The final stretch of our 2023 road trip took us from Coldwater, Michigan to our daughter Megan’s home in Rockford, Minnesota. After retiring, we had decided it was time to leave California and find a place with more water—and hopefully be closer to our kids.
At the time, Joe’s daughter was planning a move to Florida, his son lived in New York City, and Megan and her family were settled in Rockford. After months of conversations and reflection, Minnesota felt like the best fit for our lifestyle. We’d be near our grandchildren and still within reach of both Florida and New York. (As it turns out, Joe’s daughter did live in Florida for a while but is now back in California.)
Once we’d settled on the location, the next decision was whether to rent an apartment in Rockford or stay in Megan’s finished basement until we sold our California home, which we planned to do in mid-2024. Since our household goods had already been delivered to Megan’s basement in April, renting a place would have meant yet another move. So we chose to stay put in the basement—and honestly, it worked out better than we expected.
We bought a used refrigerator and set up a little kitchen area with a microwave and coffee pot. Most nights, we had dinner with Megan and the family—she did the cooking! While we had access to the upstairs kitchen, we tried to keep things easy and avoid disrupting their routine.
The basement itself was quite spacious, with a comfortable bedroom, a full bathroom, and a large living/great room. It gave us plenty of room to create a cozy, homey space. The only real downside? Cold air settles in the basement, so we ended up wearing jackets pretty much year-round. But we stayed grateful—the benefits far outweighed the chill.
The biggest challenge for me personally was learning how to communicate well in a multigenerational home. I stumbled more than a few times, but eventually found my footing. The best part, without question, was getting to spend so much more time with our grandchildren, Caleb and Charlotte, as well as with Megan and Jeremy. If we’d chosen an apartment, we would have missed out on all those everyday moments.
Next up: Our current home in Minnesota.
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