Brown, 42, and her family are originally from Bosnia-Herzegovina, but they left in 1992 when civil war broke out.
They were refugees in Germany for several years before moving to the United States, where they started anew in Washington state. Through it all, Brown’s parents, Azra Catak, 62, and Jasmin Catak, 73, made sure she and her brother had everything they needed.
“They took such great care of us,” she said.
Brown lived with her parents on and off in adulthood, eventually moving out permanently and marrying James Brown. The couple owns the Gresham Grocery Outlet together and lives in Damascus, Oregon.
She remained close to her parents, though, seeing them as often as she could.
Now that they live in the ADU, Brown sees her parents daily. Azra Catak helps the Browns at their store, and Jasmin Catak visits his daughter’s dogs daily. She takes walks with her parents several days a week, and her husband plays pickleball with her dad.
When it comes to sharing space, Brown and her parents have a literal open-door policy.
“Our back deck door, I leave open all the time because of the dogs, and I always tell them, ‘If it’s closed, I’m taking a nap, or I’m taking a shower. If the door’s open, you can come in,'” she said. Brown and her parents also often FaceTime each other, checking in about what the other is doing before going into each other’s spaces.
Brown said she feels lucky to live so close to her parents.
“I am so thankful for every minute I get to spend with them, especially now as I’m seeing them age and get older,” Brown said. “I feel like every minute is extremely precious, and the fact that I get to spend so much time with them has, for me, really been life-changing.”