When I saw what Mama Kat from Mama's Losin' It was up to over on her weekly Writers Workshop I figured I'd jump in and play this week since it fit in with what's going on in our lives right now.
The prompt: My Childhood Neighborhood
My family moved every couple years when I was a kid. We stuck around the same area except the three years we decided to try out city living because my step dad got a great job in Grand Rapids. We weren't cut out for big city life.
My grandparents were a major part of our lives growing up and always seemed to be our "home base". No matter where we lived my brother and I always considered their house and their neighborhood home. They had big square house on a corner lot on a gigantic city block. In the center of this block was a gigantic empty "field".
When I was 7 we lived with my grandparents for a few months before our move to the horrific big city. It was then that I met what would become two of my lifelong best friends. They lived on the other side of the block in the center which made the field the perfect meeting place. Over the years we would gather neighborhood kids to play various games in the field or roll down the hill. The field was surrounded by back yards so we often ventured into other peoples yards to hide and play.
About 10 years ago whoever owned the field decided to sell the land and two houses were constructed. I was devastated. My kids were supposed to be able to play in the field someday and it was the place of so many memories growing up and I just couldn't imagine not being able to run through the field to my best friends house!
Well now here I am making a decision I swore I'd never make. Kirke's deploying soon and I've decided to move back to Michigan for the duration. I never thought I'd go home during a deployment but everything has fallen together so well.
My best friends parents bought one of the houses in the field a few years ago. They're going to rent that house to us for the deployment. My kids may not have gotten to run and play in the empty field but now they get to live in it!
Your turn! Go check out the prompts at and join the fun Mama's Losin' It's Writers Workshop!
This is our new home for the next year in just a few weeks.
This is the Google Earth view of our block with my things tagged. I'm so ready to get back "home" and enjoy living near family and childhood friends for the first in over 10 years!
~Till They All Come Home~
