A few months ago, my aunt retired from her job as the secretary of Bates college. She worked there for 40 years and had quite a few amazing retirement parties. At that time, she had also decided to move my grandma and other aunt out of their current apartment and into a newer one. A few reasons were the mold that was growing in their apartment and my grandma needs an easier shower to get into. Plus my aunt wanted something she could really enjoy her retirement in.
The apartment they just moved into has two swimming pools. One outdoor heated pool and one indoor heated pool plus two jaccuzzi's so my other aunt can do her physical therapy. Plus they have two bathrooms now and my grandmother can walk into her shower without trying to step into the tub. My father bought her a chair for the shower so it will be easier for her. The apartment also has a fireplace so if they lose electricity over the winter due to storms, they can keep warm with a fire and they also have very nice stainless steel appliances. They also have a washer and dryer INSIDE their apartment where as for the past 40 years my aunt has been doing their laundry in the apartment laundry mat. So these are good changes.
However, this brings me to all of the memories. I went today to help my dad finish moving them out. They had hired movers, so my dad and I just finished moving the little stuff like boxes. When I arrived there this morning, I took pictures of their apartment, even though it was messy from the boxes, but I wanted to just for sentimental reasons. After a few minutes I had to step outside because I felt this rush of sadness come over me. You have to understand, I have spent 30 years of my own life coming to this apartment EVERY weekend with my parents.
As a kid, I would spend lots of nights with my grandma/aunts, they would read to me (The Gingerbread Man is my favorite book!), I remember taking baths in their bathroom, I would go into my grandma's room and admire all of her jewelry, grandma and I would bake cookies together while grandma would sing to me, "Who's in the kitchen with grandma", my brother and I would go swimming in their apartment pool in the summer months, I would do fashion shows with the clothes they would buy me... All of the Christmases where I'd watch my aunt try to put the lights on the tree and watch her get super stressed out... and afterwards my brother and I would get to help decorate her tree. I remember watching Happy Days and The Adam's Family with my grandma. I remember during Christmas I would take all of my new Barbies and go play in my aunts' bedroom... I remember I would RUN down their hallway every time I used the bathroom like something was chasing after me... all the times my aunt would eat my vegetables when my mom wasn't looking.....
Just so many AMAZING and wonderful memories.
I took these snapshots pretty quickly as the movers were packing up their stuff, so things are misplaced and boxes are kind of everywhere, but I wanted to take pictures as a way to remind myself a little bit about the amazing time I had here.
This is part of their living room. Where these boxes are, they used to have a couch right here. When we would come and visit, my mom and dad would always sit over on this side of the living room. They had to get rid of their couch though because it wasn't going to fit in the new apartment.
Here's the other side of the living room. I usually sit on this side of the living room when I would come over, so I could be close to grandma when she sat in her chair.
This coffee table is older than my brother and I! It has survived my older sister, my brother and I, as well as my grandma's great-grandkids! (my kids and my sister's kids.) My aunts would always worry about one of us kids breaking the glass on the coffee table.
My grandma's room... I would come in here as a kid and stand at her dresser and admire her jewelry. I always loved looking at her stuff, in hopes one day I would be able to have the locket that my grandfather gave to my grandmother.
The bathroom... I was cleaning out their bathroom today and I started to laugh when I got into their tub to get their shampoo and things. I totally remember taking baths in the bathtub there when I was little. I remember my aunt had this jaccuzzi machine that was super loud, but would make lots of bubbles. So much fun!
The hallway from their bedroom/bathroom to the livingroom always scared me when I was little. I'd use the bathroom and then come racing out of the bathroom down the hall because I always thought something was chasing me. lol
Granted the kitchen looks very messy right now with everything tossed around, but grandma usually keeps a pretty tidy kitchen. Grandma and I would bake cookies in here and she'd sing to me, "Who's in the kitchen with grandma". I loved it. I even had my very own rolling pin, which she actually gave to me this weekend. It's very old, but I treasure it so much.
Here's the outside to their apartment. We always parked in front of her apartment when we came over and grandma and my aunts would stand at the door and wave to us kids as we would pull away and leave. Today when I took this picture and pulled away, I actually looked back, expecting them to still be waving at me.
Grandma said today that her new apartment just isn't home. I felt so bad for her and I assured her that she will make her new apartment home again. I totally understood how she felt though. I'm truely sad that they had to move, but it was for such good reasons. I am very happy for them and I hope they learn to love their new apartment and I imagine that we will make lots of new memories in their new apartment.
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