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In 2003, we moved to a property in Salem, Connecticut. It had a lot of land and my parents built a house there that would become my home throughout my childhood and into my early twenties. While the house was being built, we lived in a camper in the front yard (which I thought was the COOLEST thing ever as a 6 year old).
In 2004, we moved into the house that would be my home from childhood through my early 20s. I lived in that house up until 2021. For 17 years, that was my home. My parents lived there until the end of 2023.
I watched it get built as a kid. It was a pretty cool experience. And I remember a lot of it to this day.
I also watched the property evolve through my father’s hard work. The property was an old nursery so the area where we were building the house had hoop houses. It took years, but the hoop houses were eventually moved and we were left with quite a large front yard.
The property also has a pond, which we used to have parties at. When we first got the property, it was a bit of a jungle down there. But slowly, my father cleaned it up and even made a beach down there. I spent so many summers hanging out at the pond paddle boating, kayaking, and swimming. We also had so many parties down there. We made the pump house a hangout and my dad even had an outhouse built down there.
It’s super weird to think about the fact that this house is no longer my family’s home. I had so many firsts in that house and I have so many memories with family and friends there. We never thought that my parents would ever leave, but upkeep took a lot of time and effort and it just became too much for just my parents and my sister.
While it’s weird, I’m also surprisingly okay. I thought it would upset me a lot more. But, I think it helped that my parents moved out of the Salem house about a year ago so I got used to going to their new house. I love where I live now and I also like my parents new house, which happens to be less than five miles from where I live. It’s still odd sometimes no longer having a permanent tie to Salem, but we’re now making memories in our new homes. I like that it’s a new chapter.
I hope that whoever lives in our old house now enjoys it and makes the house their own. That house and property were truly one of a kind.
-Kailey
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