Instagram story viewer> @arieandco> Posts

Kristen | Arie + Co.

@arieandco

394

posts

3K

followers

2407

following

Building a vibrant, joyful life while raising teenagers  ❄️MN → FL☀️ Home design | Intentional motherhood | Healthy living | Florida lifestyle

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

We got the keys.After nearly a year of dreaming, planning, waiting, deciding, changing plans, waiting some more, and trusting the process, we’re finally home.Last July we said goodbye to a house and community we loved and a life that felt familiar and comfortable. We left Minnesota and stepped into a season that felt equally exciting and uncertain, and we trusted that God was leading us into something new.Since then, we’ve watched this house grow from drawings on paper and dreams in our heads into the place standing behind us today. But somewhere along the way, we realized this was never really about the house.It’s about the life we’ll build here.It’s about dinners around the table. Late-night talks with our teenagers. Friends gathered in the kitchen. Jumping into the pool with our clothes on (which I did tonight 🤪). The holidays, the laughter, the quickly fleeting ordinary moments that a few short years from now won’t feel ordinary at all.Today we feel so much gratitude for God’s faithfulness, for this adventure, and for the chance to start this next chapter together as a family.Here’s to family dinners, open doors, teenagers who actually want to hang out at home, and all the ordinary moments still to come. Shout out to my brother-in-law @alexluhring for the beautiful pictures of our family! All of the gorgeous photos were the ones he took. 😘#closingday #familyhome #newbuild #newadventures #gratefulhearts by @arieandco

154

47

a month ago

The pool loungers finally have cushions.It was one small thing on a very long list, but somehow, those little bits of progress make the house feel more like home.After building multiple homes, I’ve realized something that’s been consistent every time we’ve moved in…Moving doesn’t happen in a straight line.It happens in bursts.We’ll have a few days where we make huge progress. Furniture gets built, pictures get hung, pool loungers get cushions, and another corner starts feeling finished.Then life takes over…Family commitments, work, teen activities, a quick trip, or sometimes the chance to say yes to something meaningful.The projects wait while we live our life.For a while, I thought that meant we were falling behind.Now I think it’s just what building a home actually looks like.The bookshelves, boxes, and to-do list can stay on hold a bit longer.And that’s ok.Home isn’t built in one marathon.It’s built in a hundred little sprints. 🏃‍♀️#movingin #newhomejourney #movingdiaries #intentionalliving #makingahouseahome by @arieandco

9

6

2 days ago

I actually thought I was going to be better at moving in this time.We’ve moved multiple times before. We’ve built houses before. So I figured I’d have this whole moving in thing mastered by now.Turns out, the problem isn’t the move. It’s me. 😂 I can’t stop dreaming about what’s next long enough to finish what’s already in front of me. I’m constantly thinking about the next project, wildly overestimating what I can accomplish in a day, and then slowing myself down because I want everything to be just right. I stay up late at night planning future projects, and then I’m dragging during the day trying to power through and get stuff done. That’s probably why our built-ins are already designed... And there are still tons of unpacked boxes sitting in our garage, forcing our cars into the driveway. Although to be fair, most of those boxes are books, and until I figure out the built-ins, I have nowhere to put said books. Anyone else operate this way, or am I alone? by @arieandco

11

9

6 days ago

We should have been working on the house. Instead, we went to the beach.After a whirlwind week and a half in Minnesota (and saying goodbye again to so many people we love), we came home exhausted.So the other night, we decided the boxes could wait.We grabbed our beach chairs, watched the sunset, and let ourselves slow down for a couple of hours.It was exactly what we needed. That evening was such a good reminder of one of the reasons we moved here in the first place. For years, we’d come to Florida on vacation and feel a little sad every time we had to leave.Now, those sunsets aren’t part of a trip. They’re just a Wednesday.#floridalifestyle #floridahome #relocated #floridamom #floridafamily by @arieandco

20

6

9 days ago

I used to think moving away would be the hardest part. And in many ways, it was. But during this trip, I realized something I wasn’t expecting...No amount of time in Minnesota with the people we love will ever feel like enough. 😢No matter how many days we stay, there will always be one more dinner to have, one more conversation, one more lake day, one more hug goodbye. Somehow, it’s always time to leave before I’m ready.This last week and a half was full of laughter, late nights, familiar places, and people we’ve loved for decades. It filled my heart in a huge way.And then yesterday, we packed our bags and said goodbye all over again. I’d be lying if I said there were no tears shed.But coming home to Florida felt wonderful, too.Our unfinished house with projects still waiting, boxes still tucked into corners, and a to-do list that somehow keeps getting longer... It felt like home.I thought moving meant choosing one place over the other. Instead, it feels like my heart has simply made room for both. And while I’m incredibly grateful for this new chapter, this trip taught me something that I didn’t know before. The goodbyes probably won’t get easier. They’ll just be the price we pay for having two places that will always feel like home. ❤️#relocation #sayinggoodbyeagain #movingaway #moving #mntofl by @arieandco

30

10

11 days ago

Everyone loves the excitement of Fourth of July Week at the lake.But the slower days after everyone heads home are pretty great too.I’m feeling grateful for a little more time with my mom. A little more time watching my kids make memories. A little more time to simply be together.I’m thankful for these quiet moments and the people who make them so special. by @arieandco

