My Homes: How many different homes have you lived in throughout your life?
Compared to some, I haven't lived in too many places. When I was a little kid, we lived in a double wide trailer on Thunderbird Street. I shared a room at the front of the house with Jessica and Sterling had the other room that doubled as my mom's sewing room and my dad's gun room. My parent's bedroom was at the back of the house. Even though I was little when we moved, I can still picture that house in my mind.
I can see the hall tree my dad built for my mom in the entry way. To the right was the dining room with the built in china cabinet that my mom's china doll, Sarah Jane sat (I was terrified of her and always ran past her to get to my room). The kitchen was behind a wall separating the dining room and it had white and green linoleum. Connected to the kitchen was a small laundry room and a side door that led to the dirt yard outside. The kid bedrooms and bathroom were down the hall. To the left of the entry way was the living room. It had paneled walls and a wood burning stove that my dad built a beautiful hearth for. My parents' bedroom and master bath were just on the other side of the living room.
When I was 7, we moved to the other side of town into a house that had enough bedrooms that Jessica and I didn't have to share. I won't go into detail about this house because that was the question a couple of weeks back. I lived in that house until I got married.
When Nathan and I got married, we moved to Salt Lake City so Nathan could attend LDS Business College. We had a one bedroom apartment off of Redwood Rd. It had a tiny kitchen and was over all very small but it worked for us. We lived there for one semester but struggled to make enough money to pay our expenses. From there we moved back in with my parents for a couple of months.
After moving back home, Nathan and I decided to move back up to Washington where Nathan had more job connections. We lived with his parents for a month while Nathan found a job and we looked for an apartment. After that, we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment in Redmond. It was a very nice apartment and worked well for when my family came to visit. I really liked it there. Nathan and I had a very happy life and I could easily go back to it, if I didn't have five kids. ;) We lived there for about a year and a half and then decided we were ready for our own walls.
Next, we moved to Snohomish County to a town called Monroe. It's a beautiful town set near mountains and a river. Nathan's sister Yvonne was there and so we were excited to be so close to family. We were also very excited to be buying our very first house! I was 21 and Nathan was 24 when we moved in. We were so young! Our house was a split-level set on a cul-de-sac. It was very basic and if I think about it, had a floor plan very similar to our apartment except it had an extra bedroom and a basement level. It was a nice house and a good starter home but the split floor plan was a big pain, as were our neighbors. We lived there for 2 1/2 years and finally decided to move closer to Everett to be near our friends.
House #2 was in the town of Mill Creek, also in Snohomish County. It had a nice open floor plan and a big kitchen. I loved the open staircase and how easily the girls could run around. I disliked how tiny the bedrooms and closets were and how small our yard was. We really loved the area though and at that point thought we'd live in Washington for a long time. So when Gavin was on his way we decided to sell our home while the housing market was hot and move to a larger home with more storage and bigger bedrooms and yard. We wanted a house that we wouldn't outgrow, as we thought Gavin would be our last child. We lived there for 3 years.
Our last Washington home was about a mile away from the previous house. We loved the area and loved being close to our friends so we decided to stay close. This house too had an open floor plan and big kitchen but the bedrooms were much larger and all had walk-in closets. The backyard had a nice large deck and swing set. It was a very nice yard to spend time in. We truly thought we'd be there forever until Nathan received a job offer from the Church in Salt Lake City. After only a year and half in our home, we moved to Utah. Our children were 6, 3 and 1 and sadly only Ainsley has memories of Washington.
We've been here in our Utah home now for over 8 years. We've almost lived here as long as we lived in all of our homes in Washington combined. Although I never imagined myself raising my family in Utah, because we truly liked Washington and the people there, Utah feels more like home than any other place we've lived.
I have a saying on my wall that says, "Home is wherever I am with you." It's so true. I could live anywhere and be happy, as long as I have Nathan and my kids by my side. A house is just a house. It's the love that's in it that makes it a home. :)
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Week 11: My Childhood Bedroom
What kind of things did you display in your childhood bedroom?
As a kid I loved my stuffed animals and dolls. I always had a huge pile of them on my bed. I believed that they were really alive and would get up and play when I was at school. I would always lecture them to "get along" and behave themselves. :)
When I got older I kept my three china dolls on my bed, Carol, Amber, and Katie. I loved them and still have them. They are in Aftyn's room now.
On my walls I had things that I made or inspirational pictures like the temple. Funny, when I grew up, got married, and left home, my mom kept my room exactly the same. Everything just stayed on my walls as a shrine to my childhood. :)
As far as collections go, I wasn't really a collector, per se. I did collect troll dolls for a while and still have those. I had a goal as a kid to collect one stuffed animal of every kind of animal. I didn't make it too far but I did have a lot of stuffed animals. I've gotten rid of most of them but still have a few of my favorites. I also collected Baby-Sitters Club books and kept those for my own girls to read.
I think I've learned from reading this post that I haven't changed much from when I was a kid. I suppose that's a good thing. ;)
As a kid I loved my stuffed animals and dolls. I always had a huge pile of them on my bed. I believed that they were really alive and would get up and play when I was at school. I would always lecture them to "get along" and behave themselves. :)
When I got older I kept my three china dolls on my bed, Carol, Amber, and Katie. I loved them and still have them. They are in Aftyn's room now.
On my walls I had things that I made or inspirational pictures like the temple. Funny, when I grew up, got married, and left home, my mom kept my room exactly the same. Everything just stayed on my walls as a shrine to my childhood. :)
As far as collections go, I wasn't really a collector, per se. I did collect troll dolls for a while and still have those. I had a goal as a kid to collect one stuffed animal of every kind of animal. I didn't make it too far but I did have a lot of stuffed animals. I've gotten rid of most of them but still have a few of my favorites. I also collected Baby-Sitters Club books and kept those for my own girls to read.
