2005, we were being kicked out of our apartment so the land lady's daughter could move in. We decided, we had enough moving, that we'd find a home and settle down. Then began the anxiety inducing effort of open houses, bids, losses, bids, and oh my gosh - we just bought our first home! Excitement and dread - would we be able to afford this? Would the neighborhood welcome us? How much work would this place really need....A LOT!
We bought a fixer-upper. This was intentional because it had the bones. Three bed, two bath, two car garage, with a large yard in a sunny part of Santa Cruz. The rest we'd renovate to make our own. So began... new roof, two new bathrooms, double pane windows, doors (no really inside and out - previous owner had a temper).
Then we got Turner, our first dog. He was a magical puppy, so stinking cute, with one broken ear. The school across the street was always open at that time, so we'd take him over to play with the neighborhood pups. We met so many fine people, who would always stop to say hi, let the dogs play, and helped make settling in feel right. Those were good times, evenings where Turner would anticipate the walk over, start yelping and sitting at the door.
The school eventually got vandalized enough that they locked the yard, but that didn't keep us from walking the neighborhood and still saying hi to all those we'd meet. Even just this evening, while we were putting the finishing touches on our front-yard, our friend Kathy stopped by to share her pup Pumpkin - Turner's girlfriend, just passed. We shared memories and said our goodbyes. We were very lucky, our neighbors were our friends.
In t-10 hours, the movers will show up. We've spent the past 48 hours organizing for a smooth transition. As the day comes to a close, we are tuckered out. However, we did take a few moments to pause and enjoy the evening. The cool breeze from the ocean, the pond in the front yard, and a few pictures to capture the love we put into this home. The place where our two kiddo's were born and raised to young adults. The place where we hosted our share of parties.
We have grown out of this home. I am settled into the fact that we are "right sizing" and looking forward to not having 3 bikes and 2 skateboards in the living room. That said, I will miss my headboard up against my boy's wall, so I could hear him sneeze or simply knock to let me know he wanted a hug. I will miss our front yard pump track, mini golf turf, climbing wall, and basketball hoop, which gave us many hours of joy. I will miss the smell of our roses wafting through the front door to the sound of our pond.
I am looking forward to the next chapter, but am enjoying the memories and last remaining moments in this place that will always hold a part of our hearts in its history.
