Ode to 726

Alas the day has come! The day we've been anticipating. This is the day we go back to being owners of just one home. The day we say good-bye to two mortgage payments. And, yes, the day we also say good-bye to 726 Bennett Street...

726 was our first house. The house that came our way through circumstances that could only have been the hand of our loving God at work. The house that was on a quiet little one-block street with fantastic neighbors. The house that was within walking distance of 8 different playground areas. The house that was in the perfect location for friends to park to go to the "Fun Days" parade. The house that was the place we called "home" for the last 7 years. The home we eventually felt like we were outgrowing. We loved it at 726, and though we are more than satisfied in our new home, we will look back fondly and be forever grateful for all the memories we made on Bennett Street. Here are just a few:

*Putting in new counters, dishwasher, and linoleum in the kitchen
*Bringing home our new Baby Sarah
*Many cozy evenings by the fireplace
*Easter egg hunts in the backyard with cousins
*Sending all three of our children off to their first days of school
*The railings down the stairs that were irresistible for toddlers to climb through
*Numerous kickball games in the back yard
*The slip 'n slide
*Bike rides to Hiniker Pond
*Walks around Spring Lake Park
*Sitting on the bench in front of our house in the evenings
*Hearing Sarah come in screaming because of the wasps and bees outside (neighbor had a nest in their tree)
*Hanging up the white sheet in the living room for a photo shoot
*The bird in the fireplace
*The bat in the fireplace
*Nedra almost lighting the house on fire because she didn't know how to use the fireplace
*Neighborhood children popping in and out
*Playing "McDonald's" in the backyard shed
*Personalizing the bedrooms with new paint
*The "Cocoa Incident"
*Putting in egress windows
*Splashing in the puddles at the curbside (or lack thereof)
*Watching the machinery and playing in the mud as they replaced our street
*Carrying groceries, luggage, etc. to and from our vehicles that couldn't be parked on the street during construction
*Running through the sprinkler in the front yard
*The HUGE spider and web on the swing set
*The screaming baby bunnies out our bedroom window (you don't want to know)
*Marveling at how the wind was always calmer in our neighborhood
*A house full of relatives and friends on too many occasions to count (small group, Bible study, New Year's Eve, game nights, holidays, birthday parties...)
*Our new puppy doing his best to destroy the place (We love you Rudy!)
*The Christmas tree in the front window
*A summer-time garage full of toys, bikes, camping equipment, and tools - not the vehicle
*The kids learning to ride their bikes on our street
*The toilet explosion in the bathroom downstairs
*Listening to the "Fun Days" concerts while trying to sleep
*The pumpkin thrown through Dana's truck window
*Hearing the rain drip on the eave spout at the corner of the house
*Scrapbooking on Wednesday evenings
*The temporary water pipe exploding in our front yard during construction
*Chalk cities and roads on the driveway
*Hosting date night children
*Loving up the neighborhood puppies
*The kids' lemonade stand
*Jumping in the plethora of autumn leaves from our beautiful maples
*Building a snow fort in the front yard
*Coming home to dead fish in the tank when our heat went out
*Sunday afternoon dinners with Martha and Hal
*Chatting it up with Hank next door

Innumerable diapers changed, loads of laundry and dishes washed, cookies baked, children babysat, baths given, meals prepared and served, tears shed, games played, floors vacuumed and scrubbed, butts wiped, fights solved, messes cleaned up, books read, and laughs shared.

We slept there. We cried there. We learned there. We played there. We argued there. We loved there. We struggled there. We cuddled there. We thrived there. We laughed there. We raised our babies there. We hosted there. We prayed there. We lived there.

And so we move on now from 726 and take our wonderful (and some not-so-wonderful) memories with us. We ask God's blessing on our new home. May we grow closer to Him here. May this new dwelling place be as much of a blessing to our family and friends as our old one was. What kind of memories will we make here? We're excited and hopeful for our new experiences at 1543.