It’s never easy to come back after a long hiatus, but I’ve been thinking of you lately. We all have those friends that are gracious enough to overlook our absences and welcome us back with open arms when life allows us a bit more time. I like to think we’re those types of friends.
The last few months (or, if we’re being honest, almost a year) has been full of change for us. I’ll share an update of what’s been going on with us, and I hope you’ll share your adventures as well.
Update #1: Moving!
You might remember last spring when I mentioned we were moving again. Military life gives us an excellent opportunity to forge friendships around the world, but man, it hurts to leave a place you loved. In the late spring of last year, we left our beloved community in Japan and moved to northern Italy.
I won’t lie – the transition has been much harder than expected. Only now is this house starting to feel like home to me. Getting settled in Italy feels slow compared to Japan. (Fun fact: most Italian homes don’t come with built-in closets. We spent a lot of time working out storage solutions, and IKEA has gotten way too much money from us.) I finally set up my desk area last week, and it still amazes me how much a little corner just for me makes such a difference.
I’m still adjusting to being home more. I spent a lot of 2020 in my house in Japan, but somehow knowing the train was just down the street was a comfort. Leaving our more urban, accessible life for a rural countryside view has been hard for sure. I never considered myself much of a city girl, but I sure miss being able to take a train.
Of course, we’re grateful to be here. Not everyone gets paid to live in Italy, and we realize we are incredibly blessed to have this experience. But that doesn’t mean it’s not hard too, ya know?
As far as the blog goes, I may still post some Japan-related content since we haven’t been out and about much in Italy yet (thanks, Covid). But with any luck, European adventures will start to pop up soon.
Update #2: A New Addition is Coming!
Husband and I knew we’d be trying for kiddos while we were here. Taking some space after our miscarriage and saying goodbye to our life in Japan before attempting to get pregnant was the right thing for us. Little did we know God would surprise us before we even had a house in Italy. Just a month after moving, we found out we were pregnant (it’s a little odd to think I haven’t yet been in our house as just me – I’ve always had a buddy).
We’re thrilled that baby boy is healthy and on track for a birthday in late March/early April. I have an Italian doctor here and will birth in an Italian hospital, which is sure to be an experience! Even though the system feels unfamiliar, and we don’t even really know what to expect, we’re researching and finding people to help us muddle our way through. I continue to be amazed at God’s provision for us in this time, even though much of the story is not what I imagined for us.
The nursery is slowly coming together, and family and friends have exponentially blessed us from near and far. While I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely ready for baby boy’s arrival, having the house in some sort of order is definitely helping.
Update #3: Visiting Home!
In the fall, we managed to leave our dog Fred with a friend and head home to the States for the first time in almost 4 years. Husband has been back stateside for trainings and things in that time, but we haven’t seen our families since we left for Japan.
The visit was surprisingly relaxing, minus the travel part. Getting from place to place during Covid is no joke, and there were more hoops to jump through. We had good weather and no transit hiccups, despite booking our flights only 3 days before leaving.
Seeing family was especially sweet with our baby boy on board. Being in a brand new community overseas was not how I envisioned my first pregnancy. Going back stateside, however short, was just what husband and I both needed to shift our focus towards building a life in Italy.
Update #4: Shifting My Creative Focus
Most of you came to know me through the blog. I started it to help document our adventures and keep up with family and friends in the States. And, for much of my time in Japan, writing was my creative outlet.
Then in 2020, a friend and I got together in a park to take some photos just for fun. At the time, being outside was one of the few approved activities. I had stumbled upon this section of a park not far from our house with a bunch of half buildings. The whole area begged to be photographed.
In just a few hours, we took something like 800 photos. My friend Belle was comfortable being in front of the camera, and she knew about posing and outfits. Being back behind the camera was like a breath of fresh air for me. It was surprising how much came back to me from my high school and college classes.
It wasn’t long before a second friend asked for some headshots to update her professional social media profiles. Knowing these ladies beforehand gave me the freedom to say yes to these creative activities without feeling pressure for the session or the photos to come out a certain way. We all looked at it as play, and everyone knew we were all learning as we went.
Fast forward a few months, and I received various requests from other friends, including maternity photos, mommy and me shots, and even some boudoir sessions. While all of my clients in Japan were personal friends, my confidence has grown enough to allow me to accept clients in Italy that I’ve never met before.
The idea of producing work for someone to judge is daunting. After all, my blog isn’t very well known outside of family and friends (it still amazes me when strangers read it). With photography, I’m purposefully putting myself and my work in front of a stranger. But I’ve found that I love the problem-solving that comes with photographing a person.
What’s even more, I have fallen in love with the art of boudoir photography. I’ve known for a long time that I want to help women see themselves as valuable, honored, and worthy. I try to do that through my writing and, many years ago, through leading and participating in various Bible studies. I’m finding that boudoir also helps me show women how uniquely beautiful they are and that all bodies have value and worth.
Thankfully, Husband has been incredibly supportive of this somewhat unique hobby. I’m slowly working to transform our attic space into a studio to host clients in my home. Hopefully, a defined studio space will also allow me to expand my offerings, including (maybe) brand photography in the future.
Interested in what I’m doing? You can find my work here. Some of the pages are still under construction, but we’re getting there. Because of the nature of the boudoir photographs, that page is protected with a password. However, shoot me an email, and I’ll send you the password if you’d like. I’m always looking for feedback, not to mention practice clients if you’re local to Italy 😊.
Looking to the Future
With baby boy on the way, I’m not sure what the future for the blog looks like. I’d love to continue writing while also using some space on the website to promote my photography. Now that my little corner is set up, I hope to be sitting butt in the chair more frequently (as many writers say). At the very least, I hope to keep this little monthly check-in up and running.
While I’d love to keep the focus on travel, faith, community, and life abroad, I get the sense new motherhood may take the forefront for a while (but also, who’s to say?). With that in mind, as always, life shifts and changes for each of us. If this space is no longer serving you, please feel free to unsubscribe from this newsletter. No hard feelings, I promise.
Thanks for hanging in for that update. It’s good to be back here with you all. How are you doing? What’s been going on with each of you? I’d love for you to comment below and fill me in on all the exciting (or maybe not so exciting) things happening in your corner of the world.
Until next time, friends!
