Lake House Vibes

We’ve spent the past three months unable to do many of the things we once did without a second thought. We’re 100% convinced of how important it is to help #stopthespread of coronavirus, and at the same time, we’ve undoubtedly struggled the most with not being able to spend time with our extended family who we’re used to seeing and hugging as part of the daily/weekly rhythms of our lives.

And so after 10 weeks of sheltering-in-place, working and learning from home, with no symptoms of the virus, we decided it was pretty low-risk to get away with our brother and sister and their kids for a week (and epidemiologists in this article confirmed as much).

We rented a lake house two hours drive away from NYC, with space for us to spread out and enjoy the outdoors, all while not having to constantly think about masks and hand sanitizer. (I know some of you will want to know about the rental house, and you can check it out here.)

At a time when the world was feeling incredibly sad and hard to navigate (with the death toll from coronavirus passing 100,000 in the U.S. and including people we knew/loved, as well as the murder of George Floyd), this space of peace and love could not have come at a better time. Our joy was part of our resistance and resilience.

And our joy looked like…

Relaxing on the deck, and taking in the view of the lake, which never got old.

Sunset dinners for the adults, while we made the kids stay inside.

Loud moments in the sprinklers and lake.

Quiet moments with puzzles, movies, and books.

Family meals spent going around the table to share our favorite things (The kids, who typically rush to get up from the table loved this game — favorite color, ice cream flavor, sport, movie, clothing item, etc.)

Time exploring the lake and making s’mores.

And, of course, the random sweet moments walking outside, spotting bald eagles, deer, fish, and water snakes, sharing hugs, taking naps, shouting, “Who’s with Josiah?!,” and making TikTok videos. :-)

It was a soul-nourishing week at the lake house, and I’m overflowing with gratitude for it.