When I was nine years old and my little brother was five, we moved into our new house. It started out as a wooded, 24- acre piece of land. My dad had to clear the land first to build our house and he used some of the wood he cut down for our floors. Moving into a new house that is already built is different than moving into one you build yourself. This coming summer, my parents and my brother will be moving to another state. Even though it’s time to leave the house that shaped me, I’m excited for my family to start a new chapter of their lives. We left our imprint, now it’s time for another family to leave theirs.

Although my family and I made a lot of memories in our very first house, this house was different. The house that I lived in for 10 years were some of the best years of my life. This house has seen 10 first day of school pictures in front of our big clock that we took every year. This house has seen 10 Christmas mornings gathered by the tree opening our gifts. This house has seen 10 Halloween nights filled with crazy costumes and pumpkin carvings. This house has seen my brother and I grow up doing different things. It has seen us sit up at the counter to eat breakfast each morning before school, come home late from a soccer game and unwind, get ready for school dances and proms and blow out our candles every year on our birthdays.

I lived in my bedroom for 10 years and I loved it. My favorite part about my room is the big butterfly with my name on it. Even though it was painted when I was nine, I still kept it there beyond my teen years. My room was my place to get ready in the mornings, my place to do my homework, my place to stay up late with my friends and talk all hours of the night and my place to go when I just wanted to get away from everything else.

This house has seen so many great people and experienced many amazing memories. All the holidays and family dinners spent here filled the whole house with noise and I loved it. Our house was almost always the place that our family came to for big dinners or barbecues. Everyone scattered all over the house, from the kitchen to the basement. This house has been the home for our dogs, too-- without them it wouldn’t have been the same.

There’s just something about your home that makes you feel happy and comfortable. After being away for awhile or even just being at school, pulling down my driveway and walking down the hallway to my room made me feel better because I was home.

My mom and dad have talked about always wanting to move someday, and next summer that day will be here. A home is where you make your memories. The house grows with you and it shapes you and makes you who you are today. Everyone’s home is different in its own way. How you decorate your home, the things you do as tradition in your home, how big your family is and how loud or quiet you make your home-- all of these things help shape you believe it or not.

It’ll be hard to see our things boxed up and the rooms empty, but it’s okay because this was our home first. We built it and we made all of our first real memories here. So to the house that shaped me, thank you for the best 10 years of my life. I hope you give the next family another great 10 years.