Daja Vous

One of my most favorite people used to live here, but it didn't look quite like this.

This is the driveway to the house now. Isn't it gorgeous?

The driveway I remember (just a little farther down the street) was hard to find off the main road. It was a dirt road and it wound around for a fair amount of time (maybe 1/8 mile?) leading up to a very old and worn down portable home. The road was skinny, so only one car could go on it at a time. If you were unfortunate enough to get halfway through the driveway and someone else happened to be coming or going, one of you would have to back up or find a spot in the ferns/bushes/trees to scoot over to.

The driveway was completely surrounded by tall trees, ferns, bushes the whole way. When you left the main road and headed into the "forest" as my girls called it - it was like you were going through a portal to another world. I might be weird, no wait, I AM weird. . . but I always LOVED it. There were a few times when a deer ran right in front of or next to our car. Other creatures would scurry by. Sometimes I would look for big foot. (o:

Driving through after dark was creepy.

It had lots of pot holes, especially in the winter.

I got pretty good at maneuvering around the potholes as to avoid the biggest ones.

It was a driveway with character.

But most of all, we had best friends at the end of that driveway and maybe that's what I liked best about it.

This is where my friend Kim used to live. It is just a couple miles down the street from our house. I loved having Kim so close and my heart aches when I remember those times when we were just minutes away from each other. The "good old days". They were the best of times. (O:

I KNOW I remember her old house much more fondly than she does. That is because it was a pretty run down place. Her family lived in a portable home on this property and got a great deal from the owners for rent. It was a sacrifice she and her family made while her husband went to dental school. But you know what? When we went there, I thought it was a nice home because Kim did amazing things with that place. She made the best of it, she made it work. She had so many homey touches that she added that made it feel warm and cozy. Her neat and tidy entryway with a desk for the kids a place to put your shoes and coat and an art easel always ready for someone to paint on. (My girls LOVED this.) Cute pictures of the kids eating hung up in small frames around the kitchen walls, a cool IKEA lamp, a bulletin board for the kids school papers and artwork, fun Disney street signs on the wall in the kids' room, etc. It was a happy place to me - mostly because Kim was there and Allie and Luke and baby Kate and every once in a blue moon Michael too. (o:

So it was really strange to hear the new residents there describe the home as a dump and unlivable when they first came.

About two years ago, the owners started building a huge horse arena and stables on the property. When it was finished it was time for Kim and her family to leave. The owners hired a family to be the caretakers of the land and the animals that would eventually come. After Kim's family left, the caretakers came to look at the house and pronounced it unlivable. I guess it was pretty bad - it was falling apart, but I never noticed. Kim did her magic with that place.

Anyway, they brought in a nice, brand new portable home and also knocked down and replaced the huge, old barn. They stand in the exact same place as the previous home and barn and are approx. the same dimensions. Just shinier and newer.

It just so happens that these new caretakers are in my friend Tina's ward (the owners are LDS thus all the Mormon connections). Rose, I think, is the name of the mom. She is so sweet and welcomes visitors to see the horses and people practicing in the arena. Tina invited us to tag along and check out the fun place. We went to watch this sport where kids do gymnastics on top of a horse running around in circles! I don't remember what the sport is called, but it amazed me! That requires a LOT of balance.

After visiting with one of the horses in the arena, we got to visit some of the other animals. My girls are such huge animal lovers - they were in heaven! We saw cows, more horses, kittens, bunnies, chickens, lamas - am I forgetting anything?

There were new kitties in the stables. I had to pry the kittens away from all the girls.

We brought Monica for this fun adventure! She is an animal lover too and has several of her own horses and kittens at home. So I guess this was just an average day for her! (o:

That is the beautiful, new home and gorgeous manicured lawns and an amazing garden. It was one of the most extreme makeovers I've ever seen in real life. This area used to be full of huge overgrown blackberry bushes, twisted trees and bushes. I wish Kim could have lived in the place like this!

The kids running to see the bunnies.

The end of that old, dirt road driveway I was describing with the beautiful, new structures and all the blackberry bushes cleared out. That must have been a TON of work! Pretty amazing.

Natalie loved playing with this sweet dog. They were so cute together.

The yard was just amazing. The night we went was a beautiful September night and watching the kids run around and play with the animals made me really wish we could have land like this. However, I know I had a very "romantic" picture of the place - not the realistic view of how much work it is to care for - all the land and the animals. Still, a girl can dream. And in that dream, Kim and I would be sitting on a blanket over there on the lawn. We'd be laughing our heads off as the kids run around goofing off and having fun.

I miss you Kim.