dear house,

Dear House,

Things have been bittersweet since we decided to put you on the market. But we knew it would be safest not to depend on a renter and two mortgages, even though we would miss you. I've always loved you as a house. You're the perfect house for a small family -- a quaint white house old on the outside, very updated on the inside, and absolutely full of love.

I will miss your huge kitchen with tons of natural light, track lighting JT installed, and especially your gas oven and stove. Geez will I miss that! I tried to make dinner on my mom's electric stove the other day and I burnt it. Do you know how much cooking magic you've given me? I discovered how to do one of my very favorite things within your walls.

You really are the perfect location. I will miss Saturday morning runs down Main Street on my exactly two mile track to the Veterans Park and back, walks to the Farmer's Market for fresh greens in the spring and summer, and visiting the little chocolate shop owned by the lady from Belgium with the romantic French accent. Trips to the grocery store won't be the same because it won't be my Reasors, laid out in a perfect way with the stocker who makes funny jokes. And how will we know it's time for bed without the 11:00 "Seep-Seep Train" in the distance, every night without fail, loud enough to be our reverse alarm clock, but far enough away that we can't hear him when we're asleep. If only you weren't 50 minutes away from work, you'd be the perfect spot :)

We have loved updating you with new paint, new light fixtures, new driveway, new landscaping, new windows, and so much more JT did before we ever met. Not to mention the best fence I have ever seen which he built by hand, with the help of friends. But a nice young man bought you. We hope and pray he will take great care of you. In one month from today, our boxes will be out, and your key will be in his pocket. But until then, we have lots more memories to make. After all, you are our first house as a married couple, maybe our only other house we'll ever own, and have served me well for two years and JT for almost seven!

Even though our new house is closer to work, newer and bigger, you will always play that special role in our hearts, and we will wonder what your new owner has done to you often and what the whitebud tree we just planted in the front yard will look like in bloom, and if he keeps your spiral staircase that awesome teal, and if he will appreciate your natural light and old house quirks we grew to love. 

Don't be surprised if we drive by, LB