Family Homes

In Chalmette, Louisiana, there sat a small house on 3117 Maureen Lane. That house was my first home. My parents purchased the house in March of 1996. I was only three years old, and my sister was only months away from being born. Before that, we lived with my grandparents, Ramona and Renato Ramos. My parents were very young and needed time to gain enough money to buy their own house. That house owns a certain importance as my first home. The amazing memories, humble looks, and importance to me make the house on Maureen Lane my favorite childhood home.
 
This is a photo of me in my grandmaw's house. I spent alot of time in that house. I even lived there for a good amount of time when I was young.

My house was not a very beautiful house. It did not have a huge pool in the backyard or a big tree house standing outside. My house had three small bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room in the front. The house was made of brick with a black roof. In the front yard, we made a pond with some fish swimming in it. My mom also attempted to grow her own garden, but the attempt failed. The backyard occupied about a fourth of an acre with a small swing set on the side. My grandpa also built a small dollhouse type of building no bigger than my bedroom that we put in the backyard. We used that house as a fun house where we put the pool table and a television. The living room was located in the center of the house. Most of my time was spent in the living room where my dad and I played video games and watched movies. My house, though it was not huge or glamorous, was very beautiful in the sense that it was home to so many memories in my life. I would not have traded that house for anything in the world.

This was my first home. We lived on 3117 Maureen Lane in Chalmette, Louisiana. I lived here until the fifth grade.
That house served as not only a living space for my family and me, but it was also a space where memories were born. The most vivid memory I have of that house is the party that took place there for my fourth birthday. At the time, Mighty Morphing Power Rangers was my favorite show. I loved the show to the point that my whole room had pictures and posters of power rangers on the walls. My mom hired a person to dress up as the blue power ranger and to come to my party. The first time I saw him I was so excited. I became the happiest boy alive. He stayed and performed different balloon tricks for the kids for about two hours. When it was time for him to leave, he asked where the birthday boy was. I walked up, and I started to cry. I cannot remember why I cried, but I think I might have been scared to see him up close. If the walls of that house could talk, they would speak of a family who had its difficulties through life. I lived in that house when my parents divorced. On some nights, I could hear them fighting in their room. Memories of them fighting are not memories that I like to remember, but they are memories that are important to who I am today. The memories of that house make it a very special place to me.

 

This is another picture of me in front of my first house. The pond behind me lasted about two weeks until it started to get dirty, so we got rid of it. Also, my mom accidentally killed the fish by not putting in the right water.

I spent alot of time at my Maw Maw Mona's house. Here, I'm in the room with no name. I'm riding a little toy I used to love as a kid. I probably wouldn't fit on it today.

The reason why that house is so important is because of the roles it played in my life. It was my first home, my get-away place where I could go to be alone. It held the atmosphere of so many fights; fights that tore a family apart and caused so many tears. I lived in there when my parents divorced each other. When I would hear my parents fight, I would go in my room, and I would feel safe. The house was also the party house. We would have parties and family get-togethers there all the time. It was where I had my first pets, a cat named Lucy and a dog named CoCo. A family was selling kittens a few houses down, and we decided to buy one. That house was the location of many things that have influenced me to be who I am today. That makes the house a very important part of my life.
The house on 3117 Maureen Lane did not only put a roof over my head, but it also brings certain happiness to me when I think about the events that have happened there. It served as my first home as well as a house that everyone went to. It was where I had my first Christmas, and it was where I met the blue power ranger making balloon animals. That house contributed to who I am today, and it symbolizes a past that will always be remembered.
 
This is the house I lived in before I moved to Tennessee. This is a picture of it after Hurricane Katrina took it apart. You can see that the boards are still there over the windows, but the grass and the side of the house are torn apart.

This is a picture of what was the kitchen. The ceiling is ripped apart, and everything is covered with mud from the flooding.
This is a picture of what was the living room. The sofa was not in that position when we evacuated. The ceiling fan is pretty much gone and the television was nowhere to be found. We did find a boat in our pool though.