"In the Barn"

"In the Barn" is the title of this photograph by one of my new favorite photograpers, Jen Gotch. She is a prop stylist in California and has a cool polaroid blog with the most captivating vintage photos. I love the title of this one because, like this photo, we are "in the barn." Today our coming home counter moved into the double digits.

There's a funny phenomenon happening in our "barn." Jon and I seem to have unlocked our other selves. Living abroad for three years has opened us to parts of ourselves that we never knew existed. I now have a love affair with coffee. Jon has become a wine and cheese kind of guy. We no longer gasp at the thought of running off to Thailand for the weekend, shopping in Hanoi, or trekking through Guilin. These things have become normal, expected. But those parts of ourselves that we had to suppress in order to make it here, those parts are starting to emerge again. Jon's inner redneck is finding its way out as he pours over hunting magazines. My inner decorator is finally being allowed out as I start to dream of finally having a home. I haven't allowed this part of myself out for so long because when I did, I found contentment impossible. But now we are in the barn. Now I can let it out, and I'm finding it delightful!