Goodbye to the Grovers Party

Last month, we had a Goodbye Party at our house, to say goodbye to all of our wonderful California friends we will dearly miss.  Did we think we were going to sell our home as fast we did? Not 6 days fast!  The clock was ticking, May was a month already so jam-packed with birthdays, and with a 45 day escrow and tons of packing to do, we decided it would be easier for all of our friends to come see the house and us one last time.  It was bittersweet. Many of our friends that came for this milestone moment, were also the ones that came to our wedding, baby shower, and other special occasions.  I even had a mini Cordoba (Spain) reunion with my friends Virginia (with her sweet boyfriend) and Ramon (with his beautiful wife Carissa and little girl Sofia)!  

I think back at what 609 1/2 Iris has meant to us.  It was Brad's first bachelor pad he bought when he moved here from New York, and ironically, this year just so happened to be his 10th year anniversary living in it.  We spent countless special dinners, and parties, celebrating anything and everything as a couple before we got engaged and then we threw our engagement party there.  We even spent time getting to know each other and talked all night at that house, the very first night we met (right after Chat Noir) Then, months before our wedding, I moved in and this was the first home Brad and I shared.  This is where I spent my last night as a single lady, where I got ready for our wedding with my bridal party, and first slipped on my wedding dress.  609 1/2 Iris was also where we discovered we were pregnant (with both boys), where my sister threw me my first baby shower (for Taj).  Where my labor began, and where we first took our babies home from the hospital.  Taj spoke his first words, and took his first steps in the living room.  Jax first slept through the night in the guest room, had his first bath in the hall bathroom, and his first spoon-feeding in dining-living room.   Oh, the countless times I ran up and down those infamous stairs with both babies in tow and many, many bags of groceries (that I will not miss!) The garage that our family cat Kuki lived in the last 2 years before retiring at Cat House on the Kings.  The numerous slumber parties with my sister and mom.  Okay..... I need a tissue now to wipe my nostalgia tears! Oh, 609 1/2 Iris (or Club Iris, a nickname given ny Brad's friends) we will always remember the good times and the milestones!  The shelter, the security, and comfort you provided us and our children.  For all the videos we've captured, and photos taken there, and for all the laughter and tears, we thank you.  Thank you for such a fabulous foundation to have built our family on, and now we hope another young family gets to enjoy it as much as we have.  

And as I introduce this set of photos taken at our Goodbye Party, I cannot help thinking that this will be the last photos taken of this house, the way it was decorated, before everything was taken off the walls and put in boxes.   Farewell, 609 1/2 Iris, Farewell....