Home Sweet Home

Sorry that I have been MIA the past week or so. Sickness was RAMPANT in my house as Annie ended up with the same diagnoses as me! I am back now though .... so, visit regularly (my 3 visitors!)

This week I went back to my old neighborhood where I grew up. My parents moved out of this house 2 years ago, and I haven't been back since the last time I pulled out of the driveway with my old trophies, yearbooks, photos, etc .... packed up for the future.


It was so strange to go back there. As I drove down the street, I tried to remember that this used to be SO familiar. This used to be the way I drove EVERY SINGLE DAY! But, now it looked different. It wasn't familiar anymore .... it was strangely unfamiliar.


As I approached our house, I almost couldn't look. As strange as it felt, I was afraid that it was going to look different, that I wasn't going to like what I saw, that maybe the new owners would see me staring at the house. But, I took a good look and realized I was holding my breath. They pull up the 2" blinds now that my mom always had down. They have put some window treatments in the dining room that I can see thru the window. As I neared the side of the house, I could see strollers (the new owners have 4 kids - one set of triplets!). I saw baby toys, I saw a colored anirondak chair in the backyard, I saw what looked like a crib in my oldest sister's room window.

It made an impression on me. How can something that used to be my 'normal' now be strange to me? I can't explain the feeling anymore than that.

I wish that at this point I could show you a picture of this house that holds most of my childhood memories. But, I can't find one that I can enter. I will go back soon and take a picture to keep here as a reminder. Hopefully, the new owners won't care that I am taking a picture out of my car window.

I could look at each window and picture perfectly how it all looked. The saddest thing was the realization that it didn't look like that anymore. I just hope that the new owners are making the kind of memories that we made while the Ohly clan was there. It was a great house ... and I do miss it.

Here is a photo of someone's house ... just because it looks like a house filled with good memories. And ... it gave me a warm feeling when I saw it in Southern Living.

Happy Friday!!!! Annie is on the mend .... and I am finally 100%.