Goodbye 2016/ Hello 2017

In January of this year I was sitting at my computer table applying for the Alaska PFD (i.e. free money given by the state). Snow, and the occasional moose visitor was my regular backyard view. I lived where you couldn’t see your neighbors, and it felt like I was the only home on an acre of property (not even remotely the case here in Texas, ha!). At that time, I was enjoying my family, dreading the few days left before having to go back to work, kids were driving me crazy, and cooking lots of gourmet meals from the numerous food network magazines we had.

 

Sitting at that table, I would have never imaged that I would be living in Katy, TX by year end. The work that I loved and that had paid the bills, became one of the things that was holding me in the state. Job security is an amazing thing. And at that time, the thought of leaving a job without another job lined up, was not in the fore-front of my mind. I knew our family was ready to make a move for several years. I had family that needed us to be closer. Alaska had become a burden. It had isolated us so much from the people we loved. Friends moved away or became busier. The arduous flight to come visit became cost prohibitive, but more than that too long to endure. It was a sad reality, because Alaska is such a beautiful and glorious state to live in.

 

For almost 11 years, our family took on the wild frontier and created a life all our own. When we moved to Alaska, I had only been married 1 year. We were a military family (Go Army!) and so excited for the new adventures ahead. We wanted to see it all; the northern lights, bears, moose, huge mosquitos that would carry us away (ha), eagles, whales, hiking, fishing, scenic tours, you name it! And we saw it all! As a young couple we were figuring out what worked for us. What traditions we would form together, how we would raise our kids, how we’d manage the tough military life, and making new friends.

 

As I sit at my kitchen table today, I am flooded with those thoughts as we look to 2017, and starting our lives in Texas. There is less anticipation on how our family life will work, but more so as to how this next phase in our lives will turn out. Where will our daughter go to college, where will we buy a home, and what jobs will we land. We are comforted by the fact that in Texas, we have family. Unlike in Alaska, I don’t have that feeling of we are all alone figuring out how to make it. (Don’t get me wrong, that was exciting too!) As we get older, it is refreshing to be close to the ones you love most.

 

This post should be about my photography business and welcoming 2017. I guess it’s not really that. Lol! I guess it’s a way for me to say goodbye to Alaska. I need to change my license plate, get a Texas drivers license, and start off a conversation by NOT saying “Hey, I’m from Alaska!” (Lol! My family cringes every time I say it. Ha!) Alaska was a wonderful experience, and a wonderful life for so many years. It’s where my photography business started and thrived.

 

Of the 12 years I’ve been married, it holds 11 years of memories. Now I look forward to making new memories in Texas. (It doesn’t have the same ring as making memories in Alaska. Gee!) But these memories will be filled with my nieces, nephews, friends, road trips, extended family, birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, summer vacations, spring break, warm weather, and more…with my family!

 

As a photographer, I hope to meet so many families that love what I do, can afford me (Let’s be real, I need to feed my family!), values what I do, and that will allow me to grow and become even more of the photographer I want to be.

 

So I will say so long 2016!! But in my mind, it’s so long 2005-2016. Hello Texas and 2017. Hello new life, challenges, joys, disappointments, and happiness. I welcome you with open arms, mind, and spirit!I hope you enjoy my non-professional photos from when I first moved to Alaska.