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| Me and Mom - 1963 |
As many of you know, Dad has decided to sell his house and move in with us. We are thrilled and can't wait to create new memories, enjoy sunny days on the lake, and cozy fires during the winter.
I can only imagine how hard it is for Dad to let go of so many cherished possessions, but I know these possessions are just "things." Dad has 55 years of cherished memories in our home, tucked away in his heart.
I can only imagine how hard it is for Dad to let go of so many cherished possessions, but I know these possessions are just "things." Dad has 55 years of cherished memories in our home, tucked away in his heart.
The last few months we have spent countless hours going through every inch of the house to determine what he wants to take with him. It is a daunting task when you have to clear out a 3-story 5 bedroom house to get it ready for "staging." Mom and Dad have thousands of pictures in photo albums, lots of family Super 8 film movies, 20+ carousels of slides, several bookcases of books......and so much more.
Dad has been amazing through this process. I am forever thankful to Lauren and Heather for taking the lead on this task. You discovered some gems and have been so helpful.
Dad has been amazing through this process. I am forever thankful to Lauren and Heather for taking the lead on this task. You discovered some gems and have been so helpful.
The house will be going on the market soon and I feel compelled to share some thoughts about my childhood home and share a message to whomever purchases this wonderful home.
To the new homeowners,
I know you are eager to put your own stamp onto this house and make it yours. The first time you set foot into the house you didn't see the childhood home that I grew up in. Instead, You saw a house stripped of our family furniture and beautiful family pictures on every wall, bookshelf, table, and night stand.
The wallpaper that hung in the hallway was removed and the entire house was painted a neutral color to allow potential buyers to see the "bones" of the house - not the possessions.
The house no longer had Mom's cherished British royal collections of plates and mugs in the dining room.
There were no more dog toys stashed in the corner and the chairlift that helped Mom go upstairs was removed.
You probably weren't aware of all the amazing updates to the original house. The smallest bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom was converted to the large bathroom suite equipped with a jacuzzi tub and beautiful closets.
You never saw the unfinished basement with cement floor.
The dining room now opens up to a gorgeous sunroom that leads out to a gigantic two level deck.
I totally understand that a house basically consists of four walls and a roof. A home? That is a totally different story. A home is the place where you live and are loved. The place where you create your memories. It is the place where you are free to be happy or sad and share laughter or tears.
When you move in and are exploring your new house - I hope you find a few of the treasures that we left behind. It may be a picture of the house when it was first built, or a Queen Elizabeth tea cup placed high in a cupboard. When you find these gems, I hope you understand that we wanted to leave a small momentum of some of our cherished treasures/memories.
Soon, our family home will have become your house. (And I hope, your home.) I know that my family home memories will stay with me forever, but, I have to be honest and say that I will miss my childhood home. It was the perfect home to grow up in. It was even more exciting to watch Heather and her cousins make their own memories. Their memories are as strong and memorable as mine. Why wouldn't they be - we were all blessed to have Mom and Dad (aka Grandma and Bill) to love and guide us.
So, new owners, please take good care of her. She was good to us and holds more memories than I can share. All I ask of you is this: Please love your new home. It is a wonderful neighborhood, a great location, and the bonus are your amazing neighbors next door - Ena, Sasa, and Marina. It was comforting to have them next door to Mom and Dad. They were the best neighbors ever and gave us peace of mind knowing someone else was helping them.
I know you are eager to put your own stamp onto this house and make it yours. The first time you set foot into the house you didn't see the childhood home that I grew up in. Instead, You saw a house stripped of our family furniture and beautiful family pictures on every wall, bookshelf, table, and night stand.
The wallpaper that hung in the hallway was removed and the entire house was painted a neutral color to allow potential buyers to see the "bones" of the house - not the possessions.
The house no longer had Mom's cherished British royal collections of plates and mugs in the dining room.
There were no more dog toys stashed in the corner and the chairlift that helped Mom go upstairs was removed.
You probably weren't aware of all the amazing updates to the original house. The smallest bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom was converted to the large bathroom suite equipped with a jacuzzi tub and beautiful closets.
You never saw the unfinished basement with cement floor.
The dining room now opens up to a gorgeous sunroom that leads out to a gigantic two level deck.
I totally understand that a house basically consists of four walls and a roof. A home? That is a totally different story. A home is the place where you live and are loved. The place where you create your memories. It is the place where you are free to be happy or sad and share laughter or tears.
When you move in and are exploring your new house - I hope you find a few of the treasures that we left behind. It may be a picture of the house when it was first built, or a Queen Elizabeth tea cup placed high in a cupboard. When you find these gems, I hope you understand that we wanted to leave a small momentum of some of our cherished treasures/memories.
Soon, our family home will have become your house. (And I hope, your home.) I know that my family home memories will stay with me forever, but, I have to be honest and say that I will miss my childhood home. It was the perfect home to grow up in. It was even more exciting to watch Heather and her cousins make their own memories. Their memories are as strong and memorable as mine. Why wouldn't they be - we were all blessed to have Mom and Dad (aka Grandma and Bill) to love and guide us.
So, new owners, please take good care of her. She was good to us and holds more memories than I can share. All I ask of you is this: Please love your new home. It is a wonderful neighborhood, a great location, and the bonus are your amazing neighbors next door - Ena, Sasa, and Marina. It was comforting to have them next door to Mom and Dad. They were the best neighbors ever and gave us peace of mind knowing someone else was helping them.
xo
Lisa
Here are a few pictures that capture some of my memories.
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| Mom and Dad gave this house life. They made it into a warm and loving home filled with love, laughter, and life. |
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Our last family dinner with Mom - Easter 2016 - Mom and Dad loved to host large parties
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| Heather - 1985 - first day of preschool picture - Heather spent weekdays with Mom for 15 beautiful years |
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| First day of school 1968 |
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| Lauren and Dianne standing near the infamous prickly bushes - so many comments can be made about those bushes!!! |
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| Halloween 2018 with Dad. |
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| Heather with Aunt Ruthie and GG |
