Emptying the nest

Fishing Through Memories Inspired Me With This Post

Shelley

As I sit at my computer desk, in the corner of my office, I think fondly back to all the uses this room has had over the 30+ years of living here. Originally, it was a storage room, then an office for my hubby, then a baby nursery for 6-8 years, then back to a shared office again, revived to be a TV/playroom for the kids, then back to an office with a library, lastly, an office remodeled for just me, and that’s what it has been ever since. I’ve probably forgotten a few renditions along the way. All, I know is it’s currently my home-sweet-home office. And it’s quite a mess. No, I won’t share a photo. 🤣

Looking back now, when I think of a favorite time/use for the room, a baby nursery was a special time. I’d rock the babies to sleep. I loved every moment of being a new mom. It was a safe space where adventures awaited as they grew out of the crib onto bikes and off to their first days of school.

I went back to work full-time when they headed off to grade school. Mr. retired from corporate work, jumped into landlords, became the stay-at-home dad, and took the girls on many adventures. He’d likely say, that time in their lives was the most fun.

Mr. and I waited until our youngest was 5 and our oldest 8 before we took them to places where we vacationed before they were even twinkles in our eyes.

When I nursed each baby daughter in the rocking chair in the corner, I’d look at the cute border on the wall and the small jungle animal decorations. I waited until they dozed off before I laid them in their crib. I imagined what they’d be/do someday when they were my age. I had no clue what an adventure it would be, I was just happy to be their mom.

I was often concerned about the world they’d grow up in – it’s a jungle out there, and would we be able to protect them while we learned to let them go?

On that trip to FL, we captured interesting tidbits and pictures of the girls having fun. The server space the photos take up is, well, a lot! And we took photos like this, look at the gas prices and the sign to the left. . . We thought it was expensive to drive there then. 🙄

Ah, and I remember how we’d hide their Easter baskets in this room too.

That was a fun age. The girls were in Daisies and Brownies and how they loved being in the summer and winter parades.

Their sense of adventure always inspires me. Living high in fields of dreams, no jackets, just rubber boots that would take them everywhere they wanted to go in our rural setting.

Ah, to be a kid and have no worries about what a flooded yard might lead to . . .

It did flood into our basement and it was a mess. But, I digress. The girls could play outside no matter what the temps.

The first signs of Spring, they were on their bikes ready to go.

So much energy to burn off!

Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.

-Anne Frank

We’ve had a lot of fun all these years. My office space held plenty of entertaining moments along the way.

The games they played and the fun they had, I hope they remember fondly those moments too.

Ah…happy memories indeed. Here I sit, with a sore butt, after 2 hours of reminiscing while scrolling through photos – I smiled the whole time. What an adventure life has been and still is with these two girls.

I shall stop here with one last photo below to remember and treasure how fun it was to see these two growing up and discovering life through adventures near and far from home. I’m imagining the adventures that await us all.

Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hills’ Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “Memories of the room you’re in.” Write about a memory of the room (or park, or gym, or wherever you are) you’re in when you write your post. Enjoy! Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills: Mar 24 Urban Sights and Tina for Lens-Artists #292 People Here, There, and Everywhere

PS – Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? Who helped you? Describe the feeling it was when you took off on your own. Do you have a space in your house that has had many uses? Tell us, what’s your favorite use of the space? When you go on an adventure do you seek Urban or Rural settings?

Published by Shelley

Letting my quirk out one post at a time.

43 thoughts on “Fishing Through Memories Inspired Me With This Post”

  1. The photos of your family as they grew up are lovely, Shelley. And that tree in Animal Kingdom is amazing!

    1. Thank you, Cathy! I enjoyed your take on the prompt, so many wonderful scenes and a Jester to make us smile too!

  2. I snuck in a moment to read your delightful post, Shelley! How amazing to look back at precious memories of a special room in your house. We had a room like that at our former home. It had been turned into a nice family room from a garage before we bought it. Then years later it was turned back into a garage again. Not big enough for a car, mind you, but a good space for hubby’s tools and stuff. I got a kick out of seeing your girls playing in the snow wearing t shirts! Happy Easter week to you and your family. We are likely saying goodbye to a family member today who is in hospice at my BIL’s home. We’ll surround her with love as she goes “home.”

    1. Aw, thank you for taking time to share your thoughts. Your hubby lucked out to end up with the man cave!
      Happy Easter to you and your family too. I’m sorry for the loss of your loved one, it’s never easy. My mom passed away around Easter too, it was a peaceful moment to be there with her as she took her last breath. That’s a beautiful way to go home being surrounded by love. 🥰🤗🙏🏻

    1. Aw, yes, that’s very true, thank you for the lovely golden reminder! PS – it’s great to hear from you, I hope you’re doing well!! 🤗😊🥰

        1. That’s good to be busy. I need a little break from blogging and also need to figure out how I broke the connection on my blog to my WP.com account. But, first, I might just take that blogging break. 😉

  4. This post has me smiling ear to ear, Shelley! Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories for your family. Typical northern children, outside in T shirts in such cold weather! So cute.

