Find Joy and Hold On | Wisconsin Photographer

Settle in, this may get long winded.

I’m free-forming it right now. I’ve struggled with how to put this out there, this somewhat big announcement. I feel like the last decade or so has been rife with “big decisions”, not all of them stellar (this is where I stop to tell myself that no, Amanda, you do not have to take that director job with the assisted living facility…..expensive degree be damned).

But that’s life, right?

A handful of folks know that last year we applied to immigrate to Canada. It was mostly a healthcare-based decision. Most people I come in contact with through this little business of mine know that my daughter Molly has some health challenges. They’re also probably aware that the United States isn’t exactly known for their fabulous care of Type 1 Diabetics. Her father and I feared greatly for her future, where insulin could cost as much as a mortgage payment monthly once off of our insurance. So, we went all in on Canada. Nova Scotia to be specific. We sent away our paperwork and a small fortune in savings and settled in for a wait. I started dreaming hard core about little oceanside bungalows and visiting Green Gables in PEI whenever the mood struck.

(Peep me wearing my Canada shirt…..I was all in)

(Peep me wearing my Canada shirt…..I was all in)


Then, you know, COVID happened. And then it just dragged on like an annoying houseguest that won’t get the hint to leave and eats all of your Sour Cream and Cheddar chips.

It also affected immigration. We watched, crestfallen, as the processing time for our immigration stream went from 18 months…..to 22 months…..to 27 months…..to 36 months. Three years. It was time for a family meeting.

And we all came to the conclusion that three years was just too long to wait for a “maybe”.

So, Canada had to become just a lost dream. Not all dreams can happen and I’ve grieved that and I’m done now. It’ll be a nice place to visit once the border reopens.

However, we also discussed during this come-to-Jesus moment that we didn’t want to just stay put where we were. If the last year or so had taught us anything, it was that nothing is a “given”……everything can be taken away in an instant…..nothing is certain and we are, for the most part, guardians of our own joy in the face of so much sorrow surrounding us.

Our children have spent over a year cloistered in our country home, away from everything. Our daughter Molly has been especially lonely. Not knowing what COVID would do to a kiddo with health challenges, we kept her home and away from most folks. I would be lying if I said it didn’t take a toll.

So, we talked about joy.


About this being our ONE LIFE……and with this one life, what do we do to embrace whatever joy we could find?

Where are our kids……our FAMILY…..most joyful?

And my husband says “What about Florida"?

Because my husband and kids are Disney fanatics so of course he did.

I am more on the Disney-tolerant side of things.

I laughed. Because it’s FLORIDA. I mean, anyone who knows me even semi-well knows I’m not exactly a fan of “the last guy”…..and he LIVES. THERE. Ron DeSantis is there. FLORIDA MAN is there, doing FLORIDA MAN things. Alligators. Palmetto Bugs. Snakes. Tourists. Sun burns.

I mean, there’s a REASON why every comedian worth his or her salt has a bit about Florida.

The only thing I ever really knew or read about Florida didn’t exactly jive with me as a person, my beliefs, the things I held dear……my fear of sharks……my fear of bathing suits.

But my husband had held an open mind regarding Canada. So I agreed to be open about Florida.

I went into heavy research mode. I had thought Orlando, in particular, was simply Disney and then a barren wasteland of cheesy souvenir shops. I had never really considered it an actual CITY (spoiler: it’s an actual city). I realized that there is SO MUCH to do down in Orlando. So much for my kids to experience. We could live large-city adjacent again (something we miss greatly since leaving Milwaukee).

And…..Gainesville has a research and care center SPECIFICALLY for kids with Turner Syndrome.

They could find JOY there. Molly could be well cared for there. Betty could further her dreams of working in animation there. My husband could abandon his shovel there and finally wear all of his cheesy Hawaiian shirts.

So, I was sold. As long as I could attempt to carve out a little enclave of progressive friends once we landed.

All this to tell you, friends, that the Reseburg family is moving to Orlando, Florida this November 2021.

So what does this mean for Type A?

Well, it means that I will be finishing up everything I’m contracted for prior to leaving. If you have a gift voucher for a session PLEASE reach out to me and let’s get you on the calendar. I am holding space for you, but it’s extremely limited. And that’s not “salesy FOMO garbage click-my-click-funnel” marketing talk. That’s for real. I have 5 months to sell a house, find a new job, find the husband a new job, pack up our worldly possessions, work my part-time job, shoot 10 weddings and a handful of portraits and Seniors, freelance write, and maybe sleep here or there. Time, yo. It’s limited.

Is Type A going to continue? Maybe. I might shoot a little once we get settled. I mean, there are areas of Orlando that are GORGEOUS and just beg to be shot. Plus, Florida is HUGE on Senior portraits.

And I love photography. I really, really do.

But, this is a new opportunity…..and I’m going to embrace it. Maybe try furthering my freelance writing. Maybe finish the damn book I’ve been working on for 2 years now. Maybe look into becoming a Disney Fine Art Photographer because how fun would THAT be? Maybe get a normal job.

