Farewell Fishbowl...

I have always said that living at 807 E. Broadway Street in Sweetwater has made me feel like living in a fishbowl. Why, you ask? Because Broadway Street is the MAIN road through this tiny town we call home, and my house sits in the middle of a commercial district that includes the Chamber of Commerce, a State Farm Insurance Agency, and oh yea, Pizza Hut. (Nothing like having your home described as, "You know, the one across the street from Pizza Hut"....Classy.) There are two random houses that were built at the first of the 20th century, and they have remained to this day. Let me say that I LOVE this house. I could go on and on about how attached I am to the place that Cody and I have called "home" for 7 years. I cried on the day we signed the papers to purchase it because I was so happy and felt so "grown up". We have laughed here, cried here, had 3 precious babies here (well, not literally, but you know what I mean) and made too many memories to count. Every fall, tons of people come to sit on my wrap-around porch and drink lemonade and watch the Homecoming Parade go by because it's the best seat in town. And speaking of porches, its the best one around for watching lightning storms roll in from the west...one of Cody and I's favorite things to do together. So, like I was saying, it's a GREAT house that I have come to love immensely. BUT, the one downside to living here is that it is on BROADWAY street, and so everyone in town knows exactly what's going down at the Paty house at all times. For example, when we first moved here, I had purchased some furniture at Haverty's in Abilene. When the delivery truck came to deliver my new furniture, I actually had a handful of people say to me, "I saw that you bought some furniture...what did you get?" EXCUSE ME? Hence, the fishbowl description.
Yesterday was a pivotal day for the Paty's at 807 E. Broadway...we have officially put our house on the market to sell. We have purchased a lot across town (in a real neighborhood...with kids and a place to ride bikes, and there are more than 2 houses on the street...it's the little things that make a girl's heart flutter) and we are preparing to build a new home to house these little ones. Now that we know our family is complete, we have outgrown this house and are ready to get settled into something a little more...kid friendly. Let's just say that the original 1908 crystal doorknobs on the doors will probably look much better when they are not smeared with marker or chocolate chip cookies...
So, all of that to say, I am preparing to bid farewell to my fishbowl. We will forever cherish the memories here, but are looking forward to taking our 3 little fish to a bigger pond....