When I picture my mom at her most relaxed, I see her sitting on the deck of my parents house, her feet propped up on the rail, as she reads a book, a glass of iced tea sweating nearby. She has always said the deck is her favorite room in the house.
It's one of my favorite places too. My parent's deck is large, with two seating areas and multiple levels. My dad built it himself in time for my high school graduation party. It's shaded by the tall trees that fill the backyard and provide a nice canopy. When I lived at home, the deck was a place to go to read a book, talk on the phone or just enjoy silence. Somehow meals outside on the deck are more memorable, perhaps because are fewer distractions.
Chris bought our current house five years ago and soon after brought me by to check it out. I toured the kitchen, the living room, the garage, and then he took me into the backyard. In that moment, I remember feeling for the first time like, "I could live here." The rest of the house was empty and needed some work. But when I saw the backyard, I just saw it's potential. I imagined what it would be like to throw parties in the backyard, grow a garden or lay on a blanket for a picnic.
