About Yesterday.... Dreams Do Come True

Todd and I have been house hunting.  We've been keeping our eye out for a few years, but recently stepped it up as we would like to do it before Adam starts Kindergarten.  We have looked both in the Oswego Area and Dewitt, bouncing back and forth between the school system and gorgeous houses there compared to the nice way of life in Oswego.  We fell in love with a house on short sale, but it's too expensive.

For fun, we decided to go to an auction up north for a camp property on Three Mile Bay, which is a part of Lake Ontario.  We've kind of always talked about getting a camp and I have always dreamed of one, passed down to my kids and their kids, a place where my family will come together long after I'm gone.  Years of visiting Pam's family camp in Chaumont did me in.

I actually have a magazine clipping from when I was pregnant with Adam on the side of the fridge with  a young kid spinning by a lake.  The article was about some family cottage and I saw the photo and said YES that captures my dream.

As it turns out, my dream is now a reality.  We were surprised (OK, I was SHOCKED) that we actually had the winning bid!  I had signed up (bidder number 3) and we had discussed the most we would pay.  With the crowd, we assumed it would go higher.  We bid from the back yard, assuming it'd go beyond our bids.

When the guy I was bidding against bowed out and the owner declined to bid, I almost passed out.  It's a lot of money and I just couldn't believe it...my childhood dream was becoming a reality.  I am not joking.  I couldn't breathe.  Todd said he never saw me so pale.

I slept badly last night; tossing and turning like a little kid before Christmas imagining all the possibilities.  I imagined years of family time.

Todd had me sign for it.  He told me it was my dream and my home.  Not only was I floored that we bought it but overwhelmed that he cared that much about making my childhood dream come true.  I was very touched that it mattered to him so much and it made me a bit emotional.

The guy was not thrilled who was selling it.  He was an investor who rented it out and kept telling me I got a deal.  I stole these photos from his website as I was too stunned to take my own.

The 125 dock was a selling point.  The weeds are grown up more right now due to a dry summer and no maintenance but we're going to take care of it.  Todd wants a boat someday.

 One of the two small bedrooms.  House came with everything included, even a washer and a dryer.

 Standing in the living room looking at the kitchen.  I imagine Monopoly and S'Mores at the table :)

 Another picture from the back deck.  Looks like fall.

 Some random girl in the weeping willow that Todd joked was Abbey.  This tree is on the large yard that's across from the cottage.  It's in great shape and there's also a two car garage.  It's over TWO ACRES!  Plenty of room for a swing set.  There's also a little bunk house that we told Bobby is his until the kids are older and want it :)  It needs nothing except new sheets (gross to use those old ones) and a lawn mower.  I am still in shock.  It's about an hour and 20-30 minutes from here, probably longer than we thought we wanted.  But it was nice to be in another world.  71.4 miles to be exact.

The auctioneer was using my name during the process, so afterwards, the neighbors all came up "Chrissa! Chrissa!" wanting to meet us.  They were very friendly.  And a lot of them related.  They were happy, they said, that someone who was going to use it, not rent it bought it.

One neighbor asked Todd his plans and Todd told him I have a wife who had a dream to buy a camp on Chaumont Bay and the guy laughed.  "Me, too!' he said.

It was so surreal. We take possession September 5 and I can't wait to spend some time there.  We will use it on the weekends mostly for now, but in the back of our mind we see some retirement potential.

Of course, the house hunt is a bit on hold but it doesn't bother me.  This just felt right and it happened without having to push for it.  I've learned in life that those things are more often meant to be.

A place where my kids will come as adults and bring their kids...long after we're gone.  That's been my dream since way before I had an A-team.  And now we can make it come true.