"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Your First Home - First house, first residence and current house

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

The prompt for the week is:    

Your First Home

The Brief:

• This can be either or a combination of any of the following
• Your parent's home - the first home you can probably remember
• A home away from home - perhaps collage
• Your first big purchase
• The first home with the love of your life and perhaps your descendants
• Perhaps talk of the excitement, stress and emotional attachments to locations
• Was your home in your family for lots of years, was it an old house or a new build?
• Can you visualise the rooms, or have photos?

Your Parent's Home
My parent's house where I was born, they had on mortgage I believe. I know my grandmother, Jean, wanted to help both her sons out when she was bought out during the Urban Redevelopment of Newburgh, New York in the early 1960's. I believe my parents took her up on the money and used it for their first house where I was born in Newburgh, New York.

House that I lived in when I was born. Taken from Google Earth in 2013.

It had 3 levels. The main one, which you walked into had basics - a closet behind the front door, huge living room area, a good sized dining room, and a kitchen. 

The other 2 levels had the other areas - upstairs contained a bathroom and 3 bedrooms and a hall closet. Also, there was a laundry chute which was later closed off. I think this was for safety reasons - mainly for my brother - which frequently rode down the chute.

The last level, which was added to, was in the "basement" area. It had a crawl space under the living room which you got to from the laundry room, another bedroom with a bathroom, a bar area and a play area which usually had my father's pool table and dart game. It also had a door leading outside up about 15 steps and into the backyard.

I lived here with my mother, father and brother and middle sister, until my mother left my father. My father continued to live in the house until 1995 when he moved to a nearby town. He was downsizing the house because he felt he didn't need all the room that was in the house with his second wife.

Although I still spent time in the house, I frequently remember the morning when we left my father - the cold, rainy, and overcast morning.

My First Residence in Australia 
When I first came to visit, and then move, to Australia it was to be with my fiance and his father - my now father in law - in the place they lived for most my husband's life in Ferntree Gully, Victoria in Australia. My father in law was fine with this as he knew we needed to get on our feet before moving out.

Picture I took in 1996 when I visited. In Ferntree Gully, Victoria Australia

However, just more than 24 hours before I left the US for Australia, there was a fire - we now know it was intentionally lit - and we stayed with my husband's Great Aunt Sue until we could find a place. Which we did for a tiny bit before moving back in with my father in law in late 1997. We lived there until we built our current house.

The house was on one level. The main bedroom was by the front door, then a linen closet, with the living room being across from both. Then came the kitchen and dining room with a hallway leading to the 2 back bedrooms, laundry room, toilet and bathroom. There was a door going outside in both the dining room and laundry room.

This was special because it got me used to the Australian houses and how everything worked which was a bit different in some areas than what as normal for me.

Our Home
Then in early 2000, our home was finally done being built. This is where we currently live. Its in Narre Warren, Victoria in Australia.

 
The house is on one level. When you walk into the house, you come into an entry way, study and the entry into the main bedroom. The main bedroom, has a bathroom or en suite and a WIR (walk in robe) or closet.Coming out of the main bedroom and you go down a small hall which has the laundry room and dogs beds in, and then it opens our into a open planned kitchen, dining and living room. there is a sliding door leading outside and there are huge windows throughout the house.There is a
hallway which leads to 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet.

This special because we built it and chose what we wanted. Also, as I moved so much during my growing up years, I'm glad to say, I don't ever want to move again and have told my husband as much. I plan on dying here because I hate moving.


  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.