people very easily and made for a hostile environment. I stayed as long as I could, almost two years, and saved a good portion of my salary to help with the down payment of our new house.
It was a sweet accomplishment for both my hard-working husband and me when we closed on our new home.
Some of the best memories that I have in our first home (that we owned) are bringing home my newborn baby- my second and also last baby, watching my children dancing with the neighbors across the street to “Turn Down for What”, and watching my oldest son grow from a preschooler into a boy.
Here are some notes that I took of things my then 3.5-year-old son said in our first year on that little street.
· “Ethan, I love you and I’ll love you forever. Do you know that?” to his 5-month-old brother.
· “I really like how life looks!” after telling me about the movie his Grandma, Grandpa, and aunt took him to see in the theater.
· “Mommy that butterfly is so beautiful and so are these flowers.” On a walk with me and his baby brother in the neighborhood.
· “I’m so proud of our new house!” while spinning around in circles in the dining room on move-in day the week he turned three.
On move-out day, after living in that cherished house for five years I had mixed emotions. I don’t like change and coincidentally, our neighbors across the street were having their son’s birthday party that day. It was a strange day to leave them.
My husband and I worked in silence that last day. He vacuumed, and I folded the last load of laundry left unintentionally in the dryer. I drank Prosecco from the opened bottle that was still in the fridge and I never wanted to leave.
I wanted to stop time.
I wanted to stop life from flying by and my boys growing into men.
Now, after being in this new home for six months, things are different. Things are good. I am sober, I am doing what I want, and I am content. I am my own boss. My children are thriving. Friends are new but it is a rebirth, a bright beginning.
It’s the start of more sweet memories to be made and for that, I am thankful and happy. For that, I am glad that I couldn’t freeze time in that empty house on move-out day. I’m excited to see what the future holds in this new “big house” of ours.
Thank you for reading! More of my work can be found here.
-Alexandra Duncan, December 2021.