My dear house,
Unfortunately, the time has come to mentally prepare myself to say goodbye to you.
This is the house I have some of my earliest memories in, and I've been so lucky to live here for 19 years now. I love everything about this house, and thinking about not living here anymore absolutely kills me. And even worse, thinking of another family running around makes it harder. The location is enough reason for me to love this house, but I also love the very structure of the house and all its nooks and crannies, for lack of better words. You are located perfectly. A short walk to the train station (so easy access to the Big Apple), the Long Island Sound, the quaint town that I love so much, and delicious restaurants. It really can't get much better than that, so I will definitely miss the convenient location. And in addition to sheer convenience for everything we have needed to do in the past 19 years, the street you're located on is one of the best environments that I could've ever imagined growing up in. From the time we moved in to the time we left, we had an incredibly friendly street community and more importantly, I always felt safe. And it was also great to be able to maintain good relationships with all our neighbors (especially for babysitting...obviously) over the years.
Then there's the fact that I just love the very structure of the house. Yeah, I realize that sounds weird and probably slightly OCD, but it's true. Obviously since I've spent 19 years here, I've come to love the layout of the house and all the rooms..the nooks and crannies. Now that I think about it, I can definitely give a memory from each room of my house--from the basement up to the guest rooms. I just can't help but love this house for all it has given to me throughout the years...and it's hard to say goodbye. Everyone knows that.
Which brings me to all the memories. Man, this might be the saddest part for me. Some people are surprised to learn this, but I am a very sentimental person. I mean, really sentimental. Honestly, I can't really reminisce that much on my countless memories made in this house, because it makes me way too sad. This house has been the center of so many gatherings with family and friends through the years, and as hectic as that got, I always loved it. I was my happiest when my entire family was home altogether, and it got even better whenever we hosted aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends (which was very often). I mean, in addition to holidays and other family visits, members of our extended family also used our house as their hotel whenever they need to come to New York City for any business purposes, because of it's unbeatable location.
I could go on and on about how much I love this house even more than I already have, but I think you kinda get the point.
See, my parents have been talking about moving for years without acting on it, so it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that they're finally doing it. The real deal. Over my Thanksgiving break and part of my Christmas break, I was going to look at all these different houses that we could potentially buy, and as cool as they all were, I'd obviously rather just keep our current house. And sometimes it feels like my parents don't fully get how sad this is for me. Of course it isn't easy for them either, which I get, but it is harder for us kids since we grew up in it and have only known this house. I know that if it was up to them, we wouldn't move...but times change and I don't blame them for anything. The gif below pretty much sums up how I feel...but then again it doesn't really matter because this is ultimately my parents decision, since my siblings and I aren't really going to be living at home anymore. Sure, we've all been good sports about it on the outside but deep down it's a struggle to smile through it and be so supportive. I mean, after all, it is a gigantic change in our lives and is just so sad!
This house has been through it a lot and it's given me some of the best memories of my life and I'm going to miss it so incredibly much. It was the perfect house for me and my siblings to grow up in and I'm eternally grateful for that.
*I actually started writing this piece about 4 months ago, but was waiting till everything was official to share it. Now, within one week, my family has gone through some bittersweet changes. We sold our incredible house and then were able to find another good lookin' one remarkably fast. Of course it isn't going to be the same, but we are extremely happy with the potential that our new house has and also the fact that it is only a 5 minute drive from my beloved first house! It's incredibly hard to say goodbye to the house I spent so much time in, grew up in, and went through so much in, BUT change happens and now my family and I are onto the next chapter! Bittersweet, indeed, but hey at least now I have a say in my new room decor and other cool additions to the new house.
