Yesterday, I left you in Savannah at sunset. The bridge by Love’s Seafood Restaurant takes you straight into Richmond Hill, which is where my family and I moved when I was 13 – just in time to start 8th grade.
When we first moved to Richmond Hill, we lived in a small apartment over a friend’s garage while our house was being built. Have you ever heard the Miranda Lambert song, “The House That Built Me”? Well, the first time I heard that song, I cried. It’s me – my life…this house:
My mom and dad spent their lives planning for this place. Mom literally cut out pictures from Better Homes & Gardens magazines for years, planning each room from the flooring to the wallpaper to the ceiling fans… It was heaven. Daddy helped build it, and it was perfect. I miss this house so, so much. I’m so thankful to the people who now call this place home, because they have maintained it so well. It looks just like I remembered it.
My basketball hoop is still in the driveway. I got this for my 14th birthday from my dad. We played a good bit, and he helped me perfect my lay-up. 🙂
My dog, Lisa, used to lay on the yellow line in front of our driveway, waiting for the bus to drop me off in the afternoons. I swear that dog had 9 lives like a cat. She got hit twice, but she always pulled through!
This is the entrance to our subdivision – the bus stop. My best friend Katie lived in the house at the entrance. She was taken from us way too early, but I know she and daddy are dancing in heaven together! Katie was his “other daughter”. 🙂
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Head on down the road, and you come across the creek bed where me and dad used to go crabbing….the real way. Tie a raw chicken drumstick to a piece of twine, dangle it in the water, and wait. When you feel a little shake on the end of the twine, slowly pull it up, and you’ll have a blue crab on the end!
I’d ride my bike past the dock to go to Mitchell’s. It’s not there anymore, but it used to be a little white house that doubled as a convenience store. They had the best BBQ sandwiches and root beer in glass bottles. So good!
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I spent 8th – 12th grade in Richmond Hill. At first, 8th grade was part of the high school because it was so small. It’s now the middle school – we got a brand new high school my junior year.
The new high school was awesome! We thought we were something special. We had an official football field and everything! GO WILDCATS!
In 5 years of school, we never missed a single football game. My dad was the honorary head cheerleader. And mom and I would sit on the opposite end of the bleachers from him 🙂 Seriously, when he passed away, the school raised money for a new mascot uniform and dedicated it to my dad. It was incredibly humbling to see how many people were touched in some way by my dad’s life.
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From 10th through 12th grades, I played recreational basketball and softball.
These are the practice courts for basketball. The games were held in the building – and we were terrible! But we had tons of fun!
Softball was more my speed. I was catcher all 3 years and loved every minute of it. My bestie Lauren was pitcher and we were unbeatable. Dad was first base coach – he got in trouble with the rec league one year because he would give us signals like in the majors. They didn’t mean anything, but the other teams thought so and reported him. Nobody has a sense of humor when you’re an undefeated team!
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Richmond Hill United Methodist Church – if the doors were open, we were there. So many incredible memories were made in this church, and this is where daddy’s service was held when he passed away. It was a packed house that day – out the door.
Every year, RHUMC hosts a HUGE BBQ. People come from every corner of the state to buy the BBQ and homemade pies and other goodies. Dad worked in the chop house every year – not because they needed the help, but because he was able to eat all day long while he chopped the meat!
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And finally, this is where I used to work. I was their first employee. The store was brand spanking new when I worked there, and I loved that all of my friends would come by after school to buy gas and snacks and say hello. I’d sit at the counter and do my homework, eat Smartfood white cheddar popcorn, and drink Dr. Pepper. Good stuff!
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Thanks so much for walking down memory lane with me over the past 2 days. All of these places hold so much meaning to me, and I’m happy to share them with you. I hope you feel that you know me a little better now.
