We arrived at our vacation house in Lake Placid on Tuesday evening! If you recall the blog post I shared, the kids and I had never seen it beyond looking at pictures and hearing Justin share about the work he had done to prep it for our arrival in July. I was nervous to see it for the first time, and Justin was as well. He kept saying, “I think you’re going to cry…” which made me laugh because there was a real possibility that the state of the house would make me cry.
The house was in pretty bad shape and very dirty. As an example, Justin spent 2 hours cleaning the fridge and oven–they looked like they had never been cleaned. Walls had holes, the basement floor was caked with dirt, and countertops were sliding across the cabinets that had not been attached. It was in *rough* shape.
Justin and his dad went up for a few days about a month ago to do some major work on the house. They got so much done and made it perfectly acceptable and comfortable for us to live in this summer!
It’s such a far departure from how we live in Raleigh, BUT that is the idea. I grew up spending all summer long in southeast Wisconsin in a 100-year-old cottage with one full bathroom and two bedrooms. My siblings and I all shared the second bedroom on the first floor while my parents took the primary. We all shared the full bathroom that was situated next to the kitchen. The second floor was just a wide open space with a half bath.
So I’m used to the feeling of living in close quarters and sharing space, but it’s a new experience for our kids!
Honestly, the first week has been a little better than expected! Justin has been working tirelessly in the basement/garage (yes, the garage is also the basement!), and the kids and I have been setting up house upstairs. We’re still missing major things like a kitchen table, a door to our bedroom, etc., but we’ve been able to get by with what we currently have and take breaks for fun.
The kids have had positive spirits, but I’ve noticed they are dragging by about 3-4 p.m. each day. It reminds me of that lull in the day when you have toddlers that you’re just trying to push to dinnertime. Once we’ve figured out a dinner plan, the rest of the evening is great. That has probably been my favorite time, to be honest. When we get back home from dinner and the kids play! I’m looking forward to cooking at home now that we’ve stocked the kitchen, but we need a kitchen table to sit at for that!
Justin has a list a mile long of activities we can do while we’re here. From riding bikes on the Rail Trail to exploring a nearby gorge and playing in the shallow river. I’m working a few days a week but aiming for a little bit of a lighter schedule for July.
If there is one thing that motherhood has taught me, it’s that time goes by too fast. I’ve got a rising middle schooler and two other kids speeding through elementary school. These years, the ones right now where we can all be together easily, are the years I want to maximize time with my kids.
I’m feeling grateful, peaceful, and very happy with our choice to do something that feels a little crazy for the sake of quality time and core memories for all of us.
