My family moved to Brentwood Oct. 1, 2006. My husband and I had been married for just over two years and we had an eight-month-old son. We had just relocated back to Springfield after many years away and we were excited to be reunited with family and friends.
At the time, my dad was a Realtor, but also had an extensive background in remodeling homes. Being the kind of guy he is, he showed us over 40 homes. Yes! That was a very different housing market than we are currently experiencing; and there were that many homes available in our price range. But I had my eye on a very specific neighborhood, so most of the homes we saw simply didn’t measure up. On the last possible weekend we could search, we visited a home that we were “OK” with but certainly didn’t love. But it was crunch time. We had to make a decision that weekend, because Ryan’s new job would be starting within 30 days. And, unlike me, he wasn’t willing to sleep on an air mattress on the floor of my parents’ living room so the baby could have the guest bedroom. We needed a home.
So we resolved to write an offer on this home that we were “OK” with, but certainly didn’t love. It was nice enough and had a lot of interest so we headed home to put the offer together quickly. However, as we came to the light at Battlefield and Luster, we saw a “For Sale by Owner” sign pointing into the Brentwood neighborhood. I literally yelled, ”Wait! Follow that sign!” We followed the signs until we reached the end of a cul-de-sac, called the number, and asked if we could view right then and there.
The sellers were kind enough to let us in. It would need some work to make it home. The walls were covered in wall paper. Green, red, purple, and gold. Florals in the kitchen, animal print in the bedroom, and a Grecian vineyard mural in the dining room. But we loved the layout. And when we stepped into the backyard, it was filled with flowers and the most beautiful English style garden (which I killed within the first year). But what sealed the deal was looking out over the back fence to see the school yard. That was it. This was the one.
In my memory, that school yard was filled with children laughing and playing; which couldn’t possibly have been because it was a Sunday. But after 17 years of watching children play and listening the sounds of their laughter, it is burned into my mind and has become part of that memory. Shortly after standing in that backyard, we were all sitting together praying over the terms of the contract and the home that this house would be for the family we would create.
Over 17 years, we’ve brought home two more babies. We’ve had a million conversations over the fence with neighbors. Our kids have played in the yards of friends, rode bikes in the street, and spent hundreds of hours in that school yard that “sealed the deal.”
We’ve held barbecues, birthdays, game nights, and sleepovers. I joined the PTA, served on the background program, and became PTA president. And I have walked the streets of this neighborhood a thousand times. The trees, the homes, the faces are burned into my heart.
Brentwood became the home we couldn’t have even imagined at the time. It has given more to us than we have ever given back. Which is why, after 17 years, I finally joined the Brentwood Neighborhood Association as a board member, where I was assigned to write our articles for the SGF Neighborhood News. But that is just the beginning. We have also formed a new social committee tasked with revitalizing the events and activities that Brentwood has always been known for.
Over the next several months, I will be interviewing residents of the neighborhood that still hold the memories of a lost Brentwood. I look forward to relaying the history to our neighbors and to all of you reading this. And our social committee looks forward to reestablishing some of the old traditions that are shared with us along with brand new ones.
This is just one story of one family that has been blessed to live in Brentwood. I look forward to telling the stories of many more and helping our current residents connect and create even greater community over the years to come. So, stay tuned!