Goodbye Pharaoh St

Today we said goodbye to our PA home for the last time. Next month it’ll be the home where a new family comes and adds more to its stories. While it wasn’t my favorite home we’ve ever lived in, goodness we lived some good life in it while we were there.

I kept things together through the goodbyes with our friends and our neighbors. We gave hugs, said our “see you soon”s and went our separate ways keeping the forward motion of the next thing. I didn’t give into the emotions of goodbyes even though I knew us leaving here is hard on everyone we’re leaving behind.

As much as I want to brush it off as “they knew we’d leave someday”, the truth is it would have shown a waste of the last two years if we left with not a single person sad to see us go. The sadness of us leaving shows a reality that we dug in and made a little bit of a home here. We made community and built relationships.

I walked through the house one last time looking for any left behind items and any lose ends. We pulled away for the last time and had the kids say goodbye the house. They waved and hollered “goodbye house!!” as we pulled away. I came slowly unraveled as I felt the lump in my throat and tears slowly filled my eyes.

I never did care much about the homes we lived in, on an emotional level, until we had kids. Now though, it’s where big moments are born that are engraved into our lives and the lives of our children. Contrary to it not being ideal in the size or layout, the memories it’ll always hold are worth their weight in gold.

It was the home we brought our little C home in. Where he sat up for the first time. Where he took his first steps. It’s the house A learned to read. The house where she learned to write. It’s driveway is where she learned to ride a bike.

B became a big brother here and learned so many firsts. It’s where he rode his scooter for the first time and where he really started coming into his own personality. It was where my heart broke upon hearing the news of my grandma. It’s where I said goodbye to my beloved dog of nearly 14 years.

It hosted family and holidays. The floors kissed the feet of children running through on play dates and endured rounds of fetch. The walls shared in laughter and in tears. Neighbors waved from their yards to ours anytime we were out; there’s no denying it was the friendliest of neighborhoods we have lived in. The front tree outside the living room window hosted countless bird, squirrel and chipmunk watching sessions.

The backyard held many summer days playing in the sprinklers and roasting s’mores. It’s held countless games of soccer and frisby. My love of gardening was found there. It’s where Millie made good friends with the neighbors and where we had many causal conversations at the fence.