Among the many purposes this blog has served, it has most recently acted as a telling reminder of decisions made and time past. That and how drastically our needs, feelings and ambitions can evolve in a relatively short amount of time.

Just over a year ago, I shared photos from a special photo shoot we did, mostly in our apartment, with photographer Jean-Laurent Gaudy as a way to celebrate the first real home in Paris we shared and nurtured as a married duo but that we assumed we were outgrowing.

Our mission shortly after was to look for a bigger space that would help reset the clock and play host to new memories. After visiting a slew of apartments and meeting with the bank about financing, we quickly realized that upsizing would mean a sizable new loan, incurring steeper monthly fees and, as a result, modifying our lifestyle significantly; a millstone we weren’t prepared to bear.


In a way, turning our backs on the apartment would have meant thoughtlessly discarding a space that has, much like the city overall, been instrumental in our journey to becoming the people we are today both individually and as a couple. So instead of hemorrhaging money for a slightly larger space in a new neighborhood, we chose to assess both our current apartment and our lives with a more speculative eye. We’re staying put but overhauling the space with new storage, new paint, some new furnishings and a variety of other decorative touches that should make our home feel fresh.

But what does all that have to do with the new photos from JL, then? Inclement weather cut our session short last year and in many ways, I’m grateful it has taken time to pick up where we left off. So much has changed for us in that year. This latest shoot came at a time when we’re both plumbing the depths of our connection and asking ourselves serious, heavy questions about what’s next and where we’re going as a couple. Our home is in that awkward stage of disarray as we purge what no longer matches our tastes and bring in new things that don’t yet have a proper place. But that paints a clear picture of the transitional state we’re in personally, too.

The amorous glances and tender embraces we traded belie a struggle. I’m sure the married couples reading this can attest to the perpetual effort and work that staying together requires but I’ve come to understand that this is what sustainable love is about; it’s the hard bit, the sentiment that demands patience, care and forgiveness. Once the butterflies have moved onto other couples (‘easy’ love) and the implacable realities of daily life settle in, it’s love in an altered, more sophisticated form.

So we’re working on it, just like we’re focusing our efforts on appreciating our space and all the things it offers us rather than what it’s lacking. Lesson of the day: love, like feeling at home, is a work in progress.

Thanks to Jean-Laurent for the spectacular photos. For more of his work, click HERE.