These are the photos that the incredible India Earl captured of us late this spring in our Utah home, just days before we packed it up for good + rented it. This was our residence for three years. We’ve loved, celebrated, painted, redecorated, lived, laughed, worked, gathered and found ourselves in this space. Although it wasn’t exactly what I wanted (is it ever?), it was special. And served us so well for those years of our relationship.
And now, in this next phase of life, I can’t help but swoon over design magazines, design blogs + inspiration found on Pinterest (I mean, come on, can you just imagine the most perfect little beach bungalow?) – BUT right now we are consciously choosing not to put down permanent roots, but instead travel, focus on our business + live a bit unattached. We’re exploring the vacation rental market here in Hawaii, and also in Maine for investment properties but we haven’t full decided what we’re doing yet or where HOME is.
Instead, what I do know, and what I’ve found out through this journey is that :
home is a feeling, not a place.
When we’re in Hawai’i, with new friends, inspiring scenery + my mom, we feel at home.
When we’re on the east coast, in our quaint postcard town, with Aaron’s family + our friends, we feel at home.
When we’re in the mountains, with our loved ones in Utah, we feel at home.
When we chat with our incredible clients and are rooted in our business, we feel at home.
When I choose to honor myself in a routine that makes me feel balanced + important, I feel at home.
And when I’m with him, this man whom I love from the bottom of my heart, I feel at home.
I look at these photos from months ago + I love thinking about all of the experiences that we’ve had since then. Even more memories made, how much closer we’ve grown and how much more of our story has been written. It makes me smile.
This month marks one year of working together full time. I can’t believe I’m typing that out. What an incredible (and challenging and growing) year it has been! It’s flown by in a blur of transition, moving, bulletproof coffee, traveling, creating meaningful work and of course – lots of adventure. Working for myself has always been a priority, but building a company that I’m proud of with someone I love and admire so deeply – that’s on a whole other level. That’s something I never dreamed of!
Over the past year, we’ve been so caught up in actually running the business that we hadn’t had time to set aside to work on the business. Now, after returning back to Hawai’i, we have set aside time to finally create our business name, discuss branding, a website, etc. We finally found a name that feels good. Feels like it encompasses and symbolizes our journey – something that we can call our company + have pride in. We will be sharing that + some exciting new things in the weeks to come. Excited is an understatement!
Loving, adventuring AND working alongside someone can have its challenges — but there is also so much joy that gets tacked onto that list! I couldn’t imagine life any other way.
After Aaron leaving his successful career of ten years, uprooting our lives, moving across the ocean + officially working together full time – Aaron + I have become each other’s constants. He can count on me to be overly enthusiastic in the morning and by noon be overanalyzing + sweating the small stuff and I can count on him to find the balance + diffuse any situation to show me that, in fact, it is all going to be okay. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Having your person there to do life + business alongside you is an thrilling ride, full of ups and downs. It’s not for everyone, but currently it’s working for us. Even though life is tricky and relationships are complicated – not to mention that finances, business plans + growing pains are super unsexy – we have each other. Through it all.
We all want a place to feel like home. But instead of focusing on a location, why don’t we focus on the feeling?
Think: What makes me feel at home? How can I create a space of comfort? Who makes me feel at home?
This. This is where we can find calm.
Home is comfort, home is where you feel whole, home is a feeling.
Details from the shoot:
Map Tapestry | Similar Bedding | Similar Dress | My Overalls
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Photos by the incredible India Earl Photography
Find her on Instagram here: @indiaearl
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