Weekends at the Lake

Nora and I at the pier where we keep the boat

Two and half years ago, my parents purchased a retirement home about 25 minutes north of our house. The house that they found checked all their boxes: a mature lake community, large enough for their growing family, and a home they could age in. They closed on that house in January of 2020 – not expecting to spend much time there until they retired this year.

Coffee with the local wildlife on the deck

Welp, the universe had other plans. Covid hit and we spent more time there as a family that summer than we ever thought would happen. When we’re there, we spend almost all of our time outside – coffee on the deck, dinner, wine and late night chats on the screened in porch, and warm sunny days out on the boat floating on the water. As AJ gets more and more into Golf, we've also found ourselves on the nearby golf course a few times! Not only for my parents, but for AJ and I too, it has very quickly become our happy place. We’ve enjoyed the last 2 fourth of July weekends with friends and their kids on the lake and AJ has spent a February weekend ice fishing with the boys. We’ve also now officially hosted one Thanksgiving with my brother’s girlfriend's family and Easter with AJ’s family at the lake.

Our Thanksgiving table scape for my brother's girlfriend's family

When my parents sell their Chicago suburban home later this summer, it will definitely be a little bit sad as I spent the first 25 years of my life calling that house home, but I am so excited for this new adventure for them too. It might be cheesy to say, but I never thought I would love a new house as quickly as I have. We’ve very quickly made new memories in this house and that’s truly what’s made it feel like home – not the stuff inside of it.

Mom and Dad hosting Easter brunch for AJ's family

I'm also looking forward to having my parents live closer. I always thought them living 1 hour and 15 minutes away was the perfect distance, but it's been a nice "trial" the past couple years with having 2 homes. We've been able to get a feel for what it will be like to have them 25 minutes away and it's been great - we can easily run up for dinner or just a quick boat ride, but there are weekends (like last weekend) that we don't see them at all. It will be nice for holidays and when we have kids to have them closer though, for sure.

AJ enjoying a cigar while golfing nearby