When Kjell and Marilyn started thinking about their next chapter, they knew they didn’t want to slow down. They just wanted to make life a bit easier.
Both were healthy and independent, but they could see that keeping up with their large house and property would become more challenging over time. They also wanted to move closer to their grandchildren while they were still young enough to enjoy an active lifestyle.
So, they started looking for something smaller. And Kjell had one request.
“I’ve always loved woodworking,” he said. “So, having a small workshop was important.”
Marilyn had a request of her own: garden space to grow flowers.
They found both at Holiday, and so much more.
From a big house to a smaller home
Leaving their longtime home wasn’t easy. There was plenty to love about it, from the spacious wooded yard to Marilyn’s flower and vegetable gardens.
Kjell spent hours maintaining the property, taking care of the yard and trimming the large trees. Marilyn tended her gardens and sometimes ended up with more produce than they could possibly eat. One year, she picked more than 100 ripe tomatoes in a single day.
Their home was also known for spreading holiday cheer.
“We were the kind of house that decorated with thousands of lights during the holidays,” says Marilyn. “People drove from miles around.”
They loved doing it. But eventually, all that work started to feel like, well, work.
“The older we got, the more difficult it was to pull off,” says Kjell.
Today, they live in a two-bedroom lakeside cottage at Holiday and have more time to do what they enjoy.
“Thanks to the help we get with meals, housework, yard work – those sorts of things,” adds Marilyn.
Kjell still insists on hanging lights and holiday decorations each winter. But like their lifestyle, it happens on a smaller, more manageable scale.
In other words, they downsized their home without downsizing their life.
A workshop for building what matters
Inside Kjell’s garage, every surface is covered with wooden pens, clocks, wagons, miniature golf carts, birdhouses and plenty of other creations along with the tools that bring them to life. Over the years, he’s made more than 150 large clocks, giving many to family and friends and selling others at local craft fairs.
“He’d go crazy without it,” laughs Marilyn.
Kjell keeps random wood scraps for years, waiting for the right idea to come along. When they moved from their large home, he donated hundreds of pounds of raw material to a young woodworker.
“Some people golf,” he says. “I’d rather make sawdust!”
“I love the satisfaction of making something,” he says. “And I’m fascinated by different kinds of wood. The colors, the grains – it’s amazing what nature can do.”
His workshop has also become a way to stay useful. He’s repaired items for neighbors and recently made a sign for a resident with limited vision.
“I like helping others,” he says.
Making room for community
The couple didn’t just find a new home at Holiday. They found a sense of community and quickly became a part of it.
Naturally social, Kjell and Marilyn made a point of getting to know their neighbors right away. Rather than sitting at the same table for every meal, they often choose different tables to meet different residents.
They aren’t official Resident Ambassadors, but they’ve naturally taken on that role.
“Some people here get lonely,” says Marilyn. “They enjoy a bit of friendly attention. So, we sit with them and help them feel welcome.”
Kjell takes the same approach on his walks around the lake, stopping to chat with whoever happens to be outside.
“Everybody has a story,” says Marilyn. “If you sit down over lunch or dinner and ask questions, you hear wonderful, sometimes difficult, stories.”
Their friendliness made an impression. Just months after moving in, they were named the community’s Valentine’s Day King and Queen.
“Evidently, it’s a bit of a popularity contest,” says Marilyn with a laugh. “So, being new, we were quite surprised.”
A hidden gem right outside their door
Long before they moved in, Kjell and Marilyn had driven past the community countless times on their way to visit family. From the road, they saw a tidy building on a busy street.
Then they toured the community.
When they stepped out the back of the building and saw a tree-lined lake, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
“After driving past this place for years, we were stunned by what we saw,” says Marilyn. “It’s a real hidden gem.”
Now, the lake is part of everyday life. They take evening walks on the path around it, and Kjell feeds the ducks and geese with food made especially for them.
“When you open the blinds in the morning and see ducks heading toward you, it’s a pretty great way to start your day!” says Kjell.
“Or when you see two deer standing in your driveway through the kitchen window,” adds Marilyn.
“We live in the city, but nature’s creations are right here in the woods, outside our back door,” says Kjell. “It’s magical.”
Looking ahead
No one knows what the future will bring. But Kjell and Marilyn know what they want from it: more time for the people and pursuits they love, and the ability to stay in their lakeside cottage for as long as possible.
If eventually they need a little help, they can add optional care services without having to leave the home they love.
“It was a huge move, and it was difficult,” says Marilyn. “But we’re happy we did it. The timing was perfect.”
“We love it here.”
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