I will attempt to not get too sappy in this post, which will be a challenge given that at 9.5 months pregnant, I cry when anyone says something genuinely nice to me or even at those cheesy forwards my mom keeps sending me in email. You know, the ones that aren’t true….but give you a bit of hope for mankind? 🙂
Anywho…Audrey is one of my best friends. We commenced our friendship back in junior high, and solidified it on the school bus after sports practices…singing songs from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, without a care in the world, knowing full well that Gary, the bus driver, was enjoying every minute of it. We stayed close through high school, and made so many memories…some worth sharing (such as getting to drive a porche convertible of her cousins for TWO days in San Diego…at the age of 17!!!) and ones that only she and I find amusing (like drawing eyes and a nose on each other’s chins and having one of us lie upside down so the “faces” would talk…and we’d lose it and just about die laughing.) We also were the friends who would hang out and just take naps…eat Oreos….sit around… talk…. read magazines in silence. It has always been a special friendship to me.
We fell a bit out of step in college as we took very different paths, but somehow, we reunited toward the end of our collegiate journeys. And I think we’re even stronger today. She is a beautiful person on the inside. She often talks too loudly and laughs even louder. She eats candy and leaves the wrappers everywhere, but giggles when you accuse her of it. No subject is taboo with her. And she’s always willing to give a hug, even if she doesn’t know you very well.
She has taken her sunshiney-ness to the classroom and is now a kindergarten teacher. It’s a rough job, but Audrey is one of those teachers who has the power to make a difference for the young kids. I am so proud of her for finding her niche.
She has been so supportive to me over the years as I branched out through pursuing my own passion of photography; her approval, her pride for me, her constant encouragement have played a huge role in getting me to where I am now…and where I will end up.
And let’s talk about how darling she is on the outside. It’s hard to be around her and not be drawn to her charisma and she is so incredibly photogenic. She married her best friend a couple of years before I married mine, and I am so thankful she found someone as cleverly witty and genuinely kind as Aaron is. Aaron and Neil are very similar in a lot of ways, and I do so wish that we lived in the same city because the four of us would have a blast together ALL THE TIME.
When I held mini-sessions in October in Omaha, I was THRILLED when Audrey & Aaron decided to book one with me. The only “good” photos they have of them together are from their wedding day. So they brought their stylin’ selves…and their warm glow…. in front of my camera, and honest to gosh, something clicked (not just my shutter…thank you very much.) They inspired me from deep down and rekindled my own love for taking photos. I have a crush on them now, photographically speaking.
Here are just a few of my favorites….I hope you enjoy them at least half as much as I do.
And lastly….a photo Aaron snapped on my camera of Aud & me….(we used to be called the SUNSHINE TWINS in church back in high school. I was always so incredibly flattered to be linked to her …. someone so freaking cute and fun and lovable.) ANd I love this photo…and that I’m pregnant in it. Because she has also been so amazingly supportive during the pregnancy…even from far away. Last week, she came to stay with me for a few days during her time off, just to help distract me from my discomfort, and it warmed my heart to see her tear up when she’d feel the baby kick. She is a sentimental ball of joy, and she’s going to be a great aunt to my son. I just know it.
Aud & Aaron, I hope you cherish these images as they should always remind you of the couple you are at the foundation—you fit so well, you flatter one another, and you have an intangible bond that is so fierce to the onlooker it can give others the chills. Please hold fast to that…and know that you’re beautiful apart, but even more so together. I love you both. xo
