Why is it that after wanting to move out of this house for so long that I found myself being a little nostalgic the other night? It started a bit like this. I was hungry. Went to the fridge. Found an orange. While cutting the orange I thought to myself ‘actually, the oranges on our tree are about to ripen up ready to be picked’. Then it hit me. This will be the last lot of oranges from our tree before we move. Actually, it will be the last lot I will ever get to enjoy.
You see, I’ve lived in this house, on and off (mostly on) since I was 12 years old. This is my parents house but I have lived here for longer than they have. I have lived here as a primary school kid, high school kid, single person sharing, married person, I’ve had two cousins live with us, my brother lived with us for a total of three years and as a mother.
If I start to go down memory lane too much I’ll probably end up spending the night there.
Without going too far, here are some of my favourite memories from this house.
1. The many odd things that have happened in our street including a siege (with the swat squad), house down the road burning, many massive street parties across the road, many lots of drugs being sold (and arrests), a car chase (its a cul-de-sac), the guy over the road’s truck catching on fire and rolling into the house opposite and the biggest of all - a murder.
2. Simple things like kicking the footy with Dad and my brother in the street, playing cricket out the front and running under the sprinkler before there were sprinkler bans.
3. Getting ready for my wedding in my old bedroom which later on became my study when living here as an adult. That room is now combined to be my daughter’s toy room.
4. Having our entire youth group come around to our house constantly throughout highschool. Too many occasions there to name!
5. Bringing our daughter home from hospital to this house and getting my brother’s old room ready for her.
6. Sitting on top of our water tank with my brother on our beach towels pretending to sunbake (its a cement tank).
7. Bringing home a little puppy called Shana who lived with us (and a couple of other people when we were overseas) in this house for 15 years. (she’s in the youth group photo)
8. Sitting outside on the bonnet of Michael’s 440 Cortina as a teenager and talking for hours before my Dad would flick the carport light on and off to drop a hint.
Its strange, I will be saying goodbye to this house finally but I know it will be a fantastic new era for us. Many people buy a house when they first get married (or shortly after) but we have been married for almost 12 years (on April 12) and now we are finally moving into our own home. I am finally moving out of my parents place!
Stumble it!
