Hey everyone, Lexi here! If you have been following along on our social media, you’ve seen the big news that my family and I are moving to Texas. I’m sure you have been wondering why we’ve decided to move even though Love Elle is established here in Illinois. I’d love to tell you more about this big decision of ours, so keep on reading!
First I’d like to start off with a little background info. Both my husband and I were born and raised in Illinois. Being here together was a huge part of our love story. Having ALL our family in one place was huge for us. I moved away to complete college in Savannah, GA and knew I’d be coming right back here to be with Jimmy after graduation. And to be honest, we never thought any differently. Well, over the years, one by one our family members started to move away and while we still have some in Illinois, it just wasn’t the same as it used to be.
Jimmy and I talked about moving out of Illinois for a long time. Well before we ever actually made plans to do it. We talked about it casually for a few years, dreamt about where we wanted to go, looked up houses and things to do in different states, but it was never the right time to seriously consider it. As time went on though, we just got to a point where we both felt in our hearts it was time. We were no longer happy with how we were living our lives and we desperately needed a change. We were living on autopilot, staying inside our house most days, and were just bored.
Our biggest drive to move somewhere new (besides getting out of the cold) was a lifestyle change for our family as a whole. We want to experience new places, see a wide variety of landscapes, have the girls explore and learn in nature, let the dogs run through trails, and just simply get out of the house more. And with that in mind, our hearts were telling us to go to Texas. We’ve never lived there, we have no family there, not even any friends there. I know what you’re thinking, we are crazy right? It just so happens that Jimmy had a connection to a job in Austin, TX and it all fell into place from there. This was our chance to take this huge leap of faith and just pray for the best. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared of all the unknowns. We know this will be the hardest thing we have ever done as a family and as a couple, but gosh are we so excited for this adventure. We have lots of dreams and goals for how we want to raise our girls and the type of lifestyle we want to live, and unfortunately that isn’t working for us in Illinois anymore.
But of course, the one thing that was really holding me back from moving away was Love Elle. The thought of leaving it behind and separating from Emily completely killed me inside. She is my best friend and just the thought of leaving her and everything we’ve built together made me cry many times. We have poured everything we have into this business of ours, and getting to do what I love while working alongside my best friend has been truly amazing. Not gonna lie, the thought of not being able to be on sessions with Emily was a hard pill to swallow. Emily and Alex are two of the most amazing, most important people in our lives but they have truly been nothing but supportive in this new adventure of ours. They knew this was our dream for a long time and while our business is SO important to all of us, our families are a huge priority for all of us and will always come first. So with that in mind, the four of us sat down and discussed logistics of keeping Love Elle running successfully, this time, from two locations. While it will be a big adjustment, we believe in it too much to let it go. We know with some time and lots of hard work, we can grow a branch in Austin and find more amazing people to work with. I am determined to make a name for Love Elle in Texas just like we’ve done here in Chicago.
I have a lot of emotions about this big move and leaving this home of ours for the past five years. This is the home we’ve brought a second puppy and two babies into. We became parents in this house. Our oldest, Leila, took her first steps here, chased the puppies down the hall, and walked around the block more times than I can count. Our youngest, Emmy, made Leila a big sister in this home. I will never forget walking in the door for the first time to introduce them. Emmy learned how to crawl here and feed the dogs from her highchair. I’ve cried as we’ve been packing up this home, but I know in my heart this is the right next step for my family. And we can’t wait to see where this adventure takes us! In the meantime, I’ll be over here remembering all the special memories we’ve had here. I can’t help but share some of my favorites…
