Ode to The Manor

On a rainy day in October 2004 I drove up to this....

 There are so many reasons I loved this house from the beginning. I knew we could bring her back to life. After redoing a Vestavia rancher, we thought we were pro's and were ready for bigger and better houses. Ha! If only we had known. Nevertheless, we bought her and loved her back to life. After tons of manual labor, sweat, and a lot more money than we ever intended to spend, we moved in. Primed walls ready to paint, no heat upstairs with 2 year old and 6 month old was not how I envisioned the first night to be. We all slept on the floor Christmas Eve, with a tiny Charlie Brown tree brightening up the corner. A memory I will always cherish, but never, ever want to repeat.

After slowly painting and decorating and redecorating, painting and repainting, she finally became our home. We have loved living here for more than 6 years now. I have watched my babies grow to toddlers, toddlers to children, brought a newborn home and have some of my most treasured memories sitting on the porches with good, good friends. Our halls have been filled with much laughter, joy and lots of little feet bustling around as the years rolled by and we became more settled.

They don't make houses like her today. She is like an old friend whom I've grown to love. I know her perks and her quirkiness. I know that she has a hard time cooling our top back room that is our playroom. The front staircase, the 3rd step to the top, when stepped on sounds like it is a 100 years old, which it is. Her shady porch is a haven in the spring and fall as the crickets chirp and the sun sets over the city. Someone is always going up or down her backstairs, that actually don't creak. Her built-in deacon benches in the foyer house Scrabble, Master Mind, Memory, puzzles, old quilts and a bucket full of bubbles. She is a great entertainer and has quite a history...and so much more.

We will also miss the charm of our surroundings here, like the impromptu firework shows on Saturday nights from The Club, that we have the perfect view of watching from our playroom windows...like tonight. Mr. Roger, who has lived in a little bungalow down the street for decades, is our neighbor who wears an "I love Jesus" croakie, refers to himself as "Luke's dog walker", calls the banshee's "Sunny" and "Sport" and has been donned the Mayor of Cullom Street {and I secretly think he is a millionaire as he has mentioned his farm, cruises and his beach house through-out the years}. The view of the city from our master bedroom bay window as we lay in bed, as well as the view from the top porch. Seeing Vulcan in the fall as the banshee's play with the windows flung open wide and the hum of the attic fan....and again so much more.

Tonight we are watching the "Money Pit" that the hubby bought me for my "move-in day present" {plus a poster he FULLY thought we would hang in the study...I think the house ate it ;)}. The reality of it, when we first tried to watch it, and the pains of renovating so close to home (the wounds were still open and bleeding in the money spent and horrible contractors we had) we had to turn it off within the first 15 minutes. So, before we move we are watching it and NOW it is funny as the memories of the "renovating nightmare" aren't so fresh.

And now 6 + years later we leave behind this...

and I am thankful we aren't giving her up completely, as we are just renting to some Med student (girls) who seem to be passionate about living here, which makes me very. very. happy!