If These Walls Could Talk

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Who would have thought selling a home would be so emotional? Well, I’m here to tell you my story and why I cried my eyes out when we left our first home together.

In May of 2011 we moved in as a happy engaged couple who wanted nothing more than to call a house our home. I remember that spring we felt completely hopeless when we looked at 40+ homes and just couldn’t find “the one”. We felt like we were about to give up when this little gem came on the market!

If These Walls Could Talk | Duluth Moms Blog

We looked at it once, then again, and we made an offer that night! We were so excited when the offer was finally excepted! (You know how it seems like it’s been weeks when the sellers don’t respond right away, but it’s actually only been a few hours?)

We waited patiently for our closing date and moved in just a few months before our wedding. We got married and settled in and made this house our home.

Two years later came baby number one! How exciting to bring this little person home with us! I remember vividly bringing him from room to room and explaining what each room was for. I specifically remember bawling my eyes out when walking into the nursery and showing him. My hubby had redone his room and added board and batten and it was amazing! I was completely in love with the room and the colors. It was perfect.

If These Walls Could Talk | Duluth Moms Blog

Fast forward almost three years later and we were bringing baby number two home from the hospital! We were cutting it pretty close, but again my hubby redid the room for her and painted the walls in stripes just like I had always wanted! I loved it and so would our baby girl. Again, I remember showing her our house and especially her room and it being a very emotional process.

Months passed and we discovered how much stuff a family of four collects over time! Our tiny home was beginning to burst at the seams. I first started purging things, but later realized it may be time to move to a bigger home with another bathroom and more space. We had toyed around with the idea of building a new home for a long time, but we never actually acted on it. Next thing you know we were buying a chunk of land, designing floor plans, and picking out interior finishes and fixtures. It’s all so exciting, but kinda nerve racking at the same time!

We decided to list our home on the market this Spring following the advice of our relator. To our surprise, inventory was extremely low, so our cute little ranch sold in less than 48 hours. Wow! What? Did that just happen? I want to keep it longer!

I think after the seven showings and two offers in 48 hours, we stood in the kitchen just staring at each other.

Ok, well I guess we start packing now. Oh… my… gawwwwd… packing up a family of four with a 3 year old and 7 month old baby is NOT EASY!!

There were boxes and bubble wrap and random piles of things everywhere for a month. It looked like a tornado had ripped through our living room and dining room area. I remember looking around at the mess and thinking, “Are we really doing this? Yup, we are!” Everytime I sat too long thinking about it, I became very emotional about leaving this little house that built us behind. I tried to put it on the back burner and plow forward with packing. My mind was occupied…for a while.

The closing date quickly approached and I was not prepared for those few days before. The night we had officially moved our beds out and knew we would no longer be sleeping there as a family, the waterworks started full force. My husband and I meet in the back hallway by the bedrooms and had a long embrace talking about the memories we had here, both good and bad. My tears soaked through his shirt. The house felt so empty it hurt. All our pictures packed away, all the toys were gone. In the kitchen you couldn’t find a fork if you tried. Although there were a few boxes left to bring out, the things that made the house ours were already in storage. Sad day to say the least.

I was alone in the home cleaning over he next couple of days and it was the weirdest thing. Although it was so empty and so quiet, I swear while I was scrubbing the shower I heard my sons footsteps and I could here my daughters cry. It was eerie, but comforting at the same time. It was as if the walls were talking to me. A smile washed over my face as I thought about the new owners and how they too would build memories here just like we did.

A few days later we returned to the home as a family to say our final goodbyes. Walking in it was so empty and so quiet. I felt sad to leave this perfect little home on the hill, but it was time for our family to move onto bigger and better things!

If These Walls Could Talk | Duluth Moms Blog

We are now building our dream home and hope to be all moved into that soon. I cannot wait to have another place where we will live together and build beautiful memories to last a lifetime the only way we know how…together.