Last night I cleaned the fridge. I mean, like, emptying the fridge in preparation for the move and it was B-A-D. I knew this day was coming so I'd put off cleaning it for awhile. Ugh. I don't even want to think about the stench that came out of some of that tupperware when I popped open their tightly sealed lids. I kept cursing under my breath that I'd be happy when we were all moved and this nonsense was done.

But here I sit tonight - the last night in the house before it's all packed up - and I'm very, very sad. I love this little house! I keep getting weepy when I think about all that has happened here in the last five years. It has been a wonderful home for us and it is just teeming with warm memories. Here are a couple that I'm savoring at the moment...

That first summer we were here - 2004 - Dude would come home from work, toss his bag in the house and, before he changed even, would check on "his" tomato plants beside the house. I had never seen him care about something like that with such passion. This is the guy that is totally anti-pet and took YEARS to come around to wanting children. It even made our holiday letter that year that Dude had taken a "parental interest" in those tomatoes. Ironically, I don't remember actually eating any of the tomatoes that MUST have resulted from his tender loving care.

The kitchen in this house is miniscule. I'm so not kidding. It is the smallest kitchen I've ever seen in a house and was, by far, the biggest drawback to our purchasing it. Regardless, I've cranked out some pretty impressive meals here. One that stands out as amazingly superb was Thanksgiving 2006 - the one when my older sister and her husband came to visit. We made duck breasts with a cherry port reduction, pesto mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, horseradish creamed spinach, dressing (cooked in a muffin tin so that there was a higher ratio of crunchy outside to soft inside than is found in a regular casserole dish), rolls (the most delicious dinner rolls ever) and stewed orange cranberries. We also made pecan pie and a pumpkin cake with an ornate mandarin-orange-and-pomegranate design on the top.

October 25, 2007: I was almost 33 weeks pregnant, working from home that day and on a business call with an attorney who was giving me a thorough recounting of an important conversation with my boss. As I stood at the bottom of the stairs - GUSH! - my water broke. I wasn't sure if it was gross to say my water had just broken or if I should just try to end the conversation quickly without mentioning that I was standing in a puddle and my sweatpants were glued to my legs. I guess I wasn't thinking very clearly because I opted for the latter. It took me a good two minutes to get off the phone. Dude was also on his phone in the kitchen conducting a conference call. I said, "Honey!" He ignored me. "Honey!" Still nothing. "DUDE!!!" His head popped around the corner with a look on his face that clearly said, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
Me: "I'm pretty sure my water just broke."
Him: "Guys. I've gotta go." And he promptly hung up.
Thus began our adventure as parents.

I could go on and on but I won't. Suffice it to say that this little house has been good to us and I'll miss her.