Maple.

Throughout my entire college career, I lived in my great-grandparents home on Maple Street. They moved into a nursing home when I was moving out of the dorm, and so it was perfect timing for me to move in.

The house had an open-floor concept that any Fixer Upper lover could dream of. When you walked in, you entered the living/kitchen/dining/sunroom. It was one giant space, which made it great for entertaining. Because the living room was such a great expanse, we filled it with couches. And since we had so many places to sit, we made sure we filled it with as many friends as we possibly could, as often as we possibly could. 

Maple quickly became my home, my place of comfort, my safe space. 

You know that place where you always feel like you can take off your shoes, look through the fridge, and lay on the couch? That was Maple. A place to grab a blanket, and ask "what's on TV tonight?" After you came over one time, you knew where the cups were, and which side of the couch was the comfiest. I learned that people didn't care if my house was clean, they just cared that it was available.

I grew up at Maple. I moved in to the house when I was freshly 19 years old. I couldn't figure out how to use the dishwasher, so I just washed all of my dishes by hand. (A habit that has stuck with me to this day.) I had to climb on the counter to reach things up high, and figure out how to be by myself. My brother, Tanner, joined me during my last year of college. We were good roommates because we knew the way the other lived, and he didn't care that I kept a very messy bedroom or flossed each night while I watched the news from the couch in my underwear. On his first night to stay with me, he came in after I had gone to bed and said "psst.. I'm going to make some waffles...." and I knew we were going to get along just fine. It was just us two, plus our kitty cat Eleanor. After I moved out, Tanner's dear friend Seth moved in. I'm sure Seth was a better roommate than I because he baked things from scratch and I never did that. Ever.

Maple saw some strange times: The Halloween when we dressed up to hand out candy, but then only 4 kids showed up, so we stayed in costume and ate the candy ourselves. The season of Seth attempting to perfect his caramel recipe, which resulted in lots and lots of versions of caramel-- some good, some bad-- and we'd just eat it with a spoon. Then there was that time when I went through my weird "backyard barber shop" phase and cut people's hair with my clippers and zero experience. Or that Sunday evening after Cord ran the half marathon and we popped the blood blister under his toenail using a seam ripper. (Now he's in med school and I'm sure would not approve of that.) 

I always had certain things that I looked forward to. The trimming of the Christmas Tree became one of my favorite traditions. Right before finals week, we would play holiday music, bake cookies, put on a fire, and spend time hanging ornaments. When I moved out, my brother and his friends continued the tradition, which always made my heart happy. It was the place to crash during a Snow Day, because there was a park with a great hill down the street, and I always kept hot chocolate in the cabinet. Also, the large amount of couches made sleepovers much more comfortable.

There was always serious TV watching that took place at Maple. One night, we ordered a bunch of pizza and had people over. We planned on playing games, but instead, we watched several hours of the Game Show Network. And you know what? We all thought it was time well spent. 

I binge-watched the entire series of LOST,  and the entire collection of Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition, like, four times, with my college boyfriend. I cried during the final episode of Glee in the living room for a lot longer than I should have. And laughed through the pilot episode of New Girl. Majority of Pretty Little Liars was watched from the couch, with the windows shut and a light on, because it always creeped me out a little. After I moved out, I'm pretty sure the TV was reserved strictly for episodes of The Office and ESPN. But that's okay, because Tanner suffered through lots of HGTV with me.

I watched the Today Show and drank coffee every morning as I got ready for school. I waited for the results the night Obama was elected for his second term. And once, I stayed up until midnight to bring in the "government shut down" with a group of friends. That sure was weird.

Thunder basketball became a way of life at Maple. We cheered. We cussed. We even cried. We watched several sets of Olympics. And World Series. And FIFA World Cup Soccer games. And even the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

One of my favorite things was that our house was game central. I learned to play Rummikub one summer. And I won Settlers of Catan around my card table, maybe only once, though, because I only focus on getting "The Longest Road" award. We played Exploding Kittens, and Qwirkle, and Ticket to Ride, and Golf, and Quelf, and Catchphrase, and tons and tons of HeadsUp. I once found a lobster pawn in the couch cushions from a wild game of Oceanopoly. We played Wii games long after they were uncool. Like, our Rockband drumsticks are worn out from all of the hardcore drumming that took place. And I used to have some really great videos of people playing Just Dance 3.

Not only did we play board games, we played lots of actual games that required you to get up and get active. My brother & Seth installed a "over the door" basketball goal in our living room, so even when there wasn't a game on TV, we could still play some pick-up ball in the living room. We played Spike Ball. And soccer. And frisbee. And I bought a mini-trampoline to jump on. And we invented a new version of extreme Bocce Ball that became very intense very quickly. 

There's no way to count the meals shared around my giant dining room table that I inherited from my great grandmother. I remember my first "Friendsgiving." We had enchiladas, and Cord made guacamole. There were Super Bowl parties, New Years Parties, Surprise Birthday Parties, several graduations, and even a funeral celebration for Madison's poor fish Spaz that died too soon. 

Speaking of Madison, she and I used to lay on the floor for hours and complain about all of the math homework we had. The fridge saw lots of Sonic Drinks and break-and-bake cookies from this extremely unhealthy season of our lives, where that was the only thing on the menu for breakfast every day. Also, one of my favorite things was that Madison once barged into the front door of Maple crying hysterically, only to realize that she had beat me home and was standing in a room full of my brother's friends.

When the local elementary school library was getting rid of books, I took them all and turned my sunroom into my own personal library. I bought $15 bookshelves, and lined them with books that still had library barcodes on them. These sure came in handy for myself and all of my fellow Elementary Education majors. 

The porch was the perfect spot to sit when it rained. I would take a blanket, and a book, and watch as the rain soaked my front yard. The porch held lots of laughs, but also found itself the center for many serious chats and even a few "define the relationship" talks.

Maple wasn't only my safe space, but one for many others. My friends felt welcome. My brothers friends just showed up, unannounced, and drank my Coke. (Looking at you, R.C.) Everyone knew where the key was hidden, and if they needed a place to rest, the door was always open. We tried to create a space where people felt seen, heard, and loved. We wanted others to feel nourished, by food and by laughter. It was the community kitchen, the cheapest laundromat in town, the internet cafe, and the sports bar for the big game.  

There's no way of knowing how many people used Maple as their hostel for the evening, en route to somewhere else. Or came for the weekend to stay at my personal Bed and Breakfast. We had a few people live with us for a week, a month, or even a summer when they were in between apartments. The twin guest bed was always ready for an overnight guest, and there were always clean towels. (You just had to fight off Eleanor the kitty cat for the bathroom, because that's where she lived.) 

Since we lived in my great-grandparents house, I always wondered how they would feel about how we made use of it. Honestly, I think they would be proud of the constant chatter, the smell of food, and the hospitality. It's sweet to think that we were able to carry on a tradition of giving to others, in the same way that they had spent their entire lives doing. 

To those who came for dinner, 
to those who sought shelter during a storm, 
to those who gathered around the firepit in the backyard and roasted smores-- Thank you. 

Thank you for being a part of my life, in some way.
Friendships were formed. 
Laughs were shared. 
Meals were eaten. 
Memories were made. 
This is my love letter to you all, and in a way, to the house.

I'm grateful that Maple existed because it created a space for friendships to grow, and that means the world to me. 

ALSO: I added this rad video of me slam dunking on our goal for your viewing pleasure.