Feels Like Home

 

This past weekend was another busy traveling one for the McVays. This time we traveled to our first home ever as a couple...Stillwater, Oklahoma. My baby sister (far right) graduated college and we couldn't be more proud! She was very involved in our sorority, made a ton of friends, and still managed to pull off a 3. ish GPA (won't know the exact # til all her grades are out!). When Natalie graduated high school, my husband and I had all our college buddies write her advice about heading off to higher education. I'm pleased to say she took everyone's advice and really made the most out of her time there. Now she's starting her big girl job tomorrow in Tulsa and is currently in the market for a little loft apartment all her own! We can't wait to see what's in store for her next! The best part? Oh her graduation gift from my parents....a family trip to GREECE!!! We've been bugging my dad to go there for YEARS. We have family that live on the coast near Athens and they have a guest house. No one knows why he was holding out or why he changed his mind all of the sudden, but we are thrilled! Hopefully this will happen next June.

There was another reason to be in Stillwater this weekend.

When I was a freshman, I lived in the dorms for a semester and then moved into my sorority house for 3 semesters. During that time my parents hunted for a house to purchase there. Sounds extravagant, but it just made sense for my family. All my sisters and I went to OSU and my family is always down there for football games and big events.

Eventually in 2005, my parents found the perfect one. It only had two bedrooms at the time, but my dad turned the attic into an extra two bedrooms to maximize renting potential. They turned out wonderfully.

I moved into the house summer of 2006. Right around the time that I met and started dating my now husband. We sat in that driveway and talked for hours on our first date. Our first kiss was in that house's entryway. I had my bachelorette party there and it was the first place we immediately called home after we got married.

That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to memories that place holds. When my husband and I graduated college and moved away, neither of us felt sad at the time. We knew my sisters would still be there, in that house, for years to come. We came back as often as possible. Now that my last sister is heading out, my parents have sold that house. This weekend was our last time to be there, ever.

Neither of us expected to be as sad as we were. We took many pictures to remember the house by. As we walked away from it for the last time, we both found ourselves crying. Almost like we are just now saying goodbye to Stillwater. Now that the house is gone, going there will truly never be the same.

As many wonderful memories as we've had so far though, we are wise enough to know there are many more to come.

Goodbye 1809 West Sunset Blvd....thank you for all the wonderful memories we will ALWAYS cherish....

 

This was the entryway where we had our first kiss

 

Josh insisted we reenact it....yep. still good.