What is the best gift you have ever received? How many gifts do you still actually LOVE as much as you did when you first received them? I know what my favorite gift was, and it’s one that I won’t ever forget….MY POND in Downingtown Pa! I was given my very own personal paradise that I can enjoy and share through the seasons, year after year.
It was Mother’s Day 2014 when Jason and our three boys Kyle, Logan and Joey surprised me with breakfast in bed, but that was only the start. After breakfast I was led outside to a barren, unusable portion of our backyard where there were two large machines. I will be honest, I was a little worried, and then the boys started yelling, “Mom we are going to build you a pond!” I was pretty sure they were going to explode with excitement. Jason said it was time for us to start enjoying the Pond Lifestyle!
Next the excitement kicks in as well as the concern, Jason doesn’t exactly have the time to build this to the size or details that we had discussed over the years. It’s amazing how you have a dream and then life takes a left turn and by the time you realize it’s your turn, you don’t even remember what it was that you wanted.
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So we decided to start with a small patio and a pond with a waterfall. Somehow those plans were transformed into two patios with a Fire Pit and then the Pond was made larger. We now have a 16×20 Pond with a land bridge that leads over to the Waterfall. As I sit here and write my story, I have the back door open and the sounds coming from my waterfall make me smile. When I am in the kitchen doing dishes for what feels like the 10th time that day, and I look up and see one of my fish catching bugs in the air, or my water lilies blooming, I smile. As soon as the water temperature is tolerable my kids and dogs seem to want to live in the pond! This water feature has truly become a part of who we are and what we enjoy when we are at home. Paradise doesn’t have to be 1000 miles away; it can be right outside your back door! I think my favorite part of living the Pond Lifestyle is the time my family spends together around the pond and fire pit. These are the memories that I know will last a lifetime.
I love watching My Pond in Downingtown Pa change and evolve with each passing season. I now have a whole new appreciation for the outdoors. In the Spring we add new plants and planters in and around the Pond. In the Summer we watch it all come alive and this attracts some truly amazing wildlife. We welcome birds, turtles, frogs, fireflies and butterflies all season. In the Fall I can’t wait to transform my planters with pumpkins surrounding the Pond. I even enjoy the Winter, when the waterfalls start to freeze, it is winter splendor at its best. Watching everything slow down and quietly go to sleep, knowing it will all awake again in the Spring and bring back the beauty that we await to discover.
This year we added a Sonos Sound System outside to the area around my pond in Downingtown Pa. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to get caught up in the outdoor beauty and then add my favorite music while I garden or just relax. After the kids head off for school, I am able to sit next to my Pond and enjoy my morning coffee and plan my day. Then at night when I need time to unwind for a few minutes I can quietly sit by the Pond and feed the fish.
My pond was truly one of the best gifts I have ever received. In this fast- paced life we all seem to lead, a pond can be a lovely, tranquil oasis that might be the best gift that you ever gave or received.
