The Final Goodbye to Our Third Home

I’ve sat here staring at a blinking cursor and an empty page for longer than I’d like to admit, because I’m not quite sure where to even begin. I mean, how do you say goodbye to the home that took such good care of your family for 6 years?

Every other time we’ve moved prior to this, it has been because of a pretty pressing need. When we left our first house, we were in far more debt than we were comfortable with and wanted to use the proceeds to pay it off. It was a drastic decision that changed our lives in the best possible way. When we left our second home, it was because we had two young children and not nearly enough space. Plus, the plan had always been to only stay in that home for 2-3 years.

But this time, it’s a little different. We don’t need to go anywhere. Sure, we’re a tad cramped when Corey and I both try to work from home without an actual home office. And we wish we had a little more space to spread out in the backyard some days. But we love our home. And if we hadn’t been able to move, we could have happily stayed here for another 10 years or more.

But, as much as we love this home, we are ready for our next chapter. This move feels representative of a new phase of life for our family, and it’s one we’re embracing with open arms. We’re so excited for all that is to come (and to share our new house with you – in detail – later this week!), but first I want to take one last little moment to say goodbye to this house. Because she sure has been good to us.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to format this final little home tour. Should I take pretty, staged photos before we really start packing? Should I share images of how the house looks today, all empty and hollow?

In the end, I landed on sharing the home as we lived in it. Unstyled, possibly a little messy, and real. I combed through all of my photos from this year to find all of the random photos I snapped of spots around the house and that’s what you’ll see here today. A few of my favorite corners, just the way I enjoyed them every day.

And, of course, since I can’t not get a little mushy I’m also going to mix in 30 things about this house that I never ever ever want to forget.

(Reader, I am already misty-eyed, so please forgive any gushing).

30 Things I Never Want to Forget About This Home

1. How it taught me to push myself to do big and scary things. Six years ago I never would have believed I could build an 18′ fireplace or an entire playhouse. But I can, and I did.

2. How truly magical it feels at Christmastime, with the 12′ tree, twinkly lights everywhere, and the fireplace aglow.

3. All the games of “the floor is lava,” pretend battles, elaborate train track setups, and obstacle courses set up in the living room (despite my protests every time).

4. How the entire world just melts away at the end of each day when I climb into bed in my cozy, cavelike bedroom.

5. I learned to take care of plants in this home – largely thanks to ALL the natural light I’m so spoiled to have.

6. I’ll always be grateful that home was with us for both Grant’s first day and Jackson’s last day of elementary school.

7. As much as I never wanted to own new construction, I will never forget how special it feels to be the family that took an empty house and turned it into a home for the first time.

8. Camping in the living room with the boys during the summer.

9. Weekly movie nights piled on the sofa and nightly Mario Kart tournaments piled in our bed.

10. I was lucky enough to get to work with my dad to add concrete steps to the front of this home. I always cherish every single project I get to do from him, and how much I learn from him.

11. Going on “Disney Training Walks” with the kids the summer before we went to Disney World for the first time. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed how many trails, sidewalks, and safe walking paths this neighborhood has, and we’ve taken full advantage.

12. Our daily walks to school for 5 years are some of my absolute favorite memories, and I’m so grateful we had that for so long (especially now that I’m having to drive them to school for the first time ever!).

13. It has been so special to watch Jackson’s personality emerge in how he wants his bedroom decorated. When we moved in he was too little to care, but over the years he requested a dark blue ceiling to match his dark walls, endless LEGO display space, a rainbow mural, and a bigger bed specifically so he’d have more room for his beloved Squishmallows.

14. This home took Grant from a crib to a big kid bed. From a high chair to playing baseball. From being The Tiny Destroyer to the kid who hates being called “tiny” or “cute” because he’s a big kid, thank you very much.

15. All the birthday parties, family gatherings, Christmases, Friendsgivings, and game nights. There were countless, and I’m so grateful for each one.

16. This home and this neighborhood brought me my best friend, who I got to introduce to my other best friend (who has been my person since college) and now the three of us are inseparable and I cannot imagine doing life without either of them. If it weren’t for this home, I never would have met her.

17. Sitting in my favorite spot on the back patio, listening to the birds, and gazing lovingly at Samantha.

18. Curling up on the sofa, Potter under a blanket pressed against me, writing blog posts every week – just like I’m doing right now.

19. We moved into this home four months before COVID hit, and we were so grateful that this was the space we were all trapped in together for all of those months. It was a hard and really scary time, but I also look back on that time of just us with such fondness. We slowed down, we enjoyed each other, we made the most of a weird situation, and we made it through to the other side.

20. Saturday morning breakfast tacos and donuts from the gas station across the street.

21. Doing puzzles with the kids in the window seat while watching movies or listening to music.

22. The pride I feel looking around this home knowing that there isn’t an inch of it that I didn’t lovingly update in some way. I’m so proud of the work I did here and how much I learned and grew along the way.

23. Neither of our dogs have ever known any other home! This was the home they were wild and rambunctious puppies in, and I’m so grateful for those sweet memories.

24. Speaking of dogs – this is the home that brought our Hadley back to us. When we moved in, we had a Doberman who had spent the previous two years at our last house in a deep depression, with severe and crippling anxiety. We got her on some medication when we moved here and she transformed back into the sweet, sassy thing we all loved so much. We only had 3 years with her in this home before she passed at 10 years old, and I still cry thinking about how much I miss her.

25. As many wonderful moments as this house saw, it was also with us for some incredibly dark and difficult times. Even in my most painful moments, being in the shelter of this home brought me comfort every single time.

26. This home is the backdrop to some of my favorite memories. Surprising our kids with a Disney World trip (twice!). Christmas mornings and birthday scavenger hunts. Inside jokes with friends. So many of the best times in the last 6 years happened right here.

27. All of the lazy weekends full of pancakes and movies and snuggles and board games.

28. Hosting our favorite people for game nights, dinners, parties, and more. This home is the perfect setup for a crowd, and we’ve loved every chance we’ve had to take advantage of that.

29. The way the vines on the side of the house absolutely explode with flowers every spring.

30. And finally, I just don’t ever want to forget how deeply grateful I am for our time in this home. We’ve loved every minute. The neighborhood, the people, the friends, the town…these last 6 years have been so sweet and special and full of life, and I’m thankful for every minute of it.

And that, my friends, is a wrap on our third home. I’ll see you on the other side, in house number four.