So, rumor has it I am moving away . . . that is true, sort of. But Images by Anna is not moving away. In fact, we are going to be opening our new design space in Los Gatos next month. So, no worries, we are here to stay! Our family, though, after 8 wonderful years in sunny California, is headed back. Back to the “frozen north”.

If I had a dime for every time someone says to me, “You KNOW its cold there, right?”, I’d be a, well, you know . . .  So, in case you were wondering if I know- I most definitely do. I grew up in Minnesota, a beautiful land filled with rolling hills, fantastic fresh-water lakes, the rocky coasts of Lake Superior, hearty people and a fantastic accent (ever heard me speak? Ask me to tell you “about my boat”, sometime.). Oh, and snow. Lots of snow. Before moving to San Jose, my husband and I lived WAY UP NORTH, an hour NORTH of Duluth, MN. We were just 15 minutes from the coldest town in the lower 48!!! Somehow, with just one pair of mittens, (that’s another post) we survived. But there are other things, warm and cozy things, to consider, like . . . family.

My family is all back there, in the Midwest. They all live in Minnesota; every one of them! My sister and brother are both married with kids, my nieces and nephews, and my parents and grandparents are there, too. We miss them so much, all the time. Brian’s family all lives in Michigan; every one of them! We miss them too. It is hard, and expensive, to travel with a family of six, and we just can’t seem to get enough visits in to keep us happy. After eight years of being too far away, something stirred within us to look toward home. So, we opened the map . . .

There was certainly a lot more to it; kind of a long tale, actually. We didn’t just wave our fingers over the map and point. But we did have the whole United States of America, and somehow, we found our little red pin landing on Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am guessing a good number of you haven’t even heard of it. Ha! Well, that’s okay. If you are a loyal blog reader, you will soon be an expert on the fine city of Milwaukee. One thing I can tell you right now, and I am so excited about, is that Milwaukee is less than 6 hours from my sister in Minnesota and just over that to my in-laws in Detroit! After 8 years of being separated by plane tickets and airports, that sounds pretty good to me. Not to mention being just over an hour north of Chicago, on Lake Michigan and in a wonderful, gritty mid-western city.

So, I bet you are wondering how this works. I am moving my family of six 2000 miles away. How exactly do I plan to keep up with your needs here in California? Well, we do have a plan to do just that. Once each month I will be flying out here for 5-7 days, to do my shooting (and ordering sessions). Then, the following month, you will have your appointment with me to view your images. All orders will be packaged and shipped right to your door. In almost all cases, you won’t even know the difference! Simple as that.

So Brian and I are busy figuring all of the details out. But we are enjoying the ride as we set off on a new adventure; one that will be bitter-sweet and exciting, frightening and exhilarating. That’s what adventure is all about. So, stay tuned for more details about our huge move. I will keep you posted! -Anna

Photo note: One of the things I love about a mid-western city is the urban landscape. A little bit old, a little new, a little bit gritty, but definitely filled with character. How appropriate is the photo above for this post; the old and the new.