When I reopened my photography business earlier this year, I was so excited to shoot portraits again. I hadn’t shot portrait sessions in so long, and I realized how much I missed it when I shot my nephew’s senior photos in the fall of 2023. Taking on portrait sessions again was awesome, and I’ve loved working with all my amazing clients/friends. However, things within my personal life have caused a shift in mine and my family’s needs, and it is with a heavy heart that I am having to let you all know that I will be moving back to Tennessee in the new year.

Those who are close to me personally know that 2 years ago my middle daughter chose to move to Tennessee to live with her dad and go to a bigger school with more options and opportunities for extracurriculars. She has found her place and she is thriving and absolutely loving life in Tennessee, and I couldn’t be happier for her or more proud of her newfound confidence and inner peace. However, being away from her has been very hard for our family. My son misses her so much, and and traveling back and forth all the time for her band competitions and other events is exhausting. She will be starting her senior year of high school in the fall of 2025, and the thought of having to drive down so often for band performances and things like her senior night ceremony and prom is a little much. Not only that, but my oldest daughter is planning to attend the University of Memphis to get her master’s degree, and my middle daughter wants to attend the University of Memphis and be in their band’s color guard. Since my ex-husband and his wife and their families live outside of Memphis, and my children’s only living set of grandparents are nearby, I feel like this is going to be the area my kids call home for years to come. Whether the girls end up settling down nearby when they graduate college or not is yet to be seen, but they would be coming back to that area often to visit and for holidays.

When I first separated from my ex-husband, I moved home to Missouri to be close to my family. I felt the need to be close to my aging parents and my brother, sister, niece, and nephew. Within the last 8 years here, I’ve experienced the loss of both of my parents within 5 years of each other and the older kids have all moved away to college. Life has changed a lot since we moved to Missouri in the fall of 2016, and I realize that I don’t need to be here anymore; my sister doesn’t need my help caring for my parents, and my brother pretty much does his own thing. None of the older kids plan to move back to this area after college, either, so while I love my hometown, and Missouri will always be home for me, I feel it’s in my family’s best interest for me to make the move to TN and be closer to their dad and his family. It will allow my children to be closer together so they can see each other much more often, and allow my children to be close to their dad, their grandparents, and the family. As a child of divorce, I was lucky that my parents both lived in the same town and I never had to experience truly having to choose between my parents for things. The kids end up feeling guilty no matter what they do, and I don’t want them to have to feel torn over where to spend school breaks, birthdays, holidays, etc. It would make things much simpler- and a lot less stressful- for my kids if they weren’t having to split their time between Missouri and Tennessee.

So I will be moving sometime within the new year. That being said, I will not be shooting any more photo sessions here in Missouri after 12/15/24. If you would like to schedule a session with me before I close bookings for Missouri, please contact me ASAP- spots are very limited. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to take on photo sessions in Tennessee yet, but if I do, it will not be often; the entire point of moving is to be free to spend more time with my children all together.

I would like to thank all my family and friends here in Missouri who have supported me and my business all these years. You have been wonderfully supportive, encouraging, and inspiring over the years. I love and appreciate you more than I can express! I will continue to shoot “for me” and share my work through my Facebook page, so please follow me there if you don’t already. ♥

Because I will be moving, this also means The Portageville Project will be coming to an end. I have truly loved capturing the beauty of my hometown, and I hope my fellow Portagevillians have enjoyed seeing their hometown through my lens. If you would like to purchase prints of any of the images I have shared through The Portageville Project, you can do so HERE. I have to add a few of the more recent pictures to the gallery, but all photos will be available for purchase soon.

Thank you again for all your support for me, my family, and my business. God bless!