I think I've learned from reading this post that I haven't changed much from when I was a kid. I suppose that's a good thing. ;)
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
#52Stories: Week 10 My Childhood Home
What was your childhood home like?
My childhood home was a typical 70's house. It was painted a faded yellow. All the wood was dark, the carpet was dark, and the walls had lovely waffle-weave wallpaper. The kitchen was super tiny with gold linoleum and I still marvel at how we functioned in it. Yet despite all its flaws, it was home and I loved it there.
I slept down in the basement with Jessica. She and I had our own rooms but shared a bathroom. Actually, I was only allowed to use the toilet in the bathroom. Everything else I did in the upstairs bathroom because Jessica was mad that I had the bigger bedroom. ;)
My room had ugly rust colored carpet that stayed in there the entire time I lived at home. It wasn't pretty but functional. My mom stenciled pink roses along the walls and my bedding coordinated with it. Funny, I don't decorate with pink anymore but I loved it and was grateful to my mom for taking the time to decorate it for me. I loved my room. I could play in there for hours with my dolls and stuffed animals.
Jessica's room had hearts of course. She was born on Valentine's Day so it only made sense. It started out with rainbow hearts and later turned to blue hearts that my mom stenciled on the walls. Our bathroom was old and nasty but we did our best to make it pretty. It was decorated with fish. :)
Sterling, my younger brother, occupied the upstairs bedroom next to my parents' room. His room had yellow carpet and smelled like a little boy. My parents' room had blue carpet and two mirrored his and her closets. Funny, my bedroom was directly under my mom and dad's and I could hear the doors rolling open and closed really well. Whenever I had a friend over they would think the doors were thunder. :)
The front door (which had gold glass windows in the shape of diamonds) opened right into our living room. The living room was cozy and every square inch was decorated with a framed picture or something else. My mom was a bit of a decoration hoarder. Anything anyone ever gave her, she displayed. :)
Looking back, our house was so cluttered. Both of my parents had problems with letting things go. They've gotten better since they've retired but man, every counter, every empty spot had something in it. I can still see the giant pile of my dad's catalogs that were stacked as high as the microwave cart in the dining room. I think that's the reason I hate clutter so much now. As a kid, I didn't know any different, but when I grew up and went home to visit, I realized how crammed with stuff their house was.
My favorite part about my childhood home were the yards. We lived on a corner and so we had a front yard, side yard, and backyard to play in. All had big shady trees that we loved to climb. I loved how we'd go outside and sit on the front porch with my mom, eating popsicles, and watching the cars go by. In the evenings, when it was cooler, we'd all go out in the backyard as a family and enjoy the shade. I wish my kids had a yard like that now. :)
All in all, although my home was cluttered and dated, it was full of love. All good things from my childhood happened in that home. I introduced Nathan to my family in that home, and went from a kid to an adult there. It was a wonderful place to grow up and I miss it.
It will always have a special place in my heart. :)
My childhood home was a typical 70's house. It was painted a faded yellow. All the wood was dark, the carpet was dark, and the walls had lovely waffle-weave wallpaper. The kitchen was super tiny with gold linoleum and I still marvel at how we functioned in it. Yet despite all its flaws, it was home and I loved it there.
I slept down in the basement with Jessica. She and I had our own rooms but shared a bathroom. Actually, I was only allowed to use the toilet in the bathroom. Everything else I did in the upstairs bathroom because Jessica was mad that I had the bigger bedroom. ;)
My room had ugly rust colored carpet that stayed in there the entire time I lived at home. It wasn't pretty but functional. My mom stenciled pink roses along the walls and my bedding coordinated with it. Funny, I don't decorate with pink anymore but I loved it and was grateful to my mom for taking the time to decorate it for me. I loved my room. I could play in there for hours with my dolls and stuffed animals.
Jessica's room had hearts of course. She was born on Valentine's Day so it only made sense. It started out with rainbow hearts and later turned to blue hearts that my mom stenciled on the walls. Our bathroom was old and nasty but we did our best to make it pretty. It was decorated with fish. :)
Sterling, my younger brother, occupied the upstairs bedroom next to my parents' room. His room had yellow carpet and smelled like a little boy. My parents' room had blue carpet and two mirrored his and her closets. Funny, my bedroom was directly under my mom and dad's and I could hear the doors rolling open and closed really well. Whenever I had a friend over they would think the doors were thunder. :)
The front door (which had gold glass windows in the shape of diamonds) opened right into our living room. The living room was cozy and every square inch was decorated with a framed picture or something else. My mom was a bit of a decoration hoarder. Anything anyone ever gave her, she displayed. :)
Looking back, our house was so cluttered. Both of my parents had problems with letting things go. They've gotten better since they've retired but man, every counter, every empty spot had something in it. I can still see the giant pile of my dad's catalogs that were stacked as high as the microwave cart in the dining room. I think that's the reason I hate clutter so much now. As a kid, I didn't know any different, but when I grew up and went home to visit, I realized how crammed with stuff their house was.
My favorite part about my childhood home were the yards. We lived on a corner and so we had a front yard, side yard, and backyard to play in. All had big shady trees that we loved to climb. I loved how we'd go outside and sit on the front porch with my mom, eating popsicles, and watching the cars go by. In the evenings, when it was cooler, we'd all go out in the backyard as a family and enjoy the shade. I wish my kids had a yard like that now. :)
All in all, although my home was cluttered and dated, it was full of love. All good things from my childhood happened in that home. I introduced Nathan to my family in that home, and went from a kid to an adult there. It was a wonderful place to grow up and I miss it.
It will always have a special place in my heart. :)
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