Wow, does time fly…

It’s been a little over a year since I moved to Missouri.

I came here crying so much that when my husband and I went to have utilities turned on or open up accounts I could not stop crying and I knew they thought he abducted me or something, no jokes, it was pretty bad!

I determined never to make a friend and felt I was losing every friend I ever had. I left my daughter and her family in Ohio and that,was something that devastated me for a while. But I had to go on and thank God for the internet and webcams… we made it through and in that separation both of us learned more lessons.

A dear friend asked me about my story, moving my business and making a success in just one year. She prompted this blog!

So the story is like this..I lived in Ohio most of my life, my husband got a transfer to Missouri and we decided as a family, this is the road we wanted to travel. My daughter still lived in Ohio so I knew my Ohio based business would be fine.

Starting over was not the adventure I wanted in life, but as I look back now, I am so glad for the move and the new friendships and the amazing people I have been exposed to.

Sometimes living in a small town you forget there is a great big world out here and there is so much to learn, if you just open the door and step outside, sure a move of this size is NOT for everyone, and I thought for sure I was that everyone, but turns out… I had a lot to learn, even in my own attitudes that I thought were so finite, I was exposed to things that made me take a second look at the condition of my heart!

The first thing we did was find a church, we knew that was the most important thing to our survival and it did not take long before a door was opened up and I now attend the most amazing church, filled with the most awesome people in the world! Here’s the link if you want to check them out: COTR

I started to get my paperwork together, it’s important that when you are starting up, or moving on, to make sure you do it right, don’t play around with things that will come back to get you later, so I found out exactly what I needed to do, local, city and state and started all over again.

Starting over gave us the chance to change our name from what it was Creations Photography (talk about a dated name) to Lisa Nikole. We never did like the name Creations but it’s where we started, we’re just happy where we ended!

Social Networking made all the difference in the world. IF, you are a business person and you shun social networking, you’re going to be lost shortly in a world that no longer exist. Some fear the internet, but I say bring it on. As much bad as you can say about it, I can say good with proof!

I started to connect with Saint Louis photographers and even hosted a first photographer get together, which by the way, we will be doing again, this year!

I attended one bridal show and spoke with many other people about business and visited local bridal shops, florists and the Chamber of Commerce.

The doors were opened up and jobs just started to come, at first it was pretty even with Ohio, but this year I can say Missouri has broken wide open for us and I’m loving meeting all the amazing couples that have contacted us to be their wedding photographer.

That’s the short story *smiles*… and here’s the dramatic ending….

As I write this blog, my daughter and her family are traveling across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to make their home in Missouri.

Don’t worry Ohio, we’ve not forgotten you, we’ve never been one state photographers we shoot all over this amazing world. But for us to be together again means only one thing…

Look out Missouri!!!!