With places come memories. My hometown of San Antonio is full of them. Running out to the ice cream truck when I was a kid, eating out at Mexican restaurants galore and spending countless nights with family are just a few things on a long list of things that rush through my brain when I think of home. As a college student, my appreciation for my home has transformed. It's the place I travel to for peace and quiet and precious time with my family and pets. For so many years, our home has been a place where my brother and I were raised, where our pets have lived long and spoiled lives and where our family has made memories.

After 21 years of walking through the same front door, my family is moving houses because my mom got a job promotion. Our new home is in the same city, but makes the idea of home change completely. To some, it seems ridiculous that I've spent my whole life in the same house and that moving is a big deal. For me, however, it's the only home I've known. We have put so much love into our home, from spending countless holidays together in the living room to finishing renovation projects as a family. As I think of moving, the memories — both good and bad — all come back to me. Things I haven't thought of in years return to my mind, and I reminisce on how my house truly has raised me.

My new home is a two-story house built in the early 1900's with a Spanish architectural influence. It's full of windows and natural lighting, and plenty of space for family entertainment and personal and intellectual freedom. Though we are moving all of our belongings with us to a different house, we are leaving behind so much at our old home. The idea of moving out of a house I've lived in so long seems emotionally and physically daunting at first. But I'm reminded of the beauties of our new home and all of the new experiences that will come with it. The phrase, "Home is where the heart is," rings true to me as my family prepares to move

Even though where I return will not be the home I'm used to, I will still have my family and the unconditional love that we share. So here's to the next, two-story chapter of our lives and the cherished memories we will have.