Washington DC Newborn and Family Photographer NPS Photographer

May Means One Year in DC

This month marks one month of living full time in Washington, D.C. and I’m feeling reflective about all that’s come with this move. There are a few elements in my life that are still the same, and many that are quite different. 

The permanent move to DC was a long time in the making. My husband, Mark, took a job in Alexandria, VA in 2019 while I stayed back at our home in Pinehurst, North Carolina as my youngest finished high school. We both commuted back and forth through the pandemic before we sold our home in NC and made the permanent move north last year. This move marks the first time I’ve lived in DC full-time in 19 years and it feels truly full circle to return to my big-city hometown.

Reflecting back on this year, there are a bunch of things that remain steady.

• I am still a newborn and family photographer running a busy business, just with new clients and faces.
• My love for the theater remains a constant in my life, except that now, I’m within walking distance to the Kennedy Center.
• I’ve still got my trusty assistant and sidekick, my sweet dog Georgie.
• I still live for that small town feel, even in DC. Living here full-time has shown me that even big cities can feel like small towns. The barista at my local coffee shop knows me and Georgie and I run into the same people on my daily walks including one of my dearest friends who lives a few blocks away – and I love this!

And of course, because any big change comes with change, there are a few things that are very different!

• I can walk almost anywhere. In fact, I go DAYS without getting in my car! 
• The convenience of having everything so close comes with a bit of a tradeoff in space – my home is much smaller than our Pinehurst pad.
• While I’m really leaning into this empty nest phase of life, two of my three kids live closeby, and that’s a dream.
• With great restaurants just a stone’s throw – and short stroll – away, I eat out WAY too much. And I have no intention of stopping! 

I’m so thankful to be back home in DC again. It’s truly filled by cup to reconnect with old friends from my childhood, to walk to get a haircut or drop something off at the post office and, of course, to live full time with Mark again. Something I didn’t see coming was what an amazing photography community exists here. I feel truly welcomed and am so looking forward to expanding my business here in the capitol.