2708

I was fortunate to be able to grow up in an area with both sets of grandparents living near by.  My father's mom relocated to Bellevue (a town about 15 minutes away from us) in 1980 after my grandpa passed away in New Jersey.  My mother's parents lived in the same house in Seattle where they raised my mom and their family until my grandpa passed away in 1998 (my grandma had already passed away in 1995).  This house was only about 25 minutes away from us.  As a result, I not only developed close relationships with all of my living grandparents, but I also grew to love going to their homes and spending time there.  This especially was the case for my grandparents' house in Seattle since it was where my mom had grown up.  There always was such a warm and special feeling that I felt every single time I walked into their home.  It was one of my favorite places to visit during my childhood and I have such wonderful memories of their home that I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.

Although this house is less than an hour away from me, I rarely have seen it since it since I moved back to Washington in 2007.  In fact, I can only remember driving by it one or two times in the past thirteen years that I have lived here and my children have never been with me.  So, when I found an item for sale on OfferUp last week from a woman who lived in the same neighborhood, I decided to make an outing out of it and take my kids to see their grandma's childhood home since I was already planning to take them to spend the afternoon and evening at my parent's house.  After telling them in the morning what we were going to do today, they all got so excited as seeing the house where their grandma grew up was quite a fascinating concept.  After making the drive to Seattle and winding through the downtown area to head out to Magnolia, I couldn't help but smile as I heard all of my children's oohs and aahs as we crossed the bridge and climbed up the hill to her neighborhood.  Between the stunning views of the sound and all of the unique, quaint, and older style homes, my children just couldn't get over how wonderful grandma's neighborhood was!  After making a quick stop to buy the item I wanted from OfferUp, we drove the four minutes to grandma's house.  The second I turned on to her little road, the memories just came rushing back to me.  It felt so good and yet so strange to be back on her street after all these years.  After looking at her house and talking to the kids about it for a minute or two, I went up and knocked on the door.  Since the woman who purchased the house from my family still lives there, I was able to explain who I was and ask for permission to take a few pictures in front of her home.  She was very nice and kindly gave me permission to do so.  I was then able to take a few pictures of my posterity standing in front of the home where their grandmother grew up and that their great-grandparents owned for almost 50 years.  I will treasure these pictures for the rest of me life...

My kids and 2708 West Barrett Street

Another shot of my children and their grandmother's home.