Ode to my house

Today I said goodbye to a very dear friend who has been with me for almost 23 years and has seen me through, well, everything. Playing Nintendo with my older brother, my sister and I asking each other if we were still awake while going to sleep in our bunk beds, having sock-throwing battles in my older sisters' room, hiding on top of the fridge during hide-and-seek, counting down til we could wake our parents on Christmas morning, playing in the out-of-control weeds in the backyard, jumping on the tramp and breaking my finger, leaving and returning from various adventures near and far, sneaking out my window to go hang out with *cough* (boy) friends, crying from growing pains and heartbreaks, laughing hysterically, tripping up and down the stairs almost every time, painting the walls, growing up and moving out. You get the idea.

I love that because we took the shelf that my grandpa built for my room, there remains the record of the evolution of my room: from my purple, butterfly-bordered middle school days to now.

Mindy lived here.

My mom left the heart-shaped wreath on the door, "as a symbol that we love this house."

So, dear friend, I will miss you. I'm trying to focus on all the wonderful, happy memories I have with you and not think about how sad I am to not be able to create new ones. I'm so grateful to have been able to call you home for so long. Farewell.