My dearest Nayfin, 

2,920 days. That's how long we've been together. A third of our lives have been spent side by side, hand in hand and I couldn't imagine walking with anyone else. 8 years is a long time, longer than most marriages these days. Of course we've had our moments. Moments where one of us doesn't feel like we deserve the other. Moments that we argue over silly things, but we always made up. Many people think that high school sweethearts don't last and many don't. I'm proud to be the exception to that. But I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to share life with.

Over the years you helped foster my love for photography and got the ball rolling "bugging me" to buy a new DSLR. And once I did, you encouraged me to try new things and be brave enough to start shooting things that weren't stationary. I'm so thankful for that! Without that push, I wouldn't be writing this letter to you on a photography blog that I hold so near and dear to my heart. 

In an eight year span, you've tried all kinds of new hobbies. In high school it was skateboarding. In college, banjos and road biking.  But now you've found your most dangerous one yet in whitewater kayking. Even though it terrifies me, I'm so proud of you! Kayaking not only takes strength but determination, bravery, and skill. I've loved getting to watch your fascination grow and hearing your stories of triumph!

Thank you for pushing me to be better (and sometimes just pushing my buttons). Thank you for putting up with me even when I in a mood.  Thank you for holding me when I need to cry. Thank you for letting me know when I'm wrong (which is never, right babe?). But most of all, thank you for loving me. In this season of our lives, I'm just happy to come home to you. I'm excited about our future and all that life has in store for us. I love having a home to call "ours" and having fur-babies to love on. All in all, I love sharing life with you!   

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Nathan and I decided that instead of spending money on each other for things we didn’t really need, we would use that money and go somewhere new…even if only for a little bit. Just time for us to spend some time together. We sat in the car and looked at the map and decided to go down to Grayson Highlands State Park. It’s only about an hour and a half from us, but neither one of us had ever been.  The highlands are somewhat known for their “wild” ponies and beautiful hiking trails. We didn’t do much hiking since it was blowing snow but we did see the ponies. My parents can attest to the fact that I have always wanted a pony, even Nathans parents know how much I want a pony…since I am constantly trying to get them to buy a one for our nephews.  Colten and Zachary definitely need a pony… and so does Aunt Hillary! Anyways, I figured that the ponies in the park would just walk away from us but as soon as we stopped the car and whistled, they came running. 

Here are some shots from our little adventure for our six year anniversary. We can’t wait to go back to camp and hike this summer.