So many maybes and we have the ability to really explore them……and we are going to take it.

I wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for everyone who has supported Type A over the years, some of you since 2008 when I kicked things off for $75 a session.

You made it possible for me to have the best job ever 13 years running.

The family and I are seeking out joy.

After the last two years……with COVID and shutdowns and major health issues…..we deserve it. We deserve to find joy, grab a hold of it……and see where it takes us.

If you have ANY questions about your session, wedding, or what this move means, please shoot me a message @ typeaimages@gmail.com

All weddings will be given the full Type A treatment, fully edited and delivered in a timely manner as always.
All sessions will be given the same respect. My clients mean absolutely everything to me….it’s why we picked November for our move. I wanted to finish out every bit of Type A work.

Thanks for hanging in there with this announcement. I hope you will all continue to follow me on Instagram to check out our adventures in Mouseland from time to time.

Peace!

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Fractured Thoughts | Wisconsin Photographer

Well, that whole bit about how I’d blog more in 2021?

Ha!

The best laid schemes of mice and men indeed…….or in this case, best laid schemes of moms and women…..who don’t have a dang minute to themselves to spare in the midst of pandemic madness to write blogs.

But here we are.
Make sure you sign up for Type A Mail to get all the information I’m too tired to blog regularly.
But, I thought I’d do a FT…..just, you know, because I can.

Currently Spinning: Oh man, it’s been a gaggle of different stuff playing in the mom-mobile. My husband moved our record collection from the basement to the main floor, so we’ve been actually diving into the stacks more. I’ve been SERIOUSLY nostalgic music-wise lately. It’s been all Mother Love Bone, Bikini Kill, Nirvana deep cuts, Hole, and Soundgarden. The good stuff.

Bridget’s latest obsession is Taylor Swift, so I’ve had to listen to that (one song….We Are Never Getting Back Together) on repeat on our way to preschool every morning.

Currently Watching: Did anyone watch the movie Moxie on Netflix? Despite my best efforts to be all too-cool for it, I enjoyed it. Enough to watch it again with Betty.

Currently Reading: I’ve actually read a TON lately: This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, Everything Here is Under Control by Emily Adrian, The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg, The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless, Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. All pretty good. I’m currently reading Moxie (the above mentioned movie was based on the book) by Jennifer Mathieu.

  • I did my last Fractured Thoughts (it was sent to Type A Mail members) January 4. Since then we’ve had an insurrection in DC and a new President. So, you know…..big stuff. I’ve tried to make it a rule to just forget the former dude existed. I don’t ever want to hear his voice again. Moving on…..

  • I got my 1st dose of the Fauci Ouchie (yes, I’m being obnoxious and calling it that). We qualified under 1A as the direct unpaid caregivers for Molly. Side effects? Pain at the site and a headache. Totally worth it.

  • As of right now, my kiddos are still doing home school….except for Bridget, who was turning feral. So we sent her back to 4K for 3 hours a day.

  • Sat through Alex Trebek’s last Jeopardy episode and sobbed through most of Double Jeopardy and straight through Final.

  • Bridget became downright OBSESSED with Mozart’s The Magic Flute. She knows the whole Queen of the Night Aria. So odd.

  • I got down to Chicago (FINALLY) to shoot an engagement session. Also got some headshots in and did over 500 school portraits for Beloit, which I REALLY enjoyed. The whole school portrait process I really liked…..could TOTALLY do more in the future (hear that, school districts).

  • I took my IELTS (the English Test required for immigration) in January. I did pretty well. Immigration to Canada for our stream (Federal Self-Employed) is still at a complete standstill….so we have decided to just ignore the fact that they have our application and hope to be pleasantly surprised if they process it within 2 years.

    On that note, not to worry about booking out your wedding to 2022 or 2023….if I book your date, I fully intend to be here for it :) Even if Canada does open its chilly little arms to us.

  • We had a bit of a rough end of Feb/Start of March. Molly got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease…adding another prescription to her pile. Plus, we got the news that Mercy (Javon Bea in Rockford) eliminated her specialist. For financial reasons. Apparently pediatric endocrinologists are not money makers. So, now we are sans-specialist until we can get different insurance.
    Gotta love US healthcare (actually…no. No you don’t.).

  • Coming up? This SUNDAY the Spring Forward Sale kicks off. Make sure you’re signed up for Type A Mail to get the link to the sale in your in box.

  • Wedding season 2021 is still…..touch and go. I have a few here and there, it picks up BIG time in October…..I’m hoping there’s a light at the end of this dark tunnel soon.

  • SENIORS - I’m chomping at the bit to shoot! Class of 2022, let’s get you on the schedule!

A few shots of me doing what I do….getting back in the game (masked of course!) and making portraits…..and my girls’ school pictures (taken in our living room, naturally)