Kelli Trontel

Happy Friday!

Goodness, I feel like I have neglected my blog….but I really do have a legitimate excuse for not updating this space with lots of photos and ramblings. My excuse….The Red Caboose!

This post is filled with lots of links due to a lot of backstory for all of this to make sense….so I encourage you to take the time to read it all- it’s amazing to see all the pieces fit together.

Thats right! Reed and I have finally opened the doors to the adventure that brought us to Whitefish, MT from Nashville, TN. Wow. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. Im overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions as I look back on these last 7 months. There is no way that we could credit ourselves for all that has taken place in our life lately. Our transition from one state to another has been seamless. I’ll say that again, SEAMLESS! That alone is incredible and is a perfect example of how our path has been paved for us- long before we even begun.

Two weeks ago today we opened the doors to the Red Caboose. However, that day met me with a stream of tears as I stood in our shop late one night and recalled the numerous conversations I had with MY DAD and MY LITTLE SISTER. We had talked a lot about “Montana.” He was supposed to be here. We had made plans……and they both would have made sure that EVERYONE knew that the Red Caboose was back in business! Well, as we all know……life doesn’t happen as planned. It’s better [whether we see it now…or later]!

Reed and I have felt LOVED, CONNECTED and SUPPORTED by our community of friends that we have made here. We could not have completed the renovation of our shop without the amazing people that joined us along the way. This was a group project….and the Red Caboose will continue to be a team effort [more to come on the vision behind what we are doing]!

Well, Im sure you want to see photos….if you haven’t skimmed this entire blog post by now! Below are a few images [thank you Elisha Guido] of a private party that was held the night before we opened the doors. It was an evening to say HELLO [to our new business neighbors on the street] and THANK YOU [to all who who’s hands touched this project in one way or another]. We are so thankful to so many…..

A special THANK YOU to our family:: We have been blessed by your time, support and investment. We love you all oh so much!

I also thank YOU….my blog readers & friends. All of your encouragement and support from afar has inspired me. XOXO

**More detailed shots of the shop to come on Monday! Can’t wait to give you the tour.**

I hope you all have been enjoying your summer! I can’t believe how quickly the end of August is approaching us.

Well, as many of you know this summer has been a wild ride for me. Life hasn’t quite been the same since June 15th, but I am realizing that it won’t ever go back to being the same, but different….and in a good way. I am embracing change. I am walking forward….towards the things that my heart truly longs for.

Speaking of change. My husband and I have moved from Nashville, TN to Kalispell, MT!!! Talk about embracing change, right?!? Reed is a business man. An entrepreneur. A dreamer. A visionary. And he has been a huge support to me and my business. However, he has always dreamed of owning his own business and we had been praying about the perfect opportunity to come our way. Well, it did. And this opportunity just so happened to be in his hometown in Montana.

We will be opening up a self-serve yogurt/ coffee shop in downtown Whitefish. We are scheduled to close on our building space at the end of September so we have been busy dreaming up ideas for our new shop! I am so excited to partner with Reed in the this new venture. As I mentioned before…..Reed has been the backbone of my photography business and that is something that he is sill passionate about and I will continue to create, but in a new way [of course!].

My calendar was filled to the max with photosessions before I left Nashville so I’ll be posting many more Tennessee families up on here in the next few days….it was a HOT summer, but my clients nailed it! I can’t wait to show you!

Thank you for being such a support to me. I care about each and every one of you that visit my blog. Will you JOIN me on this new adventure?!? My blog posts may look a little different from the past, but Im willing to take that risk….to have you be part of this with us!

Here are a few iPhone photos from our travels this past week….::