Over the river and through the woods....

Over the River and through the woods…

As my time in my grandmother’s home draws to an end, I must stop and reflect of the time spent here.  I have lived here since April of last year. However, I’m not just talking about that time. I’m talking about my entire life.

When I was growing up, I remember trips to grandmas well. We would always drive all day and most of the night to get here. When we FINALLY saw the super dome, my sisters and I would be so excited. After we made it to Belle Chasse, we would pull into grandma’s driveway. I would jump out and run into the house to find her. Most of the time, she would be on the computer or taking a nap when we got there. I just remember her always hugging me so tightly almost as if she never intended to let you go.

I just walk around the house and a ton of memories flood my brain. In the living room is where Kelly and Jamie taught me how to shave my legs using a big pot from the kitchen which I am pretty sure was the same pot that spaghetti was made in the next day. (No one died.)  This is also where most of the cousins watched a travel channel marathon for four hours while we decided what to do while the adults were out. I’m pretty sure we all liked it too…haha.

The kitchen is the room where grandma taught me how to make red beans and rice…which I still haven’t mastered. She also taught me how to make fried zucchini which is delicious.  This is also the room where it basically always smelled of bleach. Lemon bleach.

The table is filled with memories of thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. There would usually be people everywhere. This is also where I had the last full conversation with my grandma.

The den is where Nina and Kelly (and sometimes me) would make up their dances to all sorts of songs. That is also the room that most if not all of the cousin sleepovers took place.  Literally bodies on the whole floor. I have pictures to confirm this.

Then you have the “kids” bedrooms. Before moving here I never remember sleeping in the front. It wasn’t as fun as the other one, because adults always occupied that one. Countless nights were spent in the back with sisters and cousins. I also slept in that closet for a week during a vacation a few years ago. This is also the room where Aunt Janine famously said, “They aren’t your friends, they’re your cousins.”

Then there is grandma’s room. My early memories of her room where running and jumping up on her bed and listening to some bit of wisdom she had or catching up on some part of life.  During the first part of my stay here that was the room where we would just lay on the bed and watch television. Sometimes we would talk, and other times it would be silent. It was also the room where I said goodbye. It is still hard to be in that room even today.

The back yard is worth mentioning. Soccer games, fireworks, picnics, swinging, planes, and countless family pictures are things I remember out there.  It is also where some of the female cousins and me were convinced we had a stalker and ran around the neighborhood (we were little…don’t judge). I will also include the park in that area. I’m pretty sure every member of the family has spent a significant amount of their lives at the park.

Soon this house won’t belong to a Campbell, which will be for the first time ever.  It is the finalization of everything that has happened. It is the last step. Most people say the last step is the easiest. I don’t know if I agree with that. I know that the house and everything in it are just things. They will soon be of little value and fade away. My memories won’t though. I will always remember how excited I was to always come to grandma’s house. I will never forget the good times I had during my entire life here. I will never forget the tough times either.

When I was growing up, it was always hard to leave here. Usually we had spent so much time with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandma that I would want to stay. But, inevitably we would have to leave. Every time, without fail, grandma would cry as she hugged us goodbye. She would tell us to be good and then say she loved us. I was never sure if she was crying because she would miss us or that we were finally leaving J

This time, leaving will be the hardest. Not only will my grandmother not be here to see me off as she has so many times, this will be the last time I will ever set foot in this house. I am saying goodbye to that chapter of my life forever. 

I know most people in the family have spent more time here. Everyone has memories. But, physical objects are not memories :)

I love you grandma. I always will. 

(a few visual memories...)