Bittersweet Goodbye

Friday we hauled out most of our belongings and moved on to the next chapter in our lives. It was definitely bittersweet for me: leaving a place were Matt & I became a "we", but I also hated living in a cramped little apartment. We made some wonderful memories there. I was almost teary as I took one last look at the building and drove off Saturday for the last time. But....I took some pictures, so that we can show our future children where we lived. It sounds silly, but as a child I always loved seeing pictures of my parent's lives before I was in it. Seeing them so young, and seeing the path that led them to the family we were (at the time).

Now I'm back, at a familiar house, my Mother's. It was the only house we ever lived in for more than a few years growing up. It's my third round at this house, but this time is quite different. It's slowly becoming our home, with our belongings in it. Last night I was packing up most of her kitchen, and it seemed strange to pack up these things that have been there for the last 12+ years. I kept thinking "when family comes over, they won't know where to look for things" and "will they be upset that my Mom's stuff isn't there". It's also very unnerving to be usurping my Mother, and taking over the master bedroom that's always been her's, and moving her into the spare room. It's necessary for us to live there, but it feels so instinctively wrong, and I worry that she feels usurped. I hope that we can make it as welcoming as she did over the years; the gathering spot for family events.