It has been several weeks (months?) since my last post. Life has been busy. Life has been great. I can only hope that my handful of devoted readers and supporters are still around :)
In my formative years, I was blessed to have the opportunity to experience many different houses with my family. My Dad had a bit of ADD when it came to housing...We moved a total of 6 times from the time I was born until I was 18, and no, my Dad was not a career military man. Fortunately, we always stayed in the same general area of Indiana, and I only had to change schools once in 5th grade.
I always enjoyed the experience of getting to know a new house, but one house in particular will always be my favorite. It will forever be the house that comes to mind when I think of home. I have more fond memories of this one particular house than any other. Countless family events, sibling clashes, the barn with horses, the pasture, the gully, the pond, and the wide open freedom for my imagination to run wild as I acted out Indiana Jones or played the part of a ninja in the yard. It was certainly an incredible place to grow up, and for that, I am thankful.
I love the fact that my Dad built this house with his bare hands. In fact, family legend states that the logs for the house were delivered on the day I was born in June of 1983. This fact, as well as the fact that Dad was the builder, made the house extra special for me.
The house sat at the end of what I thought at the time to be the longest driveway in existence, and it only seemed longer when I started school and had to walk down to the bus.
In its original form, the house had four bedrooms and a bathroom on the top level, with the master, living room, dining room, family room, laundry room, and kitchen on the main level. It was completely open on the inside, with two of the bedrooms upstairs overlooking the living room. There was also an open view of the kitchen from the hallway upstairs. The entire concept promoted togetherness. It also allowed me to master spying on my sisters' boyfriends to insure they didn't get fresh with my sisters...
Eventually, my Dad added on a garage and four seasons room with a hot tub, as well as a patio. Overall, the house had everything. A wood burning stove, a wrap around porch with a view of the entire property, a treehouse with a rope swing on the pond. On Sunday afternoons, I always looked forward to sitting on the porch with Dad as we shot snapping turtles in the pond with a .22 rifle. Different times indeed.
There are far too many memories for me to list, but I will always remember feeling loved and safe in this house. Our family of six spent time taking care of the two horses, one calf, and one pig we kept in the barn, but I am sure Dad probably did most of the work...My brother, Justin, and I would talk our laid back Uncle Don into playing catch with us as we sat on the roof of the house, just outside the windows on the front. He would toss the ball up to us and wait for us to throw it or roll it back down. We always looked forward to the times Aunt Dori and Uncle Don would come up from Alabama for a visit.
There may have also been an incident (or possibly several separate incidents) in which your's truly rode his big wheel across the front porch completely naked. Only one such incident was confirmed on film, and I am sure the image will make an appearance during the slide show which will be shown at my and Jennifer's wedding in April. You all now have something to look forward too...
I remember how we would watch Cosby together and eat home made pizza. I remember how Grandma and Grandpa would come over and we would all play Rook for hours. There were countless nights I spent at the dinner table asleep as I refused to drink my milk and was not allowed to get up until I did. It turns out, warm milk is even worse...
The picture below is from Christmas of 1984 when I was one-and-a-half. Apparently we managed to successfully assemble a gingerbread house. Adrienne, the first born and Family Commander In Chief, is on the left, followed by Justin, the third born Know-it-All. Erin, the second born Easy-Going Free-Spirit is next to him, and lastly, your's truly - the last born adorable little guy on the right.
That wonderful picture was taken in the living room, which is pictured below. My Aunt Dori recently came across the picture above in a keepsake box which belonged to my Mom's Mom, Nana. It makes me smile to know that Nana treasured memories of her four grandkids in that house as much as I treasure the same memories.
It feels great to take a moment and reflect on such great memories. I was, and continue to be, blessed with an amazing family. I am further blessed to have the honor of marrying Jennifer and becoming part of another amazing family. One of the most amazing things about Jennifer is the fact that she was raised with nearly identical values as I was, and that, I believe, is the basis of our connection.
As I look ahead in life and think about the future, I can only hope that I am able to provide for my family and create a home which my children can remember fondly. I do happen to be the least handy man on Earth, so I do not believe I will be able to construct such an actual house as my Dad did. Even if I cannot physically build my family a house, I will certainly provide for them the requisite love and faith needed to make it a home.
I will always remember the log house, and all the love my family shared for so many years there.
