Dreaming, Goal Setting

Bob and I are enjoying our little lake house. Since we were first married (back in 1975), we have dreamt of a place on water. For several years I searched out farm land with ponds in Indiana. We actually came close on 15 acres in Whitley County but it wasn't meant to be. It made little or no sense to make mortgage payments and land payments while raising our daughter.

For 10 years or better we rented lake houses for a week each summer. For 4 years we drove 7 hours north into Wisconsin to a property that consisted of a lodge and three houses. One had one bedroom and was near the water, one had 5 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, and the third had 3 bedrooms, one bath, and a large screened in porch. We rented the last one each year. We would rent a boat with small motor and fish away the days.

For 3 summers we rented a small place on Pretty Lake in northern Indiana. It had one decent bedroom and a loft. It was rustic and quaint with a stone fireplace. The screened in porch there looked down over the lake. The steps down to the water were equal to 3 flights of stairs. It came with a fishing boat with motor. With no air conditioning we always ended up sleeping on the floor in the open room.

As we continued to dream of our own place on water, we investigated lakes in Illinois including Springfield Lake and the lake in Danville and some lakes along the border with Wisconsin. The dreaming continued. We stayed at a state park in southern Illinois once and loved to visit Bob's brother Roy in New York. He lives on one of the Finger Lakes.

In 2007 we finalized the details we would want in a place. Our dream had a definition. We decided to expand our search criteria still hoping to keep within 2 hours of home. We set a $ amount we thought was reasonable and I started searching on line.

In April of 2007 I drove to Fort Wayne to visit my dad. We talked a long time about the lakes in northern Indiana and the property his sister had back in the 50s and 60s. I recall those day trips and even renting a cottage near Uncle Bill one summer. Then Dad told me that he and Mom actually passed up a building lot on the water near Uncle Bill. With 5 kids, they did not have the $1,000. He said, "Don't live with regrets."

So my focus swung to northeast Indiana. There were dozens of places within our set $ limit. When Bob and I next got to the area we drove by several of them, judging them from the printed specs and the outside.

I mentioned that often the seller will settle for less than asking price and that I had printed a few that were just over our limit. So we took a couple of hours and drove by several outside our price range. One stuck us out from the outside and the specifications listed on the sheets. It met all but one of our criteria. It was on a well and had no option for city water. It was being sold fully furnished. The pictures from the web looked promising.

We called the realtor. She was very friendly and told us, "Oh the one of Witmer. It's been lowered to $XXX." Just within our upper limit! She met us and showed us the inside of Our Dream Home on the Lake.

Dream, don't give up. Dream and look. Dream and save. Bob and I found our Dream Home at just the right time. Our lake house fits us now and will fit us for years. Our savings covered the cost of purchase. We work extra hard to cover the duplicates in utilities, insurance, real estate taxes, etc. but it's not painful because we have our dream.

'til later