Last summer one of our greatest dreams came
true; we became cottage owners!
My husband and I often talked about where
we would like to build/buy a cottage. We would see things in stores and say
‘hey, that would look great in a cottage’ and even plan weekends away at our
fantasized cabin in the woods. We always thought it would be something in the
far off future.
Then one day opportunity came knocking at
our door, literally. Friends of ours were thinking about selling their family
cottage and we thought ‘this is our chance!’ We had spent many fishing weekends
with them there over the past ten years and even got engaged on the lake. So we
felt that it was meant to be.
The first few weekends spent at our new
cottage seemed to be a dream. I would often look out the window while doing the
dishes and think that someone would pull into the yard and wonder what the heck
we were doing there. It took a little while for me to relax and enjoy what was
finally ours.
We spent most of our first summer working
on what needed to be fixed, (my husband single handily fixed the foundation…my
hero) cleaning, taking down old curtains, washing windows and making it our
own. Every weekend was like a mini vacation even if we were doing work.
Breakfasts were cooked on our beautiful old
Findlay
Days were spent working, swimming and
hanging out with friends or family who would come to visit.
Most evenings after putting the little one
to bed my husband would venture out fishing, while I would sit on the screened-
in-porch (missing a few screens) that over hangs the water, sipping on a glass
of wine and enjoying a good book. It feels like our own little paradise.
We spent our last weekend of the season
hunting for a Christmas tree and closing up for the winter. We were sad to say
goodbye but looking forward to the next cottage season.
This year we were very eager to get back to
our home away from home. There was far less work that needed to be done this
year, but we still had big plans for the place. Cleaning up the grounds,
gardening, fixing the screens in the porch, tearing up the old floor tiles…the
list keeps growing. But no matter how much work lay in store for us on the
weekends we never seemed to mind. There was never much of a rush or timeline
just another weekend tinkering away at the cottage.
Since this year I was back at work I could
no longer spend the day packing up the truck to have it ready for Friday
nights. So most Thursday evenings after the wee man was in bed we would run
around organizing food, clothes and the essentials we needed for the weekend. Every
weekend we would think that we wouldn’t need as much stuff since I started
leaving bedding, towels and some essentials at the cottage but some how we
would still manage to pack the truck to the gills.
Fridays after work we would rush home, feed
the little one dinner, change him into his pj’s and hit the road. Most times we
would make it in time for bed time, (if he hadn't already fallen asleep in the
truck) so we would tuck him in for the night unpack the truck and then…relax.
It was so funny how we would just feel lighter and more at ease. Just being
away from it all. One of the greatest parts of our little paradise is we don’t
have electricity or cell phone service so every weekend we get to unplug ourselves
from the world and enjoy our surroundings and each other.
As our 2014 cottage season comes to an end what
I am truly grateful for is what this cottage has done and will continue to do
for my growing family. With our busy everyday lives we often rush through our
days just to get through the motions.
During
my evenings at the cottage I often reflect and think ‘we will never get these
days back’. So taking the time and enjoying every moment and creating memories has
had a big impact on our lives. I feel like we have become happier people, come
closer as a family and find ourselves able to enjoy the little things in life;
whether that be a Saturday morning snuggle, catching a fish on the lake or finding
a blueberry patch …life doesn't get much sweeter than this.
