My mom has had a picture up in our house since I was a kid. I can't tell you how long it's been around or what places it has been in the house. But I remember it from growing up.

It is cross stitched with the words:

"A House is Built by Human Hands. A Home is Built by Human Hearts."

I have seen this picture about 100 times in the last month or so because it is currently in the guest bedroom at my parent's house. The room with the printer and the scanner that have been used about 100 times in order to get offer paperwork printed, signed, scanned and sent back to the appropriate realtors.

It's amazing to me to think how many times I have passed this picture throughout my life and never really thought anything of it other than its familiarity as a wall hanging in my parent's house.

Until recently when the words really started to resonate with me due to the strong emotional attachment Erik I had and will probably always have for our house in Indiana.

Our house that is not really "our house" anymore.

Our house that I said goodbye to for the last time on Thursday, March 17th. With my mom. But without Erik and Stella.

Our house that was no longer our house as of Wednesday, March 23rd.

And yes, I'm pretty teary eyed right now as I'm typing this.

Even though I love our new house and I can't wait to make memories in it, our house in Indiana will always have a special place in my heart. And I will always get sad when I think about how I called Erik from our empty family room. Crying. And laughing when I told him I would put him on speaker phone so he could say goodbye to our house from his desk.

Or really, so that he could say goodbye to our home. 

So here are some pictures for you, Erik. Since we both realized that I hadn't show them to you since I got back from packing it up and saying goodbye to it from our little family.

I'm sad to have said goodbye. But I'm glad we'll always be able to look back on these photos and relive the memories we shared here.

A house that we built into our home.