Jamie and Russell Braden never expected to find the happiness they now share.
Jamie had gone through a difficult first marriage and was busy solo parenting three kids.
Russell thought his days of romance and parenting were behind him.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
And then they fell in love.
The pair got married, and Russell adopted Jamie’s children, Abby, Gracie, and Carson.
They had a home in anice area of Houston,but their neighborhood wasn’t a cozy one.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Matthew Gleason
People tended to keep to themselves.
“It never felt like where we were supposed to be,” recalls Jamie.
There, Jamie felt a contentment she hadn’t known in years.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Russell, who was raised in a farming family in nearby Columbus, Texas, felt the same.
Their search ended at a1907 farmhouse in Brenham.
“This property is like the final piece of that contentment,” she says.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
“Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, time slows down.
I’m more in the moment,” says Jamie.
“When the builder asked if he should straighten the beaded board, I said ‘No!’
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
