• Personal

When I start this post it reminds of the Dr. Suess book “Oh the places you will go”. It happens to be one of my favorite books of all time.

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”  ― Dr. Seuss

Since our move 1 year ago I am BRAVE, STRONGER, CONFIDENT and GRATEFUL.

Moving across the country would seem completely scary to some folks. I had a quiet confidence about this move. God had given me a very clear vision of what He wanted for me if I would trust him. I had never left Texas and never left my parents. It was one of the biggest decisions I have ever made. You can read more about WHY we moved to New Jersey HERE. Jeff and I immediately got plugged into our amazing church- Liquid Church. This was our #1 thing to do as soon as we got here. We have an amazing life group that meets in our home once a month and we absolutely adore our church. We also had the luck of our best friend, Milad, to move at the same time! YAY! He lives in Manhattan and has been a huge bonus to living here. He is a little piece of home that we couldn’t live without. We have made new friends through work and just going out and running into cool folks! Jeff has been working for his company for 8 years now. This was there reason for our move in the first place. They had a record selling year and I would like to think he had a huge part in that. Good job, babe! Our photography business has done really well, too! We are not only booking people in New Jersey, but also in NYC, Philadelphia, Texas, California… I am just overwhelmed at how awesome life is.

God has truly kept his promises… My advice to you is to never underestimate God. Always dream bigger. Follow your gut! It takes bravery to jump into the unknown, but the risk is so worth the reward. Overall, we miss our family terribly, but we are doing things we would have never done in Texas. So grateful for this opportunity and adventure.

Things I am doing and learning on my NJ Adventure:

• God keeps his promises.
• To find quiet time as much as possible.
• Learning to gain control over my Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
• Starting with all new friends was refreshing. I have learned so much from them.
• I’m the best mom I have ever been.
• I admire my husband on his new accomplishments in his day time career.
• I absolutely LOVE being a city girl.
• I lead a Shoot & Share NJ Group for Photographers- leadership is one of my favorite things.
• Jumping into the unknown means you must have REAL FAITH. Its one of the harder things in life to really get good at.
• Sometimes you have to let go of past relationships in order to gain new ones.
• Family means everything. Moving away from everything I knew helped me gain perspective.
• Skype is a new way of life.
• I love snow. But this is a LOT of snow.
• Love my husband more than I ever have.
• I absolutely hate jug handle turn arounds in NJ.
• I’m obsessed with Susan Stripling.
• I’m the best version of myself.
• My business is finally attracting my ideal clients. They are all soooo amazing!
• I made my health and eating a priority this year.
• I started working out. OMG
• I learned my Texas accent can pretty much get me out of anything here.
• Traveling is my new favorite thing.
• NYC (where I was married) still remains my favorite city of all time.
• I am reading business books. Yeah, I know, right!
• I quit following photography blogs unless they are mind blowing artists. Aspirations not comparisons.
• I’m working on being an expert encourager.
• I’m working on a Passion Project on preserving memories through Time Capsules. (it will all make sense later 🙂
• I bought way too many Kate Spade items this year.
• I learned that decorating was my thang!
• I’m not scared to be alone anymore.
• Learning to let go of the world FEAR.
• I have traveled more than I ever have in my entire life in this 1 year.
• I have loved becoming a leader in the Shoot & Share Community. I met some of my favorite people this year at United!
• I’m so glad I’m not sitting at home alone in the little town of Rhome, Tx anymore. I have the world at my fingertips.
• Tx Brides and NJ Brides are VERY different. I have had to rethink my entire business.
• Being a business owner and staying home with my son is the greatest gift!
• I look forward to every visitor that comes to visit us! NYC is a great way to get people to visit us!
• As photographers, we were able to have our photos taken by someone we absolutely adore, Todd Laffler!
• I feel like I was led here… Sometimes it feels like a dream.

Thank you to all our old friends, new friends, family and clients who have made this move a fun and exciting experience. We are so very thankful for you being in our lives. Life is good. God is good. I’m excited to see how life progresses as we continue our adventures in the North East! I feel like I am truly “LIVING”. I have a purpose and I absolutely love every minute of it.    

Photos by Todd Laffler Photography

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