SOLD! Top 10(ish) memories of our house...

So third time is the charm I guess.  Our house has finally sold.  We are happy to be moving on and living closer to work and schools for the boys but it is definitely bitter sweet.  I won't even start with the people I'm going to miss living mere minutes from (I will still live only minutes from them, just more minutes, we are really not moving that far), that is by far the hardest part.  We are currently trying to get organized and packed up and its making me fell nostalgic. I've tried to boil down my top 10 memories of our house...which is impossible in some ways.  And I tried to encompass our entire 7 years here, because in all honestly I could have a top 100 memories of just the boys experiences in this house...from births to birthdays and all their first.  It will be sad to leave this place.  So here goes some memories...they are sort of in no particular order (but some are....read on, you'll see what I mean).

#10:  Party, caramba, fiesta

Ok its not like we were known for throwing epic bashes but we did have some pretty fun times in this place.  I didn't include Scott's birthday party, I'm talking pre baby parties (for the record Scott's birthday party is in my top 10, like I said I could do a whole list just for the boys, maybe I will???  I digress...)  We so appreciated our closest friends and family joining us to celebrate life events or just events, or just summer time.  

Below is Adam (roommate at the time) and Brian at Brian's 25th UCLA themed birthday party (UCLA played USC that day so we centered the party around the game)  Boys: daddy is drinking blue koolaid!

Halloween 2006(?)  (Pre Riley Johnson being born or being preggo...help me out Leilani??)

Cinco de Mayo 2007 - probably one of our best...at least I thought so, but I attended the whole party, some didn't....

Girls night out...

Brian's 30th

 I would also like to include in the category all of our BBQs and pool time, and basically summer in general.  Summer is the time when our house shines.  When can be out back in the pool from sun up to sun down, grill all our emails and enjoy each others company!  Thanks to everyone who joined us for all these crazy times, you all are what made these memories so special.

#9:  Mt. Whitney hangover

In 2007, Brent and I hiked Mt. Whitney in a day.  It was really fun and memorable.  We prepared for it for months in advance, had a great time and then crazily decided to drive home at midnight the night we got down the mountain..we just wanted to be in our own beds.  Brent (our roommate at the time) and I really bonded over this experience and in the subsequent months that Brian had to travel a ton.  I will always remember that next day at our house, we could barely move, Brian got home and thought we were totally nuts for doing it in the first place.

#8:  Happy Holidays

I just love our house during Christmas.  We have had 7 Christmases in this house (there have been one or two Christmas days that we haven't been here but 7 Christmas seasons).  We have always been blessed with friends and family nearby to share the joy of the season with us.

I think this is 2005 or 2006.

 2008

Scott's first Christmas (2010)

Scott's 2nd Christmas (this past year)

 Its a bit sad to me that Owen won't have any Christmases in this house, but I'm already imagining what our new place will look like at Christmas (our new place which, by the way, we don't actually have yet, so I have a very active imagination).  I'm looking forward to memories made in the coming years with both boys in a new house.

#7:  Dr. ME

I started and finished chiropractic school from this house.  In the process I met one of my best friends in the world, Kelly, who shared the whole journey with me.  Although there were high and low points of chiropractic school, overall it got me where I am today (which I couldn't be happier about) and I consider it a big accomplishment in my life.

 Kelly and me, Day 1 (2005) of chiropractic school (in my car in the Cleveland parking lot! we met taking a prereq course so we were fortunate to already know each other for the first day of school and literally share every moment)

 Graduation day

My oh-so-patient hubby (fiancé at the time), endured all of chiro school with me and all that that entails.  He rocks!

Graduation party at our house.

 From the first day to graduation day I have so many memories from that time.  Studying for exams until all hours of the night (often times with Kelly) at the kitchen table.  Studying for, taking and thankfully passing all 4 parts of the national boards (I distinctly remember coming to check my board scores on the computer in this very room).  Despite the ups and downs I'm thankful for the memories.


#6:  Future Mrs.

Friday the 13th of July, 2007.  Brian and I got engaged in this house.  Dinner, music, flowers, candles, dancing and down on one knee.  I will never forget the night!

#5:  Showered

Sticking with the wedding theme, my bridal shower was hosted at our house.   My baby shower too for that matter.  And really all of the wedding planning was done here.  It was such a fun, memorable, once in a lifetime period of our lives.

#4:  Mr. & Mrs.  Campbell

Brian and I became Mr. and Mrs. in this house.  Well technically not in this house, I mean our wedding wasn't here.  But this is where we lived when it all went down.

#3:  There's a party going on...in my tummy

Finding out we were pregnant.  And the title is a 'yo gabba gabba' reference for the non parents of toddlers...ironic because we don't watch that show, nor can I stand it, but I know it nonetheless.  July 6th, 2009 and 2011 I found out we were pregnant with Scott and Owen (respectively).  Neither time was I necessarily expecting a positive test and Brian wasn't here with me either time.  I had taken some negative tests when he had been home, he just didn't happen to be when they turned up positive.  I had to wait all day to tell him which nearly killed me, but it also made telling Brian we were pregnant a really fun memory!

Telling Brian about Scott (Scott told him about Owen)

A special day

Speaking of being pregnant with the boys, that reminds me of a not so fond memory, but now, looking back, a really funny one.  When we got back from our trip to NYC in 2009 I was pregnant with Scott but didn't know it yet.  Long story short there was a squirrel stuck in our stove vent.  It made all kinds of noise and we couldn't get it out.  We even had our neighbors come try to help.  We spent a sleepless night with a trash can taped under the open vent to see if he would fall in, which he did (animal control wouldn't come until the next day).  The next day the animal control guy came and freed the little bugger.  It had peed all over the stove and I was completely grossed out.  I spent the whole day bleaching the crap out of my kitchen, only to find out a few days later I was pregnant and then i really freaked because I had basically immersed myself in chemicals trying to get the place clean.  Turns out Scott is fine though....but to this day I hate and despise squirrels and my skin crawls when I hear their freaky little noises.

#2/#1:  Push him out, shove him out....WAY OUT!

A Cosby show reference by the way....no Brian did not chant this to me during labor, it would not have ended well for him.  S0 of course tied for number one is the birth of our boys.  No explanation needed here really.  Scott and Owen's births are by far our best memories of this house.

Newborn Scott

Newborn Owen

Brothers meet for the first time

Like I said I could make a whole list of memories of just the boys in this house.  Scott had so many firsts here.  It is bittersweet to be leaving (again don't get me started on our friends that live so close by) but we are excited about the next step and for new memories to be made in a new house.