I remember seven years ago sitting down to write a handwritten letter to the man I was about to commit my life to, all the wonderful fleeting thoughts running through my head and pouring my heart out to the man I was so excited to see at the end of the aisle, thinking about all the exciting unknown adventures that would lie ahead for us as husband and wife. We married in the church I grew up going to and where I saw him at mass sitting peacefully by himself, hands clasped, praying one chilly November day. I remember thinking how impressed I was that he went to church alone and committed himself to prayer. But I didn’t talk to him even though I whispered to my sister, “I know him, his name is Justin, we work together.” He was wearing a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans. It was November of 2003. Little did I know (and here come the tears) that this man sitting in the back of our church, was the man I was destined to develop a lifelong friendship with and a deep love for. That man sitting there was my future husband.
He means everything to me and is the reason I am living life to its fullest and loving every part of it. I wake up every day trying to be a better person because of him. He does so much for me and the growth of my photography business, by my side every step of the way, encouraging, believing, supporting. From proof reading all my blog posts (except this one :)), to driving around with me to help find great locations for my clients, to posing and standing in different light, to coming on shoots with me…oh friends, the list goes on and on! He’s the reason I trust and follow my heart. He’s the reason I believe in my dreams. I’m so thankful for our bond and the little family we have created together throughout the years.
Work brought us together but fate sealed the deal. In 2004, sadly, we both lost our Grandfathers. His loss was more sudden and I will always remember that day when I happened to run into him in the walkway right after he got the phone call from his father. He was leaving work to drive 7 hours back to his hometown, Pittsburgh. His face was lost, his soul was sad in a quiet sort of way. When I asked him if there was anything I could do to help, he responded by asking if I could follow him to his car so he could give me a present to bring to a co-workers going away party. In his sorrow, his concern was others.
A few months later, I lost my Grandfather and I turned to Justin for comfort knowing he had just gone through a similar experience. In my Papa’s memory, he gave my family a mass in his honor. This was the first time he would meet my parents, at church, the same church I saw him sitting and praying that November day. I knew then as my twenty-four-year-old self that his caring actions and genuine heart was so very special to find.
This past Sunday, we celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary by disconnecting for the day to celebrate it together. We enjoy using this time every year to look back and reflect on all the memories we’ve made together, the life we’ve created, together as a family. We reminisce about the days leading up to our wedding, being surrounded by our loving family and friends. It’s been a crazy couple of years navigating and balancing it all but darling, I know with you by my side, anything is possible and I thank you.
As part of our celebration, we watched our wedding video and laughed so hard as we re-lived it all. We took a drive to a local vineyard for an afternoon picnic and enjoyed the most amazing sunset. Driving home with the music playing and the windows down, we both agreed that the sunset was a beautiful sign that our Grandparents were watching over us–a true blessing on our special day.
Our wedding song is , Someone Like You by Van Morrison. I remember when we heard it for the first time and being huge Van Morrison fans; we knew right away that we had found our song…and seven years later, the lyrics still hold true!
“I’ve been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
I’ve been traveling all around the world
Waiting for you to come through.
Someone like you makes it
All worth while
Something like you keeps
Me satisfied. Someone exactly
Like you.”
Image by: Tiffany Farley
Makeup by: Alisa of Simply Gorgeous by Erin