Bedroom Deep Cleaning

It’s been just about 6 months since our special guy left us.  It’s taken this long for me to muster up the energy and will to go through his bedroom.  I’m not typically a procrastinator.  I’m usually highly motivated and driven.  I have been dreading this day of having to clean out his bedroom every day since he’s been gone.  I had to get it done because our new little guy is coming home very soon.  What I’ve been dreading for 6 months really turned out to be a lot of fun.

 I’ve been flipping through a Pottery Barn Teen magazine for the last few months trying to find ideas on how to re-decorate the bedroom.  I wanted it to be unique and different than it was.  I wanted to prepare it special for our new little guy just like we prepared the bedroom before Brandon came.  Then, since PB Teen is not in our budget, we went to Hobby Lobby to purchase similar items.  I found new matching quilts for the 2 twin beds online.  The girls were so enthusiastic and excited about decorating.  How could I not get excited as well?  They absolutely loved hanging the new things up and helping organize drawers.  We enjoyed reminiscing through different funny things Brandon did and said.  I finished going through his desk and toys.  When I got to his closet, I found his shoes that were only 2 months old.  They were worn straight through to his socks.  He was always so hard on his shoes.  ”Aww, his shoes,” I said. (Insert sad face).  I pictured him kicking around his soccer ball, doing jumps with his Ripstick and skateboard, thumping down the stairs and coming home from school. He would ask me to drop him off at the end of our street and he would run like the wind down the side walk trying to beat the Pilot home.  “I wonder if I should save these?” I asked.  KT says, “Why. In the world. Would you SAVE his smelly, old shoes?” Umm…..Nevermind.   We both laughed.  And I didn’t save them. 

He was a bit of a pack rat.  Three garbage bags full of stuff left the house.  Every McDonalds toy he ever got, he kept.  He had oodles of drawings, some finished, some half-finished.  Often if it wasn’t “perfect” by his standards he would quit drawing and start a new drawing.  There were tons of parts to things from broken cars and electronic equipment.  He had random pieces of wood that he’d begun carving with his pocket knives.  In only 8 months he had 5 pair of worn out, smelly shoes. 

So anyway, I'm thankful that job is complete.  We all look forward very much to filling the empty little room with a new life that God has blessed our family with.  There will be laughter and joy yet again, along many new special memories built in this bedroom.

Bedroom BEFORE

Bedroom AFTER the girlies & I decorated

Another view of the bedroom AFTER

One of my favorite drawings.  I recall sitting beside him in the back row
of our church on a Sunday night in December when he drew this.

I had Brandon's back pack out for the first time.  Bella sniffed it for a while, then layed down beside it.
It's really quite pitiful to have a depressed doggy.  She misses Brandon just like the rest of us!