do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

So I am just going to shut my eyes and pretend that we have a ton of money and I can start my property from scratch. If this were at all possible, I would have the following.

First, let's start with the house. I absolutely adore brick, lots of large windows, unique shapes and curves, chimneys, and gothic architecture.

And for the inside, hardwood floors and wide open spaces with vaulted ceilings are my weaknesses.

And how about a church converted home? Look at those arches and beams! It's love...

So moving right along to my favorite part; the barn. Horse people are funny because they get REALLY excited about tack, barns, tack rooms, etc. and are constantly putting their horses needs in front of their own. I tell Nathan all the time that if money is tight down the road, I would be super happy in a double-wide nestled on a secluded 10 acres but I would want a huge 5 stall barn with tack room and wash rack, have a super nice arena with rubber footing, all vinyl fencing, and provide the horses with highest quality hay. We can eat Ramen noodles. But here is how I imagine it if money weren't an issue.

The actual barn:

The tack room:

The aisle way and stalls (per Martha Stewart's barn):

And of course, a beautiful dressage arena (but with rubber footing):

And here are the horses that are going to fill this glorious, out-of-reach barn:

A collection of Lusitanos, Andalusians, Friesians, Lippizzaners and Gypsy Vanners (for the kids). But of course anything with good bone, big feet and fuzzy faces is welcome :)