06/01/2026
Ciao!
As far as assignments go, we've really had the absolute best fortune throughout Dave's entire career.
We spent six years and four months at our first duty station, RAF Lakenheath. That's where everything blossomed and took off.
Next, we were so incredibly lucky to come to Idaho for another what will end up being another six years and four months where we started to build our permanent foundation.
And now in four short months, we’re heading off to our next highly anticipated adventure.
I’m finally able to announce that Dave, Knox, Beckett and I received our third assignment, and it’s to our dream base! In October we’ll be heading to Aviano Air Base, just north of Venice!
Having done sessions in the Aviano/Venice area years ago, we both fell in love with the area but never thought it would ever be a possibility. Our dream assignment is happening, and while we're feeling all the emotions that come with leaving a life we love, we're incredibly excited for what's ahead.
What does this mean for Carly Moon Images and Happy Hour Bo***ir?
England taught me how to hustle. It gave me the space to learn, make mistakes, build a business, and create relationships with clients who may be scattered across the globe like dandelion seeds, but who I still stay connected with to this day.
Idaho taught me confidence. It taught me to value my work, trust my instincts, and step fully into the photographer and business owner I wanted to become, but once only dreamed was possible.
And Italy?
I think Italy will be where I refine it all and launch into my next overdue era.
It will be a season of simplifying, sharpening, elevating, and focusing on what matters most. Taking everything I've learned over the last 16 years of building Carly Moon Images and Happy Hour Beauty & Bo***ir, tearing it all down, and rebuilding it back even better. Of slowing down to make every move more intentional.
Ironically, my word for 2026 is "Simplify." And while an international PCS is anything but simple (especially when your photography studio is bigger than your house), this assignment feels like the perfect opportunity to strip away the noise, focus on what truly matters, and enter this next chapter with intention.
While we never would have been 100% ready to leave the life we've built in Idaho, we couldn't pass up what is likely our only chance to go to Aviano, and now feels like the right time.
It’s going to be incredibly heartbreaking to walk away from everything we’ve built here personally and professionally for the both of us. We'll be back to Idaho someday though. We've built an incredible foundation here, made lifelong friends, and created a business and community that means the world to us that we hope to come back to when our time overseas is over. But for now, we're not the kind of people to let opportunity and adventure pass us by.
More details to come soon on how this transition will play out, including final availability before I close the studio and wrap things up here over the next few months in preparation for the transition.
I want to say a wholehearted thank you to Idaho and all of the people and support we've had here. People just don't understand how special it is here until you get here, and I'm forever grateful for all of you.
