Good-Bye House!!

Our Lovely Wash Park House

We’re moving out of our house tomorrow. The closings seem to be going through this afternoon so I (hope!!) think we're all set. This is the first house Kevin and I bought together. We bought it when we were newlyweds and still in the dreamy stage of what our lives would be like.

I remember when we first saw this house. It was vacant and we came in October 2004 at night to see it. I remember the kitchen was purple but the exposed brick was gorgeous. I loved the hardwood floors and the French doors into the 2nd bedroom. Our windows have amazing molding and trim around them: you can put your pictures or knick-knacks above them and they add so much character!

For me, the thing that really sold me on the house was the original floors in the bathroom and the kitchen (from 1921!) and how big and updated the bathroom was. You can easily fit 3+ people in there at once (which I did one night while I was pumping for Maelin…some friends came in to visit!) The other thing I loved was the updated kitchen. Finally we would have a dishwasher! We had exposed brick, maple cabinets and concrete countertops.

I loved this house. We made an offer on it that night.

We moved in on December 26, 2004. We had friends and family come down the day after Christmas and we had fun! It was our first house. As it is only 988 sq. feet (250 in the basement), we knew we wouldn’t be here forever but as there were no kids in the foreseeable future, we figured we’d really enjoy our time here.

We were right. Kevin and I have loved living in Wash Park. We love being only a few blocks from one of the best parks in Denver. We love going for walks and stopping by the neighborhood gelato place that has the most amazing outdoor patio. I love walking to Whole Foods for random things because it’s only 2 blocks away! I love looking at all the other 100 year-old-houses while we’re out: there is so much character around here! Stained-glass windows, crazy nooks, old bricks, gorgeous porches: things you just don’t see in all neighborhoods anymore. Our house has an Italian feel to it: it’s got creamy stucco and red moldings and an adorable little flower-filled courtyard that we share with our neighbors. I love the garden I've spent over 4 years growing...just yesterday the daisies bloomed that I planted after I brought Maelin home. Will the new owner take care of them?

We’ve had some good times in this house. We had our housewarming party where we all camped out on the front lawn in June 2005 and drank/ate the night away. We had Christina’s Bridal Shower here. We had an End-of-the-Year Party for my school here my first year of teaching. I studied for my Masters Degree in Maelin's room (it used to be the guest room/office). We had Emily and Q’s Engagement Party here. We’ve had great houseguests: my cousin Peter from WI, my mom from MN, my sister from Seattle and Zana & Martin from England have all stayed here with us. Book Club, Girls Night Out, Bachelorette Parties and Wedding After-Parties have all gone down at this house.

I think the most important event that has happened here that I will always remember is this where we brought our first baby home. This is home for Maelin…the only home she’s ever known. I know she won’t remember it, but I will always have a place in my heart for this house as the place I brought my baby to. It’s the place that I sat dreaming in the nursery of what she would be like. It’s where I went into labor. It’s where the nurse visited when we first came home from the hospital to be sure we were doing alright. It's where my sister and I taught Maelin how to nurse. It's where I sat and cried with my younger sister when I realized I had postpartum depression. It's where Kevin and I were brought kicking and screaming into the wonderful (but horribly hard) world of parenting. It’s where Maelin took her first bath, slept through the night, said her first word, rolled over, celebrated her first Christmas and laughed a thousand laughs.

I love this house and although we’ve outgrown it, we’ll never forget it. It’s treated us well. I hope the next house will be as loved…



This is a picture of our living room from the front door...you can see the kitchen and our bedroom door



This is the view from the front door into Maelin's room (she's got the french doors)




This is our kitchen from the living room. The bathroom is directly behind me and the basement is just down the stairs




This is our living room as you look from Maelin's room





This is Maelin's room




This is our room










Goodbye Lovely Wash Park house! We'll miss your charm, character, history and location!