PA trip 2019

We lived in Pennsylvania in my early years. My brother was born there. The neighbors next door, Kim and Steph, were my first friends. Our families stayed in touch despite our moving away. We spent summers together, vacationed together., and traded spending Christmases with each other. Kim lived with us in Indiana for a year, and then she and I moved to Florida together.
We've been friends for over fifty years.

My high school teacher once told us that when we returned to the house, we grew up in, it would be much smaller than what we remembered. How right he was. While I didn't return to the house my parents built in Pennsylvania, the home next door (which I've spent more time in) where I did stay was way smaller than I remembered, especially the steps on the staircase.

After almost falling down them the next morning and having to bend over for a rest when climbing them, I took to crawling upstairs and using the wall and railing for stability in coming down.

Kim: "Everything is smaller because you're bigger."

So true. I felt like a giant in rooms I remember being larger. The Smith house is as much a part of my childhood as our house at 8200 in Indiana. It is also one of the only places still accessible. I'm so glad I had this stroll down memory lane.

I seemed to remember a story in every room. I told everyone I could remember. Luckily for me, Kim is as nostalgic as I am.

We told a lot of stories. We didn't all remember them, but someone always remembered something to conduct the story. Lois had picture albums too that sometimes backed our memories. We had a lot of laughs.

I haven't laughed as hard as I did in forever. I am very blessed to have these friends and so glad that I got to make this trip. Stay tuned for some of the adventures.