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This was the first house I have ever lived in. Although it was only for a short period of time, this is where my life started. This is also where the lives of many people in my life started, like my mother and her best friend (also my godmother) shown in this picture. There have been three generations in my family that have lived here and this is their childhood home. Although I don’t remember actually living here, this was my first stop after leaving the hospital. This building holds a very special place in my heart. It is a starting point. My family was built here and this is where it all began.

This beautiful yellow house is where I was next. This house belonged to my grandmother, but really it belonged to the family. My grandmother lived on the main floor and the upstairs on this house. My mother and I lived in the apartment downstairs. I have very faint memories of living here but I still have a few. There was only one actual bedroom in this apartment and my mother let me have it all to myself. She turned the dining room into her room. She was right next to me and I always felt safe. If I ever had a bad dream, I would crawl into my mother’s bed and she would sing “You are my Sunshine” to me until I felt better. I remember climbing the stairs to go see my grandmother during the day and doing all the things I used to love as a kid. We used to bake and do arts and crafts. Almost all of the Christmas ornaments we have for our tree were made by me and my grandmother. I remember having a huge New Year’s Eve family party every year in that house. My grandmother had two big birds that lived upstairs with her that I loved to look at. She had a few cats that were the best cats anyone could have. This house in still in my family even though my grandmother has passed because it holds so many of our greatest memories.

We decided to move into a new house when I was starting second grade. We moved to a four-bedroom house on the South Side of Chicago. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, but it wasn’t the worst. This is the house I lived in from second grade through high school. This is the house I lived in the majority of my life and where I was shaped into who I am now. I learned how to ride my bike and play piano in this house. My brother and sister were born while I lived in this house. My mom and stepdad got divorced while we lived in this house. My mom met her most recent husband while I lived in this house. There were so many good and bad memories that still live in this house. They are written in the walls and nailed to the floors. One memory that will always be very important to me is Thanksgiving. My family decided many years ago to celebrate our Thanksgiving on Wednesday instead of Thursday. We did this so everyone could be together without having to jeopardize any other plans. I remember the smell of the food cooking when I came home from school. It was the one thing I was excited for on that Wednesday every year. I came home, opened the door, and was greeted by the warm smell of a clean house, a fall candle, and the ham and turkey cooking in the oven. One thing that we always do during our Wednesday Thanksgiving is we go around the room and say one thing we are all grateful for. One year, it was my turn to say what I was thankful for and I decided to tell everyone that I was thankful for my mom. The second I finished my first sentence, I started to cry uncontrollably and my mom had to take me away and calm me down. Our Wednesday thanksgiving is such a great memory for me and its one that will never end. A bad memory that stays with me from that house was when my mom and stepdad told me that they were getting divorced. They were sitting on the couch and I was sitting on the floor and they were explaining to me what was going to happen over the next couple of weeks. I remember feeling so sad and alone. I didn’t want my stepdad to leave but I knew him and my mom fought so much and I hated it. Once they were done telling me about the divorce, I remember crying in my stepfather’s arms and there was music on in the background. The song Stay by Sugarland was playing on TV and it made me feel like I was losing him forever. It has been almost 9 years since they have been divorced and they have both gotten remarried and I never feel like my stepfather abandoned me. He makes sure that I am okay and I know he really cares about me. One amazing memory I have from living in this house was when my mother started seeing her current husband. I was never one of those kids who was overly protective of their parents. That was such a weird concept to me. I wanted my mom to be happy and I knew that she was happy when she told me about him. She hasn’t been happy for a long time and I could tell. Once he started coming around and hanging out with all of us more often, I started to finally see what true love was. They looked at each other like there was nothing else around them but love and happiness. I remember when I was obsessed with the Calvin and Hobbes comic books and I was talking to him about it one night he was over. The very next day he came over and gave me four new comic books that I didn’t have and I remember telling my mom, “he is a keeper!”. When we actually moved out of this house, it was so scary and very sad. This was the house that I had grown up in and had the most memories in. I was ready for new adventures, however, and I was ready to move into our new house.

Before we move on to our new house, I have to talk about my father’s house. My parents were never married and I grew up going to his house every other weekend. I know I didn’t technically live in this house full time, but it is still somewhere that I spent a lot of time. My father, stepmother, and two bothers lived here and I stayed here every other weekend. My brother’s and I had a great relationship being that we were closer in age than my siblings who lived with me and my mother. I always went to their football games and supported them through anything they were doing. I learned a lot from going to my father’s house every other weekend. There are much more negative memories from that house unfortunately, but it was a house that I passed through in life, so it’s worth a mention.

August of 2014 is when we moved into our new house. I remember painting and helping my mom decorate each room when we moved it. I remember when she painted the house cream and brown, she said, “yea it’s like coffee and cream” and I rolled my eyes because I knew my mom loved coffee. I chose my furniture and my layout of my room so I could feel comfortable in here are all times. I wish that was the case. This is the room were the most terrible things have happened to me. I lost both of my grandmothers, I had a huge fight with my father that ended in not talking to him for three years, and I also put myself through a very unhealthy relationship while I was in this room. Time went on and I moved past most of the bad stuff and I was finally accepted into Eastern Illinois University. I remember how hard this decision was for me because my former boyfriend was so against me going to school away from the Chicago, or away from him. I was so happy to receive my acceptance letter because that meant that I could finally make something of myself. I could finally figure out what my career would be and plan a life for myself. I could finally get away from a very toxic relationship and focus on me for once. This house is where I found my new beginning, and it is where I call home now.

When I moved into Stevenson Hall, I didn’t expect to go through everything that I went through that year. I met my roommates, who helped me become a better person, the love of my life, and some of the greatest friends I have ever met. This was the first time I had ever been on my own and it was such a scary though. I couldn’t turn to my mom for face-to-face advice, and I couldn’t just drive to a friend’s house if I needed them. I was three hours away and on my own. It was a difficult year to say the least. I finally got the courage to leave my toxic relationship and be on my own for a while. I learned how to live on my own, I joined organizations, and I actually grew into the woman I am today. I had been through many difficult times with my friends and roommates and my roommate Ashley is the reason why I am confident in who I am now. She was the friend who wasn’t afraid to bring me down to earth and tell me what I was doing wrong. She was also the friend who was always there for me in my time of need. I honestly can say that she is the most honest and trustworthy friend I have ever had the privilege of having. Another amazing thing that happened while I was living here, was that I met the love of my life. I met Wade through hall council and I have never met someone who made me feel so comfortable and beautiful all at the same time. He is the one I will be with forever and I am so happy and grateful that our path’s crossed. Without going through these things, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.

I now move to the house I currently reside in. This house is so amazing and beautiful that I don’t know how to put it into words. I feel content with my roommates who are the same from last year (one being a new girl) and the sweetest dog you will ever meet. Although school is stressful, I know that living here is so amazing and I’m so happy to be living here with these three other girls. I am continually learning more and growing every day. It has only been a few months, but I really feel comfortable in this house. I feel as though I can be myself and I don’t have to worry about anything else but myself and my future. After everything that happened the year I lived in Stevenson Hall, I finally feel that I have grown so much and I am on a positive track toward my future.

After taking a trip down memory lane, I realized a few things. I realized that I have lived in many different places in my life, but I also realized that it’s not the actual house that makes me consider it my home. In fact, it is the memories and experiences that I had while being there. Most importantly it is the people that were there with me. Home is a complex idea, and it can mean many things to many different people. To me, it’s the memories, the people, the traditions, the tears, and so much more. Home is everything that happens within those walls and how it shaped you to be who you are now.