We have really really big dreams one day.

We currently live in a small cabin that is rustic and already filled with so many memories. Naturally, because we live in a “give me more society” we have goals to build/add on to this humble home so that we can have “more”. Some day.

But, that is not what I am currently referring to when I write this post.

It took me a little bit of time to understand what it means to build a home.

No contractors, no new paint samples, no amazon or wayfarer packages beckoning our doorstep each day.

No, no.

This task is much more intimate and creative than all of those combined.

A home is not necessarily the picture-esque Pinterest photo which is edited, perfectly tidied, and likable by all.

A home is your safe haven that expresses parts of you not always shown to the world.

Let me provide a little back story:

When I first got married, I was bound and determined to girl-ify my husband’s bachelor cabin. I wouldn’t sleep for nights on end considering where I could change paint, add curtains, insert furniture, or place a faux plant.

For months it ripped at my gut that I was just a broke college student who had other ways to spend what little money I had towards, ya know, ESSENTIALS, like books and a new computer for school (mine had crashed just months before) when I so desperately wanted a “magnolia make-over”.

Then, given time and distraction real life took place.

Nestled in the cracks and crevices of our 100-year old raw wood walls and dust bunny covered corners, are memories that will last a lifetime and maybe even inspire our family to come.

Our home is filled with dog scratched pine floors, black cabinets with small and unintentional grease drippings down the front from home cooked meals, and of course fuzzy blankets with extra insulation in the form of dog hair.

So far we’ve laughed and loved in a space that forced us to relay on each other from day one. In the beginning (and even now) there was no “go to your own space” when you felts cramped or overwhelmed. It was sit in the same room and face reality head on which i’m sooooo incredibly thankful for now.

Home is a place I love to gather loved ones with plates gifted by friends from our wedding. We’ve designed and added a farmhouse style booth built by the hands of my father and husband to seat 9+ friends and family members at one time. Top this time of fellowship by serving food we grew ourselves and I am in Heaven.

I look around and see the ever-changing environment around me.

What I once yearned to be new, shiny, and pristine I now want warm, welcoming, and inviting.

My couch is covered in dog hair 80% of the time but that compares nothing to the snuggles as we wind down at the end of each night with our four-legged babies.

See that wood stove in the above picture? I’ve never had a wood burning stove but after many nights of propping open the door and having long conversations with crackles as background noise, I’ll never not have one again.

Each day that we create a memory or find a new hangout spot to spend quality time together, we are building a home.

For now, this is enough for me.

With love, Elizabeth.