The House That Built Me: Selling houses, Moving North, Saying Goodbye

In late 1994 my parents started a mission to build their own house. My mom found an acre of land she liked and purchased it. They also began searching for the right financial institution to loan money from. That is when our journey began. Building got momentarily delayed in early 1995 when my mothers father, my grandpa, suddenly lost his battle with human consciousness.  We flew to California for the funeral and when we got home we resumed building our house.  It is important you understand the time line on these events because a few people seem to think the only reason we built the house was because my mom got a pretty hefty life insurance settlement with her father passed away...but...as you can see things were already in the works. Just to clarify but I digress.
This house took a little over a school year and a half to complete. I was young so that is how I marked it. When we first moved in there were only about 8 houses on our street. Over the last 19 years we have seen this neighborhood flourish. The road is now paved, they hooked the sewer up, and you can also get cable TV! All that stuff seems like not a big deal but I can assure you...it is!
The yard was filled with huge rocks and the driveway was made of mud...but in time we transformed this place into a home. This is the house that built me.

If only these walls could talk. They would tell you about so many late night giggle with friends, the tears from teenage emotions. They would tell you all about the many people who have stepped through the doors. The fights, the hugs, the laughter...this house holds so many of our family secrets and great memories...this is like saying goodbye to an old and very dear friend.
The first night we moved it we sat on the kitchen floor and ate a pizza...I do hope that is how we spend our last. When your childhood home is no longer home...its a very strange feeling.
For those of you who are unaware my parents and I have decided to leave our comfort zone for Nebraska. Why? Well for starters they dont want to leave Hayden but they want to move...so they invited us to go along. Second, this town is everything I've ever dreamt of. It is small, friendly, and they celebrate things the way you see in movies. The school district is in one building! Hayden is going to grow up in a beautiful place. We have a house there and my parents have one right down the street. It will be a new adventure. Im not sure where life will lead us, but I am happy with the direction so far.
My wish is that the family that has bought my childhood home will love it like I did. I hope that they take care of it, make her their own, and confide in her walls. She holds nearly 20 years of our families life, our secrets. I hope she can hold 20 of theirs.