23

7

16 days ago

Every Fourth of July, our family ends up at the lake in Crosslake, Minnesota. ❤️🤍💙Some traditions never really change and almost become a part of you, like hanging out on the dock, boat rides, endless tubing, yard games, and good food around the table. But some things do change.This year, instead of making the drive two hours north from our home, we flew in from halfway across the country. We didn’t even end up watching fireworks. Instead, we spent low key evenings relaxing together... And yesterday we watched Kaden get the keys to Grandpa’s Corvette for his very first solo drive. I think that was a pretty memorable Fourth of July moment that we’ll talk about for years. And the grin on his face is one I’ll never forget. Coming back after moving to Florida felt different this year. It’s familiar in all the best ways, but also a reminder of how much life has changed.I’m feeling grateful for another Fourth of July at the lake, another year with the people we love, and another chapter in a tradition that’s been part of our family for decades. 🇺🇸 by @arieandco

53

8

19 days ago

Happy Fourth! 🇺🇸✈️We’re spending this Fourth of July somewhere between our old home and our new one.We’re headed back to Minnesota to hug family, catch up with friends, and soak up a little time with the people who made leaving so hard.I’m feeling especially grateful today… Both for the freedom to chase new dreams, and for the people who always make coming home feel like home.Happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙 by @arieandco

23

6

22 days ago

Moving is stressful at any age, but I think it’s easy to forget that our kids are navigating a huge transition too.Before we ever unpacked a box, we spent time talking as a family about what we wanted this home to be. Not just how it would look, but how we wanted it to feel and how we wanted to live in it together.That shaped so many of the decisions we made.We gave our teenagers a voice. We gave them real responsibilities. We encouraged them to dream about their rooms before we moved, and we respected that they each settled in differently.One of them had everything planned in advance, and ordered furniture before we even moved. The other has taken weeks to purchase one item at a time, making sure that each piece has a perfect place.Neither way was wrong.One of the biggest lessons this move has taught me is that helping teenagers feel at home isn’t about unpacking faster. It’s about giving them ownership, purpose, and the space to adjust in their own way.If you’ve moved with teenagers, or dealt with another big life transition while parenting, what’s one thing that helped your family through the transition? by @arieandco

14

2

24 days ago

We’ve officially lived here for two weeks (and closed just over two weeks ago), and it’s funny how a house can feel both completely chaotic and strangely peaceful at the same time.There are still unopened boxes. We have missing furniture, paper shades on windows, and a dining room with no table. Projects wait for us around every corner.The house itself isn’t even finished yet. We’re still waiting on upper kitchen cabinets, our wall oven, and a dishwasher that’s actually attached. 😅But there are also these little glimpses…A living room where we can finally sit together (even if my son insists on photo-bombing every attempt to take a “clean” picture). 😂A bedroom that feels restful.A vanity that’s no longer covered in moving boxes.A room that finally feels like hers.I’ve realized that feeling settled doesn’t happen all at once (as much as I’d like it to). It happens in little glimpses... One finished corner, one family dinner, one unpacked box, and one memory at a time. by @arieandco

26

11

a month ago

Lately, I’ve found myself missing our Minnesota home.But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something surprising.I miss parts of our Florida rental, too.Like the neighborhood walks, the familiar routines, and knowing exactly where everything was. I miss having a home that simply worked for our family. And that’s when it hit me. What I actually miss isn’t either house. I miss being settled.After three moves in less than a year, we’re back in the season of boxes, unfinished projects, missing mirrors, furniture assembly, delayed appliances, and trying to remember which box contains the thing we need.I don’t miss Minnesota (just the people I love there!).I don’t miss the rental.I miss the feeling of being done.I miss the peace that comes from having a home where everything has a place and life feels familiar again.The good news is we’ve felt that way before. Which means one day, we’ll feel that way here too.Until then, we’re embracing the messy middle and trusting that all of this chaos is slowly becoming home.#relocations #mntofl #newhomes #newbuildjourney #makinghome by @arieandco

12

4

a month ago

A week and a half ago, we closed on the house we’d spent nearly a year designing and building.What I wasn’t mentally prepared for was what came next.The builder was finished. We were not.We’ve moved several times and built multiple homes over the years, but this move has felt different. Our last home was essentially complete when we moved in. This time, we’ve been customizing after closing and starting over with much of our furniture and decor—which has meant a whole lot more building, assembling, installing, and organizing than I expected.There have been boxes in every room, furniture assembly marathons, delayed appliances, missing mirrors, and more trips looking for the scissors than I can count.Some days have felt exciting, some have felt overwhelming, and most have been a little bit of both.But in the middle of all the chaos, something wonderful has happened.Our family has spent hours working side by side, building furniture, organizing closets, solving problems, and sometimes just laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.The house isn’t fully put together yet, but we’re making progress every day. And we’re making memories together in the process.If you’ve ever moved, renovated, or gone through a big life transition, what was the thing nobody warned you about?#newbuildjourney #housetoahome #floridanewconstruction #movingweek #gettingsettled by @arieandco

23

9

a month ago