Dear New Owners...

Dear New Owners,

Welcome Home!

We've spent the last month preparing to leave this home.

Preparing to leave it....

 to you.

And I know that you'll never see this letter....  and that we'll never meet....but as I packed, and cleaned, and wandered about each room...  I often thought about you.  About what I hoped this home would be for you.

But even more often....  I thought about what it had been for us.

You see, this was our very first home.

Our first big kitchen, our first fireplace, our first garage...

and our very first front yard.

And with a first home, comes so many memories.  Each room has its own story.

As I packed up our kitchen, I thought of the countless parties, dinners, and get-togethers it has hosted.  It was a place where our friends and family gathered often.  I thought about the way my husband and I would dance around the kitchen....  the way his eyes would light up when he walked in from work, to the smell of his favorite dinner...  and the way the morning sun would shine through the window above the sink.  It was a happy kitchen to me.  And as I cleaned the counter tops, and polished the floor for the very last time....   I thought of you.  As I worked, I prayed.  I prayed that this kitchen would be as sweet for you, as it had been for us.

This happened in every room.

As I packed a box.... I packed a story.  A part of us.  The dining room....  not just a dining room....  but the wall that I stood in front of for each monthly pregnancy photo.  The patio, not just a patio....  but where we fired up our first barbecue!  The list goes on and on.  And some memories...  like the story behind the red wine stain in the bedroom (no worries, you'll never find it!) .....  are only for us.  Only we know the laughs we've had, the tears we've shed, and all of the moments that make this house so special to us.

I probably should include for you, a few tips and hints on the house (like, be sure to turn the master shower on 3-4 minutes before getting in!!).

But I won't.

Because the very best thing about this house ...  isn't about the home at all.

It's just across the street from you.

It's there if you need a cup of sugar.... information about the neighborhood... or someone to check and see if you left your garage door open...

but if you're smart...

 you'll ask for much more than that.

You'll ask them into your life, and into your hearts.

Jenn, Mike, Nate & Penny- you will always always be the very best part about our time spent in this home.  We leave behind a house of memories....  but we take with us a lifelong friendship in you.  I miss you so much already.  I miss our walks.... our talks...  our "want to come over and eat ice cream and watch bad tv..."  and I miss hearing a knock at the door, and knowing that it's probably you.  I miss seeing Nate's bedroom light on ....and knowing that you're tucking him in.  I miss knowing that you're all right there.  I just miss you.  There will be more homes, and more neighbors...  but there could never be another you.

Thank you for four years of beautiful memories.  We love you.

New homeowners....  enjoy the Hammond family.  We sure did.

I have to include the biggest reason why saying goodbye to this home has been so hard.  So that maybe you'll understand why turning our house over to you ....is very sentimental for us.

You see.....  it was here ...that we brought home our first baby boy...

And in the first bedroom at the top of the stairs, is where I spent hours rocking him.  In that kitchen is where he carved his first pumpkin, and in that great room is where he first crawled across the floor.

It's where we became a family.

Handing you the key to the place where we began,  is just so hard.  I don't want to close the door, and walk away.  I don't want our time here to end.

But that's only because it has been a place of such joy and happiness.  If these walls could talk, I know that they'd tell stories of great love.  Love that we'll take with us...

.... love that we pray you'll experience here too.

Our last week in our home, was emotional, and very busy. We worked hard not only preparing for our departure....but preparing for your arrival.  We wanted your new home to be perfect for you.  We didn't want you to see traces of our memories ...  but have a fresh clean slate, to start your own.

 On our last evening there, I found my husband on the front porch, holding our son.  He was telling him about our journey ahead.  He told him that this had been such a wonderful home to bring him to,  but that it was time to say goodbye now.   

Though we still had packing to finish up, and were running short on time...we sat on the front porch for awhile.  We talked about our time here...  and how no matter where our journey would lead us...we would always carry this home in our hearts.  

We were exhausted, had swollen teary eyes (and our poor little one was half naked!), but I snapped a picture anyway.  I didn't want to forget that conversation.

On May 20th....   we said our final goodbyes.

We played in the yard one last time.....

....and thanked the Lord for blessing us with our time here.

And then, we said one last prayer for you.

Oh how I pray that this home is as dear to you, as it is to us.

I hope that you too fill it with moments and memories that will last you a lifetime.

And if by chance, you too, rock your baby in the first room at the top of the stairs.....or kiss your husband while cooking in front of the kitchen window.....or hang stockings from the fireplace, or build a snowman in the yard....

know that you're doing it in a place that was so cherished .... and held such great love.

 A place that will always be a part of our story...always be where our family began.

It will always be a piece of home....

....wherever it is that we may go.

Again, welcome home.

With all our love, and best wishes.

-The Davis Family