We’re MOVING (temporarily) to CHICAGO!

Sometimes life get’s pretty cray. This is one of the posts.

As you might have gathered from posts or conversations, Stephen also has a regular day job. And for the last year and a half he’s been privileged to be a part of a rotational program. Read: his job changes (rotates) every four months. New boss. New building sometimes. New coworkers. New job script.  One of the opportunities within the program is for an “offsite” (non-St Louis) location.

Well friends. Last week, Stephen received a request to take his offsite assignment in Chicago – starting in TWO weeks. Yes, you read that right. We know it’s crazy. So crazy that TODAY and tomorrow we are in Chicago apartment shopping / signing. #whirlwind.

We are “All In” type of people and give everything we’ve got to each other & each other’s dreams.

I’ve always been in full support and respect for his own career goals, as he has been with mine – and now OURS as a husband & wife photography team. We are “All In” type people and give everything we got to each other & each other’s dreams.

(photos by my friend, Erika because we don’t have any yet!)

BUT, what does that mean for us, our sweet couples, & St Louis?

• YES, we will 100% be coming back to St Louis to photograph all the weddings & engagements. Nothing is changing! Which also means, we are still actively booking for St Louis. And now also Chicago (because why not, we travel all the time anyway!).
• What About St Louis?! We’ll be coming back in November!! If something with that changes, we will obviously let you all know. Not to worry, we did this all last year in traveling back to Richmond (where I moved from after getting married), so we’re basically pros at this whole travel back & forth thing!
• Will you photograph in Chicago now? YES. In the upcoming months I’ll be looking forward to several collaborations but also feel free to send your frands our way – both for friendship & to be in front of our cameras! 😉
• Personal, FAQ:
  • Will you be keeping your apartment? Yes. Our cutie apartment in St Louis is staying put – just with several pieces & essentials coming along with us to Chicago. We love our little place + it gives us a place to come back to when we’re in town shooting all the weddings & sessions. Win/win. But also, if you remember, I obsess about rearranging rooms & interior design things so instead of feeling stressed about moving, I actually feel like it’s another fun opportunity to decorate a new place. And yes, I will be sharing a cute entry on our Blunkalow before we pack it up – despite there being a few projects that never got finished. So stay tuned!
  • How are you able to move so quickly? We are ninjas. Also, there are people called professional movers. But yes, twoish weeks will definitely make a new record for us. We’re praying over all the apartment viewings we have today (nine)! Send all your good vibes.
  • Will you have a car? Stephen will have his and I will be leaving mine. Parking in Chicago + potential for tickets is unreal. We are looking at places with easy access to The El. Otherwise, I will ZipCar or Uber as needed. My main personal-life-thing-to-figure-out-is: how the heck to grocery shop…but with so many more options available in larger cities, and probably a few blunders, we’ll figure it out. 🙂

More than anything, Stephen and I are so honored to celebrate alongside so many couples & pursue all our dreams together! One of my main goals in owning my own business was to be the keeper of my schedule. To pick up and go when adventure calls. To spend as much time with Stephen as possible. And to experience whatever we can, together.

We love it that no distance or destination stops us from the opportunities of seeing new places & telling all your love stories to boot!

So, THANK YOU for your friendship and for allowing us into your adventures.

Lastly, if you have any Chicago recs or faves, give a shout out in the comments!

It all gets better from here! Follow along behind the scenes of our explorations at @PattengalePhoto!

Always,
–Tara & Stephen