Home Sweet Homes - Saying Goodbye to Southwood Drive

Poppies in the front yard at Southwood Drive

Our grape arbor - lots of stuffed grape leaves (Dolmas) over the years!

The water fountain gift from our friends Dave & Elizabeth with plants

from Nancy Garcia's backyard.

Joe's cactus. He removed it before we left for Minnesota. Our neighbor took a clipping 

though so he could have cactus to eat year round.

Wrapping up thirty years of life in one home feels like a huge task. Until we moved to Minnesota, the house on Southwood Drive was my favorite place I’d ever lived. But truthfully, it wasn’t just the layout of the house itself that made it so special—it was the memories we created there.

So today, as a way to close this chapter, I’m jotting down just a few of those memories that quickly come to mind:

• This was the house that gave Megan and me a safe, affordable landing spot when it became clear that my first marriage was ending.

• Within months of moving in, Joe Coehlo and I grew to love each other. He proposed to me in this house.

• At just three years old, Megan learned to rollerblade across the hardwood floors—on her older sister’s oversized rollerblades. Years later, as an adult, she and her boyfriend would refinish those same floors.

• When Megan was four, she accidentally fell into her sister’s green bean plants, part of a school science project. The beans were growing in small planters in the family room. (She was not rollerblading at the time!) Her poor sister was so distraught—until Joe calmly explained she could include the accident in her project and observe how the plants responded to trauma. Problem turned into opportunity.

• In fifth grade, Megan wrote a school paper about her favorite place. While her classmates wrote about Disneyland, camping, or vacation spots, she wrote that her favorite place was home. Since she’d already been to Disneyland and done the camping thing, I found her words especially touching. I had to hold back a laugh when she mentioned how much she loved the smell of the house on cleaning day.

• Our Thanksgivings were anything but traditional. We usually had a mix of family and friends—an eclectic group that sometimes included Muslims, Christians, and even a Wiccan all at the same table. It was beautiful to see them find common ground. Our friendships were diverse in ways that made life richer.

• In the years after COVID, we began hosting monthly dinner gatherings—just a group of friends sharing food, wine, margaritas, and lots of laughter. Those nights filled the house with warmth and connection.

• We had the kindest neighbors. Over time, Joe and I went from being one of the “young families” to the older neighbors on the block. The neighborhood kids always waved to Joe when he worked in the yard. Two little girls especially loved calling to him—they thought it was funny that their dad was also named Joe.

• Every June, we celebrated Irma’s birthday (even though her real birthday was on Christmas Day) with a magical party for the neighborhood kids.

• The back patio was one of my favorite spots. I could sit there for hours, enjoying the garden. When I close my eyes and think of the times I spent out there with Kim, with Joe, or with another friend, it brings me such peace.

• Much of the year, we could step out the back door and pick fresh vegetables or fruit for a meal. Herbs from the front yard were a bonus.

Saying goodbye to Southwood Drive wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as hard as I imagined, either. I think having a year to prepare helped. I’m so grateful for the years we spent there—and for all the memories that made that house a home.