::| Brodie :: Six Months |::

I've always loved barns.

The drive from the Twin Cities to northwest Iowa sometimes took longer than expected due to a quick u-turn to grab a photo of a red barn, 

a tattered barn, a silo coming up out of the stalks of corn. 

I've probably loved barns because they were a novelty. Not an every day sighting for a city girl. 

I definitely don't love stop lights. Or traffic. I do still love the Minneapolis skyline, but that's going in a different direction.

Back to barns.

So there's this barn. I'd wanted to see it long before I actually saw it for the first time. 

I guess there's an omen (a good one) in there somewhere. The barn belongs to my boyfriend's parents. 

It has a great story. It's a great gathering place. And it's red. 

And there's a house, too. It has swings and flowers and window sills made of walnut - walnut from trees that were cut down from the property.

 I'd say overall it's a pretty special place. 

The dinner table easily seats 10 - and that's just parents, siblings, significant others, and Brodie.

Ah, Brodie!

He just turned six months!

So we found some of the best spots around this house and barn to celebrate Brodie's first half birthday: