It's our last week in Misawa before we fly back to drop the kids off in the states with grandma and grandpa Benham so Kyle and I can go on one last trip. That means there is a lot that needs to get done! I had to clean the house up so everything would be ready for the movers when they come to pack up the house when Kyle returns after our trip, and that also meant we need to sell our cars. It felt so weird getting the cars cleaned out and taking pictures of them. I can't seem to picture anyone else driving our cars except us. I posted them on the lemon lot military Facebook page and instantly we got a reply for Kyle's car. Bam! In two days we sold Kyle's car off. Now we were down to just one car. I kept praying that someone would show interest in my car, but at the same time I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my little white Honda stream.
We have had some great memories with my little car. We drove it down to Tokyo once, I drive Abby and Connor to and from school every day in that car, and we have done many little adventures such as driving out to Aomori, checking out the Big Buddha statue, or even driving along the rice paddy fields trying to find the azalea festival in Schichinohe. It has been a great little car, and just so perfect for our family. If we don't sell it soon then Kyle will have to take care of it after our trip when he is out processing.
Perhaps an even harder goodbye is saying goodbye to our house, 1838 D on Corsair street. As I cleaned all the rooms for the last time, again I was flooded with memories. This house has been our home these past three years, and it's where my babies grew up. It's the home that we brought Brayden back to after having him at the hospital, where we had Abby's 2nd birthday party, where countless meals were made, temper tantrums thrown, and lots of snuggling while watching movies or chasing each other around the kitchen and living room.
If these walls could talk they would say that a lot of loving, laughing, crying, screaming, yelling, jumping, running, hugging, tickling, falling, dancing, and playing took place in this home these past three years. We have never lived in a home as long as we have lived here in Misawa, and as small and tight it has been I also love how cozy this little home is. It was our first base housing, and hopefully our last. We hated the restrictions of living on base, but at the same time the security and feelings of safety that came with living on base were wonderful. It was a unique experience where we lived on the same street as all the other pilots in our squadron and all the other officers on base, including those in our ward. We knew EVERYONE on our street and it was a very close knit community where "what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine" is the attitude of everyone. We never locked our doors and friends would come in and out, drop something off, or just swing by to see if the kids were up to play. I honestly feel like we had a chance to almost go back in time to life back in the 50s where neighbors were friendly, kids played outside without parents and didn't worry about safety, and everyone helped everyone. I don't know if I am quite ready to go back to life in the States where I have to lock my house and car all the time, where I might know one or two of my neighbors if I'm luck, and have to drive all over the place just to meet up with friends. As much as I hated this base housing for the majority of the time, I secretly loved it as well! It was home, and it's the only home my kids remember. I sure hope our home in Arizona is a place where we can make just as much and many more memories.
Speaking of homes... we actually bought a home!!! Kyle and I have been looking at homes online ever since we knew we were moving back to the Phoenix area, when this particular home popped up on the market. It was a pre-foreclosure, on a 10,000 square foot lot with 4 bedrooms. It met both mine and Kyle's requirements concerning lot size and room number. We asked if Nate could take a look at it for us, and when we walked though it with him while being skyped in on the phone we immediately loved it! We put in an offer and after a little back and forth we settled on a price with the sellers. Now we are just waiting for it to pass inspection and to finish out the escrow period. We plan to check out the house one last time before signing the papers when we drop the kids off back in the states next week. This time in person, and I can't wait to see it with my own eyes.
I can't believe we bought a house without walking through it in person, but we both felt like it was right. Kyle's commute to work will be 8 minutes or less depending on the traffic, and it's in Goodyear which is just south of the base in an excellent school district. It needs a little TLC with new carpet, paint, and landscaping, and we have decided to put in a pool as well! Having a home to go to definitely helps me look forward to the future and eases the hurt of leaving our Misawa home behind.
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