Well you guys, we finally made it to San Diego!!!
And let me tell you, it has been a journey!!!
If anyone tells you to move during a global pandemic, RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!!
But obviously, we truly didn’t have a choice- hello military orders!
In early March, when the coronavirus started really making its way through the US, the Pentagon had released an order that was a Stop Movement, stopping all military movements to include PCS moves (when you move from one location to another) amongst other things.
The order when released had a part that stated if you are already in the midst of a military move, you were exempt. Since we were, we thought we were good.
Well, then Monday rolled around, and after my husband called the office that processes military moves were were told that we in fact were NOT part of the exemption and we would have to stay in Hawaii until further notice.
Well, that put a significant wrinkle in our lives as the movers were scheduled to come, flights purchased, hotels reserved, oh, and we were scheduled to close on our house in San Diego at the beginning of April! But, we had no choice, so we cancelled everything. I made the announcement on my Instagram that my business would be in Hawaii till further notice, and settled back in to Hawaii.
And then, yet another change. When the command here in San Diego saw that we were not coming, they started making calls, and we found out that we IN FACT WERE SUPPOSED TO MOVE because WE WERE EXEMPT!
Have I mentioned that all of this is going down in the midst of a global pandemic, when things were starting to shut down, Hawaii was stopping visitors from coming, and all of that?!?!?! Oh, and at this moment that we find out we do need to go, the movers were coming in 72 hours!
So, we start to run around and start rebooking our stuff, disenroll our girls from school AGAIN, and essentially rearrange our move to what it was before we canceled everything! We even had to sign the closing papers on our house in a parking lot, in our trunk, being 6 feet apart from the notary!
All is good, until we get to our hotel. And Hawaii is shutting down even more, as is the rest of the world. And the first notice comes in.
Flight canceled.
So we get rebooked.
And that gets canceled again.
Rebooked.
INSERT here a freaking TSUNAMI WARNING!
Canceled.
Yes, our flights were rebooked 4 times until we finally got out of Hawaii!
And the flight that they booked us on only had 10 people on it!
And we had to spend the night (6 hour layover) at San Francisco Airport on the floor, eating food from vending machines because the flight stopped serving food, and there was no place open at the airport!
All that to say, we finally made it to San Diego!!! And we closed on our house!
We spent the past week getting food for our home, getting air mattresses to sleep on, and we FINALLY got internet and TV set up today, hence why now I can blog and catch up on life again!
It’s not the way I thought we would be arriving in San Diego. We are told it may take 60+ days to get our household goods (I am literally sitting on the floor working. We just have air mattresses, a TV we bought here, and the clothes we brought in our suitcases.) My husband being military is essential personnel, so he has to go to work, and we are still having to go and buy things to try and be comfortable during this time.
My business is a whole other story. Like many small businesses during this time, my wedding business came to a screeching halt. My heart breaks for my couples who had to postpone and reschedule their weddings, my poor couples who were so excited about their engagement sessions, and all of my fellow wedding vendors, who are truly impacted with no money or anything coming in. As it stands right now, I don’t have any work until June, and that’s iffy as well.
When I dreamed of moving my business here and being a San Diego wedding photographer, I didn’t think it would start like this. But, you know, all of us will make it through this.
My business will survive this.
My clients will still get married.
I will be there to capture their special day.
We all will rise out of this.
I truly believe that!
Thinking of all of you during this time of uncertainty. Stay safe and healthy out there!
For any couples looking to plan their wedding, I know that times are uncertain. I know it may even feel weird to plan your wedding right now. But I want you to know that you DESERVE to be happy right now! And I want to be there for you every step of the way! Shoot me a message and let’s chat about your special day!
Check out a few of my favorite sessions on the blog:
Samantha and Rodrigo’s Torrey Pines Engagement Session
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