This is one of those blog posts that I think I have tried to write and re-write about a hundred times, and no matter how long I sit and stare at the screen it doesn’t seem any easier to share!  I think because what I have to share with you is change, and change can be hard.  No one really likes change.  But change has its pros and cons, and if we never take on changes then life can become stagnant.  And a stagnant life gets boring, and life is too short to be boring.

When Ben and I first began dating and talking about our interests and what we wanted our futures to look like, there was one common theme:  travel.  We both love adventure and have a desire to visit new places, embrace different cultures, and see as much of the world as we can.  Now not everyone has that same desire, so when you fall in love with someone who holds the same excitement for discovery as you, the opportunities seem endless!  Adventure is fun in any capacity, but sharing adventure with another makes the experience even more fulfilling.  Ben is a pediatric RN, and his career field gives opportunity for traveling and working in places where hospitals are in need of nurses.  Since my career gives me the flexibility to work in any location, we decided to pursue the idea of taking travel RN assignments after we were married.  Well you can plan and plan for a goal as much as you want, and desire something so bad it hurts, and apply for as many travel assignments as you can find, but if your plan isn’t the same as God’s plan, then it won’t happen.  We approached the idea of traveling the country with an open mind, and celebrated but tried not to get our hopes up when Ben was asked to interview with a pediatric hospital in San Diego, CA.  What?!  California??  That’s all the way on the other side of the country!  He was offered the position, and we had to decide if this whole traveling thing was something we wanted to just talk about doing, or actually do.  As in, pack up all of our belongings in storage and leave the familiarity of home and family and friends and really embark on this adventure.

If you haven’t already guessed, we decided to go for it!  The Pecchias (and Carlyn K Photography!) are headed for the west coast, y’all!  And this is happening soon….January 11th, to be exact!  We will be in sunny San Diego for 13 weeks, and from there….who knows!  It might sound crazy to some to say that we don’t really have a definite plan for this adventure, other than we are going to do it.  Maybe it will be for a year, maybe two, maybe more.  We are going to travel and see as much as we can, and take life a day at a time.  I think it’s more exciting when you don’t have all the details anyways, right?  :)

Those who have heard the news keep asking one big question:  “But what about your business?!  What will happen to Carlyn K Photography?”  I love love love my business and the wonderful clients that I have gained here in the Youngstown, Ohio area.  It has been 2 1/2 years since I first started this full-time photography journey, and it has been an exciting ride!  I have had the honor of being part of so many great moments in peoples’ lives, and have built such great relationships with awesome people who are more “friends” than “clients.”  When we decided to really do this crazy thing, I felt very sad at the idea of missing out on incredible moments in my clients’ lives that I want to be here to capture – and that I feel as if I am depended on to capture!  But then I was reminded that there are seasons for all things in life, and sometimes you have to let go of familiar routines to experience new things.  So with that said…

*** I will be making trips back to Ohio as often as possible, and I will still be booking clients during my visits back!

*** It is also my hope that I will be able to continue capturing portraits for new clients in new places :)  A change in location doesn’t mean I’m putting my camera down!

*** I am still booking weddings here in Ohio for the 2015 wedding season!  And anywhere actually….destination wedding, anyone?!

*** Yes I will still be blogging!  There just might be more travel adventures thrown into the mix :)

I hope you are all just as excited as Ben and I are to embark on this new journey!  Be sure to visit the blog for the latest installments of our travels and the people and places along the way!