Ten years, hundreds of memories

Veggies: Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes doused in garlic, olive oil, mint, salt and pepper may be my new favorite party dish.

Wine: In between sips of sangria, Hangtime Pinot Noir is making me very happy.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, DP and I are buying our second house. (We still own our first house, but hopefully not for much longer.) As I started packing a few boxes today in anticipation of moving later this summer, I was unexpectedly hit with a wave of sadness. For those who interact with me on a frequent basis, you know that this move is long overdue, so you and I both are surprised by this flash of nostalgia. As I wrapped wine glasses in fat quarters (who knew that my ridiculous fabric stash could be oh-so-useful?), I thought about all the memories we've created in our first house:

-I still remember walking down the stairs on the first night we moved in -- so excited that NO ONE was going to be living above us any more! I cranked up the music extra loud in celebration.
-Getting Rusty, our scavenger mutt. The first morning we had him, he woke up at 6 or so, and I took him on a walk. When we got back to the house, we sat on the deck and looked at each other. I think both of us were thinking, "Oh sh*t, it's only 7 am. What do we do now?" After 10 years, we've figured out the routine. Eat, walk, sleep, play. Shuffle. Repeat.
-Speaking of walking Rusty, I have neighborhood dog-walking friends I'll miss. We know each other by our dogs' names. I have favorite routes that I've walked at dawn, dusk, and every time in between. I've seen houses and yards transform (in both good and bad ways), I've seen children grow up, I've seen people move in and out. It's amazing what I've learned about strangers walking past their houses on a regular basis.
-DP and I learned about the spectacular successes and failures of homeownership and home improvement. We've gone days without running water ... we've created spaces we've loved ... we've had showdowns over paint colors ... we've spent many evenings watching movies on our 1977 hand-me-down avocado green couch that will soon be replaced with a new pear green couch.
-Friendsgiving! (Don't worry, though -- our version of a non-traditional Thanksgiving with friends will continue into its seventh year in our new house.)

Fortunately, I adore our new house and know that we'll make thousands of fantastic memories there -- starting with tearing down room after room of 1960s wallpaper with my parents. I'm already envisioning morning yoga sessions on the patio, parties in the paneled basement, new dogs and dog-owners to meet, and reasonable home improvement projects (right, DP?) over the next 10+ years. Pictures to come!