The house I grew up in.

8x10 inch, watercolor and music sheets on paper, mounted

This is the house I grew up in.  My parents moved our family here when I was 5.  I moved out when I was 25.  So much happened in those 20 or so years.  Like, for example, the room on the top left was were my older sister Kim slept when the lightning struck the tree right outside her window.  On the other side of the house was Kari's room- the smallest in the house, yet the most coveted.  Across from Kim was my parents room where my little sister Jamie and I would sit on the bed and watch movies during those long hot summer days.  My room was on the other side of mom and dad's and had a nice heavy wooden door that made the house shake when slammed.

The tree right outside my bedroom window was the best for climbing.  My favorite tree in the yard though was (and still is) the huge oak on the other side of the drive where my dad hung 3 tall swings from the branches.  I loved to swing.  I loved to spin Jamie on the tallest swing until she was so dizzy she'd puke.  And she had to let me.  #bigsistersubmission

Out on the farthest corner of the yard was a treehouse my dad built.  That tree house is where I'd sit for hours and read "Harriet the Spy" and pretend that I too was a spy.  It's where I learned and practiced all my best spying tricks.  It's also where I'd climb on the catwalk even though my mom always told me not to.  It's where I'd do all my deep thinking.  :)

And the yard.  So full of adventure for a weird and overly curious little girl like myself.  The yard is where I'd play soccer with my friends on my birthday in the rain.  It's were our pets were buried and where I'd find all those cool rocks (you know, for my collection).  The yard around the house is where I'd make Jamie run laps when she annoyed me.  And the bushes to the right of the house was were I'd hide.

Max and Dottie are my parent's dogs now.  They've inherited the place now that all of us 4 girls are gone.  They're my parents' new children, and with all of the attention they get, I'm sure they couldn't be happier.