You may have noticed, here and there, references to the current Big Thing going on around here – it’s been a bit behind-the-scenes, but as of this past weekend, I’m officially ready to share. Drum roll please……..
My parents have made something amazing happen. They have fulfilled a major dream of theirs. They bought a LAKE HOUSE!!
For as long as I can remember, my family has always talked about The Lake House (capital letters required). It’s been the “someday,” “when dreams come true,” “when we win the lottery,” "pie-in-the-sky," pipe-dream thing for my parents – they love to be at the lake, and the idea of owning their own special place was always in the backs of their heads. Visiting The Lake House, fixing it up, retiring there, the whole nine yards, has been regular conversation in our house. In fact, it sort of became a running joke – “Dad’s on the computer again! Searching for The Lake House!” “Dad picked up another real estate brochure – maybe it has The Lake House!” In the last few years, as my sister and I finished up with college and such, my dad has started talking to realtors and actually going to look at houses. A weekend here, a weekend there, house after house. It was such a big dream, he and my mom wanted to find the perfect house. And the perfect house just never really presented itself. They weren’t willing to settle when it came to The Lake House. So it remained a lofty goal, a “someday when we’re older…”
And then one day, earlier this summer, they found it. The Lake House. The one they’ve always looked for. It had everything they’ve always put on the “want” list – the screen porch. The garage. The dock. The fireplace. The big driveway. The house was kind of old, but it was in great condition. The appliances worked. The paint was fresh. The price was right. And suddenly, The Lake House wasn’t such a faraway dream anymore. It was right in front of my mom and dad. And so, they took the cross-the-Grand-Canyon leap, and they bought that house. They made their dream come true.
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| House-warming gift from the realtor! |
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| Keys to the house! |
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| Dad with the very first carload of "stuff" for the house |
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| Left at the fork in the road... |
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| Proud home owner!! |
My parents, obviously, inspire me in a lot of ways. I think they’re great. I think they’re wonderful people, and parents, and have set an amazing example of how a marriage should be for my sister and I. I know that the two of us were never the easiest kids to raise, and there were times when we all made each other crazy, but looking back, with a more mature eye, I see how truly great my sister and I had it. This purchase, though, this is something entirely different. My parents have taught me how to have dreams, how to have goals, and then how to make those things happen. They set their mind to something, and they took all the steps to make sure it happened. They worked hard for years, and they saved their money for years, and they took baby steps far in advance so that, years later, they'd be able to do what they wanted to do. It was a long process, but they were patient – so patient – and waited for exactly the right house to come around. And they got exactly what they deserved, exactly what they’d worked and waited for for so many years. They got The Lake House. And the minute I stepped foot through the front door this past weekend, it felt like home – it felt like it had always been ours. I cannot wait for the years to come and the memories that we will make at that house. I can’t wait to have Thanksgiving there this year, and to bring my babies there someday. I can’t wait to play on the dock every summer, and chase the dog that I’m pretty sure my parents will have someday. There is so much that awaits us with this house. It’s already a dream come true, but it’s going to get better with every visit.
I am so proud of my parents, and so excited about what’s in store for them. I know that they are going to make this house their own, and it’s going to be absolutely perfect. They have earned it. They deserve it. And I get to reap the benefits of having amazing parents.
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| The Lake House. Finally! |
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| View from the dock |