    You guys have certainly got your money’s worth from your beautiful home! The photo of you and the girls is so wonderful, it makes me smile too. The gas prices are so cheap, we didn’t know how good we had it back in the 1980s, did we…

    Have a great new week, guys! I’m in West Florida, it’s been nice here but just a bit cool.

    1. Aw, John, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. It was fun to put together. Yes, our kids are typical northern children, they’re still that way!

      We have gotten our money’s worth in our home. I love capturing photos with the girls, it’s part of every get together.

      Yeah…the gas prices! I remember my 7th grade teacher telling me, “Someday you’ll see $1/gallon price!” 🙄

      I hope you have a great week too – say Happy Birthday to your dad. And enjoy the weather. Cool…in FL…I’ll be there soon, I hope that changes, I have enough cool here!! 😉😂

          2. At least this time of the year, it doesn’t stick around long. We got 10″ of snow before all the rain started. The grass is soaking it up fast and the Robins will be hunting worms soon!

  7. This is a great post, Shelley. Thanks for sharing the beautiful memories. My brother taught me how to ride a bike. He pointed my bike down the hill that was our yard. He told me to steer toward the fence because the brakes weren’t very good. After a few tries, the feeling of balance was established and I was fine.

    1. Thank you, Dan. Wow – that’s a scary way to learn how to ride the bike. That’s great that you caught on only after a few tries and lived to tell the story. 😉😊

      1. When I taught our daughter to ride (a bike with good brakes), I took her to a grassy hill by the high school. A few times down that slope gave her the feel of balance that she needed. She was fine after that.

        1. The technique is a family tradition! I love it! The more I think about it, the more I remember that an incline helped me feel the balance better when I was learning too. You’re so wise, Dan!

  8. The smallest bedroom in the house was first the TV room, then a spare bedroom with the computer in it, then it was the living room for one of Mary’s friends who an away from her boyfriend’s home, then it was my office. Now I’m not sure it’s anything…

    Dad taught me to ride a bike without training wheels. About all I could do was go up and down Magnolia Avenue, so I did that often.

    1. Hi John, thank you for sharing your room stories. We have a couple rooms that used to have uses, and now they’re a mystery that we don’t feel like solving.
      That’s a fun story about your learning to ride a bike with your dad. It’s a freeing feeling to be able to ride a bike. I wonder how many kids spend time doing that nowadays?

  10. This is such a heartfelt post Shelley. It’s wonderful to look back at memories in your mind, whether they are “movies” or “still shots” but to have the actual pictures in front of you can make you transcend time – the remembrances are so special.

    I do remember who taught me how to ride a bike and that topic just came up recently. I was looking for a picture when a high school friend and I were reminiscing about an evening we spent with some friends who had a band years ago. I knew I had pics of the band, so went looking at my digital pics and in doing so, found pics of a childhood friend. On a whim I looked for this friend (Sandra) and sent the pics to her via Facebook, although we are not “FB Friends”. I sent her pics from my 10th birthday party of her at the party, just before we moved here. We chatted for almost the entire evening, caught up on our lives and I said it was her dad who taught me how to ride a two-wheeler. We had a gravel street (it was a new subdivision) and my father didn’t want me ruining his lawn by riding on it. So how would I learn? Her dad heard me tell Sandra that story and told me to wheel my bike to their house and he would teach me in their backyard. So he did and I knew how to ride the bike and that Summer they paved the street and I could ride the bike then. Before we would have had to carry the bike to the main street – not really safe. She didn’t know or remember that story and the next time she saw him, she told him. But he burst out laughing and said “yes, I remember.”

    My house has become a clutter zone and I have to stop doing that as I intend for the spare bedroom which was turned into a den/TV room to become my hobby room after I retire. It will be a while ’til it is ready though.

    1. Thank you, Linda, your encouraging words are appreciated. That’s so fun that you connected with your childhood friend whose dad taught you to ride a bike. I’m glad he remembered the story too.

      Soon you’ll have time to move things around and make the space all yours! I look forward to hearing about it. 🤗

      1. You are welcome Shelley. I was happy my friend got to share my remembrances and gratitude with her dad who passed way a short time after we connected.

        I am excited for what that room (and me) will become after my decluttering efforts!

  11. Lovely photos of your girls, Shelley! It appears you had a lot of fun and special memories with them, and they have grown through your guidance to be beautiful young ladies. Wishing you a million more memories with your daughters and hoping your “office” can one day be a room for reading, relaxing or just hanging out to enjoy the memories.

    1. Thank you, Mary – we feel blessed and thankful for all the moments that created the memories. I smiled at your idea of what my office could become someday after I retire. I love it…and now I’m dreaming about what kind of chair would I like to sit in to do that reading. 🥰🤔😉

    1. Thank you, Kirstin, I’m glad you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane. I agree, it’s so fun to look at old photos!

  14. This was so nice Shelley. A wonderful trip down memory lane. I’m with you. There were so many thing to do and love and at the end of the day, I just loved being their mom. Very touching and heartfelt. you are so good at putting your feelings in to words we can all grasp.

    1. Aw, thank you so much, Donna. Your love of parenting is carrying on with your grandkids – my heart smiles every time I read one of your posts!

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