See ya later alligator

Who lives in this pretty little house?  That's the question I can remember my mom singing every time we came home...but this weekend she turned the keys over to her beautiful home and is moving on in her life to a brand new condo with no maintenance and new friends to meet.  It was kind of a bitter sweet thing for me.  I am super excited for her to move on in her life and make new memories and not be tied to this big house that's full of tons of happy and very sad memories.  But I will also miss this home, the ward and the people.  I lived here from the time I was 11 till 21, then also for almost 3 years with Kendall.  Sam learned to walk in this home, & we brought Maggie home from the hospital to this home.  But as we were packing everything up and then on Sunday when we visited my mom, everything was gone and it was just a big empty house...all the memories are there, but most of them got packed up with all her things.  It's definitely just a house now; no longer her home.  I know I'm kind of a dork, but I think it kind of makes me miss my dad a little.

 We built this pergola when I was in junior high...I think.  It's not in this picture, but there was a hammock that was strung between the posts.  We'd swing Maggie for...what seemed like hours...when she was just a little baby.

 I'm pretty sure this gazebo was one of the last things my dad built...or help build anyway.

 It used to be a fire pit and this summer Kendall and I turned it into a rose garden.

 I wanted to get some pictures of the pretty gates my dad had built.

Oh well, we will just have to drive by sometimes I guess!  Do you think it's dumb that I'm feeling so sentimental?  I'm actually normally not a very sentimental person...just ask my mom; she thinks I'm weird.  So I'm not exactly sure why I feel so strongly about this...weird I guess.