I knew I hadn't posted on here in a while, but I didn’t realize it had been nearly a year.
I make no apologies this time either. Life for me has been in massive transition and priorities needed to change. I’m here now because I finally feel like I have the capacity to come back and devote time to being here again.
My last post summed up life at that moment on Murphy’s 8-month birthday. She’s now just a few days shy of 18 months. Oh, how time flies. I sat down today meaning to write a post about Kaylee’s birthday trip we took two weekends ago. Normally after a long hiatus like this, I’d write another update. This time I’m just letting my mind take my words where it will, so for anyone reading this, please bear with me.
Looking at this site now is like looking at an old photograph of my life two summers ago. Kaylee was cleaning houses and quite pregnant, and I was quietly trying to keep my sanity and not freak out about becoming a new father. The cleaning business was doing well, we were starting to get into real estate photography and out of event photography, and considering what life would look like six months later. We knew the cleaning business would have to be put on hold, not knowing if it would return. We knew my income would be the sole income and we weren’t sure if we could maintain a comfortable home with a new child on one income.
Fast-forward to now. It’s safe to say we’ve successfully adjusted to parenthood. Our daughter is amazing and so far has spoiled us with good behavior, eating, and sleep patterns. Kaylee found what she often calls her Dream Job working part time at the local history museum. Most recently we bought another house and rented out the old one. This transition has been one of the toughest we’ve been through as a family. Moving with a new walking 1 year-old into a fixer-upper in the middle of a Pacific Northwest winter is not for the faint of heart. The seasonal depression hit me especially hard this time around, but we’ve persevered.
Now with spring approaching and a few months under our belt in the new house, it feels like I can breathe again. Many of the initial issues we’ve had with the new house are worked out, or are being worked out; and the days are finally getting longer. I don’t remember feeling oppressed by the short days and bad weather so bad during our winters until this one. I think the combination of all the things I mentioned really made this a tough season for me. But as I said, spring is teasing us already and I’m starting to feel good about things.
As I write this, it’s a little hard for me to think of my direction for this site anymore. I’m in such a different place now from when I started it. I first started a photo site in around 2014-2015 because it was something I was passionate about and wanted to pursue to make money at least part time, ideally full time. Now things are completely different. I still feel gratified when I take photos, but I have absolutely no desire to make a living off it. My free time is too valuable and the pursuit of photography as a path to extra income isn’t worth it. I’m in a very fortunate place where my career provides for all our family’s needs, and I also understand how precious time is as a parent. So let’s just say photography is a little harder to practice these days.
That being said, much of this site is catered toward promoting myself for hire. It’s time for the site to make a transition as well to better reflect where I am in life. What does that mean exactly? I don’t know yet. But I expect this place will look quite a bit different in the near future. I never have a clue what life will throw at me, but it’s important to try to embrace change and not find it; hard as that may be. So let’s see where this next chapter takes us, shall we?