So I made the mistake the other day of driving by my parents old house in Newbury Park. I was at a point where I just missed them so much that I needed to reminisce. As I drove from the studio to the house, it felt so natural to head down Borchard Road instead of hopping onto the freeway as usual. It was like nothing had changed; almost as though it hadn’t been almost 2 years since they moved to Montana.

I have been by many times before, but this time something hit me. The house looked so different. The small patch of lawn on the right side of the house has been replaced with concrete; an extension to the driveway to accommodate the owners large trucks. The right side actually has grass now and I am sure the backyard does too. People used to joke about the lack of lawn at our house, but it eventually became part of its charm and what made it the place where “The Taylor’s” lived. The small little swinging gate that led to the back yard on the right hand side of the house has now been replaced by a large ugly fence. While my parents always talked about fencing in the yard, it didn’t look right now. The blinds in the front living room window were completely open and the house inside looked so empty and cold. Sad thing was that I could still see my parents furniture sitting inside.

As I sat there in the car, taking it all in, I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. Instead I drove away realizing that home truly is where the heart is. Even though I had spent 23 years of my life in that house, it had changed and so have I. My new home is now with my new family, my husband and my beautiful new daughter and with my parents in Bozeman Montana. I will always have beautiful memories of what was, but so many new memories to look forward to. The past can be very hard to let go of, but I finally did it. It just took me a few years.