Moving boxes, packaging tape & sharpies…

My world has been consumed with moving boxes, packaging tape & sharpies here lately. This morning I went to grab a glass for my orange juice & remembered that everything is all packed up…it’s only paper/plastic from now until we move. It’s so odd to look around my home and see no photos hanging, empty shelves, and bare walls. It’s so odd to be saying goodbye to our first home.

This is the home where we officially became a family. It has seen us through our happiest and saddest moments. It has been a great place for the kids to grow up, play outside with their neighborhood buddy & has been close enough to walk to school. We have loved quiet mornings on our back patio and family dinners on there as well. We will miss our amazing neighbors & the awesome community at Baum Elementary.

In February, Tyler announced to our church that he is resigning and we would be starting a church in Champaign, Illinois. We are very excited about our new adventure but it was difficult to tell our church goodbye at the end of June. We are so grateful for the 10 years we spent ministering in that church & love our church family. We weren’t planning on moving to Champaign until after the next school year since this year will be spent raising support for the church plant in Champaign. But, when we received the news from the adoption agency that Madden wouldn’t be arriving until February (and I’ve heard rumors of possibly April…please be praying that isn’t true), we knew that we couldn’t bring Madden home and them make him move a couple of months later. That isn’t fair to him since his world is already being torn apart as he will be leaving the only family & home he ever knew. We knew we needed to provide him a stable environment & that we had to go ahead and put our house on the market. The crazy house sold in only 38 days (the average is over 120)…so that sent us scrambling to find a home in Champaign. We have spent many days over in Champaign touring homes & trying to find one that fits the needs of our family. We found one that we all love & we close on our home & the one in Champaign on August 31st.

It’s so odd to be saying “goodbye” to Decatur. But, I’m so grateful that I’m only 45 minutes away! Millie’s thrilled that her new town isn’t as smelly & Mason’s super excited to be getting an Illini bedroom. The kids are handling this transition amazingly well. Please be praying for them as they are leaving the only home & school they have ever known and that they will continue to handle the changes with ease. We will be living with my in-laws while we get the walls painted/flooring replaced, so it will be a few weeks until we are officially in Champaign…so the kids have a few more weeks in their school.

One question I keep getting asked is “Are you still going to be doing photography??” Of course!! I’ll be in the area much of September & then will be based out of Champaign. The good news is…I’m only 45 minutes away! We can meet up for sessions in Champaign, in Monticello, or I can come back this way as needed. As you can see on the availability tab, sessions are going to be more limited during this transition so I can set up our home & help the kids make a smooth adjustment, but I’ll still be doing sessions. I will also open up the calendar for the rest of the year in early September. I’m looking forward to continue to work with my amazing clients!!

Please continue to pray for all of us during this overwhelming transition…the boxes are primarily packed & the new adventure is ready to begin! We have seen God’s hand in all of this & know that He is completely in control & we are just trusting Him along the way.

Thank you Decatur for all of the love you have shown to me and my family. I am so very grateful!!

I will be out of the office all of next week as we load boxes into the Uhaul truck, close on our home & unload the Uhaul again. I promise I’m not trying to ignore emails and phone calls…you can find me buried under moving boxes, packaging tape & sharpies!