If these walls could speak, they would sing all of the memories a family has made over almost two decades. They would tell stories of a new mother bringing home her colic newborn and of the crying that echoed in the high-ceiling home for those first few months. They would remind us of the times that a proud big sister would hold her baby brother, never wanting anything bad to ever happen to him. They would read off the heights of growing children marked on the kitchen wall, ranging from the age of 18 months to 20 years old.

If this couch could chat, it would reminisce on the times it hugged a young girl for days while she recovered from her first surgery. It would recollect the sorrowful moments two children hugged their first dog goodbye. This sofa would tell tales about all of the friends and family members it made feel at home during every holiday and after-prom party. It would recap the millions of family shows that it's owners had gathered to watch night after night.

If these bedrooms had eyes, they would cry along with a mother as she looked at her daughter's empty bedroom after she had moved to college. They would glisten with excitement at every sleepover with friends that turned into family. They would light up at the sight of their inhabitant coming home for the first time in months. They would close tight to remember the 2-year-old girl that moved into that room all those many years ago with pigtails high on her head and a pink stuffed bunny in her arms.

If this pool were a person, it would smile when it told stories of a father playing with his kids in it water every night after work. It would praise the young boy who learned to swim and the girl who found a love for the water in it. It would hug the siblings who discovered that they were and always would be each others best friends while playing Marco Polo.

If this house weren't my home, I wouldn't be the young adult who loves a house with character, has the need for a good couch, finds a bedroom to be a safe haven, and enjoys a nice pool. Without the home that raised me, I wouldn't have a solitary place that houses all of my most sacred memories. Without this home, I wouldn't be me. This is the house that raised me.