We made a small time capsule to leave behind, and it turned out to be more fun than packing. Our hope is that someone discovers it decades from now — ideally after flying cars and precogs become commonplace — because it would feel a bit anticlimactic if the new owners find it the day they move in. That’s why we hid it carefully. So carefully, in fact, that it might never be found. We won’t reveal the location to avoid spoiling the surprise, but think along the lines of “inside the walls” rather than anything obvious like taped under a sink.
The capsule contained a handwritten letter and a sheet with two photos: one of me, John, and Clara from this year, and one from our backyard wedding in 2007. Both photos were labeled with dates and names. Here’s the letter we left:
Dear finder of this note,
We lived in this house from May of 2006 to December of 2010. Our names are John and Sherry Petersik. We moved in as a 25-year-old engaged couple and left as a family of four — we got married, adopted a puppy, and had a daughter all during our time here. We were married in the backyard on July 7, 2007, surrounded by friends and family. This was our first house, and we loved it so much that getting married here felt right.
We started a blog in 2007 about our life and the renovations we did here. If we were still blogging when you find this, you might be able to read about our projects online. We had a lot of fun renovating: we gutted and updated the kitchen and bathrooms, paved the driveway, and added a cobblestone patio in the backyard. We also closed off a doorway that led from the kitchen to the former formal dining room to create a true third bedroom that later became our daughter Clara’s nursery.
We hope you enjoy your time in this house as much as we did.
– xoxo, Sherry, John, Baby Clara & Burger the chihuahua
The “dear finder of this note” line always makes me laugh — that was all John’s idea. I wonder who will find it and when. Will they rush over to a friend’s house to show it off? Only time will tell. Or will it? (Cue an ominous duh-duh-duhhhhhhhh sound effect.)
P.S. We announced the winner of this week’s giveaway. Check the original post to see if it’s you and to find a discount for everyone.