Back to the USA!

Anyone who knows Tex and I knows that it has always been our plan to move back to the US. When we got together from the beginning, we always planned on living in America. We made the decision to move to Australia for Tex's job back in 2009, and we always said it would only be for a year or two. Well 6 years later, we are still here. Now the time has come for us to explore the next chapter of our lives, and move our little family back to America to be with my family.

We have received a lot of mixed reactions from people about our decision, and let me just let everyone know, that this is the HARDEST DECISION we have ever had to make. I didn't take this decision lightly. I have spent so many hours awake at night going over all of the pros and cons in my head. Whether this was the right thing for our girls. I still don't know that it is 100% the right move, but we won't know until we go for it. We are taking our girls away from their Aussie family who all live with in a 5 min radius of us. They have been an amazing support system for me. It makes me running my own business a lot easier when I can just drop them with a grandparent or an auntie while I do a photoshoot. But as great as all of that is, it still isn't my family, not my sisters and my mom. Anyone who has children understands how much someone need their own family as a support system as well. I have been told by a few people that they don't think we realize what we are moving back to, that I will just think its a vacation like when we go back to visit. Just a friendly reminder to everyone, I lived in america for 21 years. I know that I am moving back to a real life and not our vacation life. I know that I won't have my family 5 mins away from me and friends being able to visit at the drop of a hat. I GET IT. I have thought about every aspect of  moving back and all of the differences we will have in our lives. We are ready for it, it might be a shock at first, but we are prepared for cope with it.

We have been extremely fortunate that the company Tex works for, Mollydooker, has offered him a position in the US. It is our dream scenario for him to continue to work for this great company as we make our move. It makes our decision to go a lot easier and more exciting for Tex, as he gets to take on a new role with them. For me, I will continue to do my photography. Weddings, families and babies working in the Seattle area starting August! I am so excited to get to do weddings in a new part of the world, and hopefully for more of my family and friends from high school/college. I am even more excited to be back around my sisters and parents. FINALLY! I am ready for them to get the opportunity to watch my babies grow and play active rolls in their lives other than over Skype!

It will be devastating when we leave Tex's family and all of the amazing friends we have made. I have the best group of mum's surrounding me with babies all the same ages as the girls. I will miss all of them and our play dates a lot. Like a lot a lot. It makes me cry just thinking about leaving everyone. It is definitely the hardest part of our decision. But, we will be back at least once a year to visit. And I am hoping to be able to do a month of weddings back here once a year since it will be the off season in America. And all of our friends are more than welcome to come and visit, Disneyland trip anyone? We will always have a spare room for all of our Aussie friends and family :)

So now we will spend the next couple of months selling EVERYTHING we own. We are only bringing suitcases with out personal items and then starting fresh and buying everything new. For the first month we will be with my parents in Seattle until we find a house. We are looking at the Seattle area, Vancouver, WA area and possibly Arizona...if my sister and fiance would decide to move there already ;) We have a lot to be done in a short amount if time, its a seriously daunting task. We will hopefully be back by mid August (I have a wedding to photograph on August 15th in Seattle so I will for sure be there by then with the girls).

No matter what, one of our families will miss out on watching our girls grow. That is the hardest part of this whole thing, its just not fair.  To all of our Aussie friends, we will be doing a going away party in August, ill keep you posted on the date. We hope to see as many people as we can in the next few months. We appreciate every ones support for us through this decision, we love you guys ;)