Well, I’m already three weeks into my new Tucson life and the La Brisa blog has been severely neglected during that time! So in one fell swoop, I am going to update you on what Brisa and I have been doing since we left our awesome home in Arlington, TX! Thanks to all of my clients for your patience and understanding during the past month! You guys are the best!
As we said goodbye to Texas (again), I always wanted to photographed this picturesque red barn near our dear friends’ house. I feel like this image accurately portrays what we will miss in Texas, tranquility, rustic, home…
For the first time in all of our moves, we hired professional movers (which was the best decision we’ve ever made). Well, our movers were extra efficient and informed us that they would be arriving with our stuff earlier than we anticipated. So we packed up Brisa’s truck (Sam) and my car (Rev) and prepared for a one day 940 mile drive from Arlington to Tucson ~ Goodbye House! 
Fritz was ready and eager to move. For the entire 14+ hour drive, he rode shotgun with Brisa! He becomes more ridiculous every single day. 
Thankfully, our drive was uneventful and we arrived in Arizona safely. Both Sam and Rev hit mileage milestones as well!
Unfortunately, the following day, while the movers were unloading their truck with our stuff, someone backed into Sam and left without a note or anything. We quickly realized that if that was the worst thing to happen during our move, we would be grateful. Nonetheless, still annoying to deal with a hit-and-run in our own new neighborhood =( 
The following day, our horse, Stormy, was delivered at 3:30am to his new home at Crazy Heart Ranch after also traveling directly from Texas. Last time he traveled from Texas to Arizona, he colicked and we almost lost him. This time, we were incredibly worried about how he’d handle the trip, but he did extremely well and was eating, drinking and farting immediately after seeing us!
After the movers were finished, the unenviable task of unpacking began. The one thing I never realized about professional movers was how much packing paper they used! On one hand, we are thankful that they packed our things so carefully, but on the other hand, we feel like we killed an entire forest just for our belongings! Paz LOVED playing in all the paper though, so there’s that.
What we love the most about our new home is this sunset view from our backyard. Yes, you will be overwhelmed with my Instagram posts. Get ready! 
Apparently, everyone loves our four legged children, Paz, Figgins, Pork Bun, Bauer and Fritz, so here is how they handled the stress of unpacking…
We learned (thanks to Facebook) that we have Red Yucca plants in our front yard. Aren’t they beautiful? Also, I’m happy to report that Paz and Figgins have only jumped into the pool 3 times without our permission! The first time, Paz climbed out on her own. Second time, Paz was caught in the pool cover (since removed) and Brisa jumped in (fully clothed) to save her. And the third time, I pulled Figgins out of the pool. Now that we’ve actually gone swimming with the girls, we are anticipating less Baywatch rescues for them! =)
One of my main goals with moving back to Tucson is plugging into the photography community as quickly as possible. I must thank Justin of Justin Haugen Photography and Tina of Pure in Art Photography for welcoming me to Tucson with open arms! They are both amazing photographers and truly live the ethos #CommunityOverCompetition! Less than two weeks after we moved into our new home, I hosted one of my Aspiring Photographer Workshops at the beautiful University of Arizona campus! A huge thanks to Tina for inviting her photographer friends and to all of the photographers who attended this APW with Bethany and Evan! I’m hoping to host an APW on a monthly basis. Request to join the La Brisa Aspiring Photographer Workshop FB group to be notified of upcoming workshops!
Justin hosts a local photography FB group called Tucson Aspiring and Professional Photographers (TAPP) that is a fantastic resource for Tucson photographers! He sets up local meetups and shoots for photographers to work together and collaborate ideas. 
Here are a few my images from the most recent TAPP get together! It was great shooting in new Tucson locations and I’m looking forward to building better connections with the local photographers!
Recently, I had the privilege of second shooting for one of Justin’s weddings at Saguaro Buttes! View the gorgeous previews from the wedding that he shared here – Chelsea & Robert! 
Last weekend, we had our first official visitors…our dear friends from Phoenix, The W Family (who you probably recognize)! Check out their phenomenal blog – Espresso Ever After for product review, delicious recipes and amazing giveaways! Their oldest daughter wanted a horseback ride and so Stormy received a little extra attention (and plenty of carrots)! Sidenote: look how tan Brisa is!!!
Thanks to connections I’ve made within the TAPP group, I was recommended (thanks Lori!) to speak to photography students at Mountain View High School! It was an awesome experience and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my love for photography with aspiring photographers. After receiving help from the APW group, I talked about three topics that have greatly helped my photography journey: 1) Failing is Learning 2) Knowledge > Equipment and 3) Shoot Through the Moment. I’m excited to head back tomorrow to share again!
As always, Brisa and I greatly appreciate all of your support and encouragement during this transitional time! We are excited for our new adventures and opportunities in Tucson!
~ Chris
Check out my latest TOP TEN! post…TOP TEN Reasons Why I am Thankful for Photography!
Check out my latest Dear La Brisa post…Dear Photographers: “How To Prepare For Your First Wedding” By Chris Hsieh!
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