The years seem to be flying by! As I get
older and somewhat wiser, I find myself
reflecting on the last 7 years of blissful mar-
riage. I knew Mandy was a special woman
when I met her but I never imagined how
blessed of a life I would have with her.
We have been spending a lot of time at the
cottage these past few months. It seems that
getting away from the hustle and bustle of
our every day lives is just what we needed.
There is something magical about sipping
a glass of wine under the stars as the moon
creates shadows of the nearby trees. As we
approached the final phases of our cottage
reno, I often wondered if I would enjoy
spending time away from our fast-paced
lives. I've asked Mandy so many times during
the 4 year overhaul, “What if I hate being up
here? There's no reception which means no
emails, messages or calls!” She replied in her
calm manner, “If you don't like it, we'll sell it.”
Much to my surprise, we love every minute
of our mini vacations! The kids run and play
to their hearts' content. I have swapped
out my morning gym routine for a walk in
nature and most of our meals are grilled
instead of baked. Mandy and the kids have
fully embraced life at the lake and it's a nice
place to get away from the renos currently
happening to our home. I know what you are
thinking: “Weren't those done already?” Well
they were, but then we decided to redo
the exterior finishes, and reconfigure a few
things. A little reno project that was to take a
few weeks turned into a complete makeover.
Alas, it never seems to end but that's part of
the fun!
MARC ATIYOLIL
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
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