It All Started on the Lake - North Country Nest

Memorial Day Weekend is significant for a number of reasons. The most obvious being to honor those who have lost their lives protecting the freedoms of this country. We are blessed beyond belief to call America home.

Next up is the fact that we get an extra day off work. Who doesn’t love that?

Last, but certainly not least, is that it’s the weekend Brett and I met back in 2012. He says I was a goner as soon as I saw him in a cutoff and glasses. I say I got him hooked with my messy bun and sweatpants.

Regardless of how it started, over the next three months of that summer, in between bartending and guiding and cleaning and meal prepping, we were able to steal a few hours here and there to head out on the lake for some fishing. Between the two of us I did enough talking, but every once in a while, Brett would add in his own comments and stories. We chatted about everything from childhood memories to favorite foods to future dreams and aspirations.

Fast forward four years later and in between home remodeling and wedding planning and grad school, we were able to steal a few hours this past Sunday and Monday to hit the lakes near our house.

We didn’t make an entire day of it; just a few hours. And although our conversation has changed a bit and revolves more around the house renovations and wedding plans, the idea is still the same – the lake is ours. Our relationship started on Lake of the Woods and spending time boating and fishing will always be our “thing.”

When Brett and I first started dating, I worried that we didn’t have that much in common. He is an avid fisher, hunter and outdoorsman. I love shopping, crafting and reading.

Now however, I am starting to realize more than ever that it doesn’t matter if you and your person have different interests. Brett and I couldn’t be more different in how we like to spend our free time. Yes, I try hunting and yes he indulges me in my incessant need to craft. But would I ever in my free time pick up a gun and head out the door to hunt? Absolutely not. And I would probably have a heart attack if I came home to find him sitting at the sewing machine whipping up a new pillow cover (I’ll just pause here so you can picture that in your mind and get a good chuckle).

What I think matters is that we found our one thing – the lake. When we get out there, it’s like we’re back on Lake of the Woods with the newness and exciting stomach butterflies when they look at you a certain way. It’s our time and I am feeling more protective of that as our lives continue to speed by.

Finding ‘the thing’ that you can share with your person is more than a hobby you both enjoy. Your thing has the ability to catapult you back to a certain time and flood you with happy memories. It is something that immediately makes you think of the other person and something you don’t want to share with anyone else. It is yours.

If you haven’t carved out space in a while to do your ‘one thing,’ I challenge you to fit it in every month over the summer. Time seems to be moving faster than ever and it is important to make space for your person.

Figure out what tradition or hobby or activity is ‘your thing’ and once you do, we’d love to hear what you have planned! Maybe it’ll spark some new ideas among all of us.