Back to the yellow house

It looks about the same except for the new windows and "Welcome" sign at the front door. The house is still in need of a paint job, but I was glad to see it was the same old "yellow house." I think Julie and Johnny would have had a conniption if our old house was anything but yellow.

We are visiting my parents in Maryland this week, but a quick trip to Altoona---our home of seven years--was definitely on the agenda.

Driving by our little house on 5th Avenue, the memories flooded back. The baby swing on the tree, which last summer, was never rehung. The playdates in the backyard when the kids rolled down our hill, standing up dizzy and completely covered in grass. The Fourth of July nights when the neighborhood kids waved sparkers and sprawled on the grass and watched as Scott set off amateur fireworks.

We didn't live in a dream house or a bustling city, but it was a good life and it's where our kids grew up.

We had awesome neighbors and we lived a few houses away from our best friends, who we spent some time with today.

Before heading out of Altoona, we visited some of our old hangouts--Slinky Action Zone, an indoor play place where the kids spent the day running around, navigating tunnels and slipping down slides, and of course we gobbled soft serve at our favorite ice cream spot: Meadows Frozen Custard.