Where do I begin? I hadn't met Brian and Elyse until the day of their wedding, but from the moment we arrived they welcomed us with such warmth - as though we had been friends for years! They have this sweet, fun, contagious love that makes spending time with them so wonderful. I can say with confidence that I saw nothing but smiles on their faces all day long and I seriously loved every moment of their day!
As soon as we got into the car to head home, Brent and I both agreed that we couldn't have spent our Labor Day any better way than sharing in this amazing celebration with Zach and Ashley's wonderful family and friends. Also worth noting? I can 110% say I have never laughed more in one wedding day! I also cried a lot, too - but that's to be expected.
I will never tire of witnessing couples dedicate their marriage to Jesus and their lives to one another!
I've sat down at my computer every day since last Tuesday trying to find the words to accompany the photos below. It's been a struggle. I want to share about Megan - how beautiful she is, how confident she is, how graceful and selfless she is even in the midst of great adversity, how she is a wonderful nurse and how she is so seriously full of life, laughter, and love. And the thing is, I don't know Megan very well - we met only a year ago through a mutual and I've spent some time with her here and there in passing... but it doesn't take long to see how amazing she is, and you see it in the way that she supports and encourages her loved ones so fiercely.
I'd also like to share about the battle she is in right now, but I'm not a nurse... so I pulled this information from the Facebook page that her awesome friends put together for her to share updates and create a space for people to share their support. The text below was written by Ursula, coworker and very close friend.
"Megan is a dear friend and co-worker of mine in the IICU at Lancaster General Hospital. As a baby, Megan was diagnosed with retinoblastoma and has an artificial right eye. Fast forward 23 years and Megan started to develop nose bleeds. Megan went to an ENT physician and they found a mass in her nasal cavity. After a cat scan, MRI, and two biopsies, it was discovered that Megan has osteosarcoma. Megan will have surgery on Friday September 30th to remove her tumor. After that surgery, she will have extensive chemotherapy treatment. Megan will be out of work for at least 6 to 9 months. We developed a #Megansfight t-shirt as a fundraiser for Megan. Once you purchase and receive your t-shirt we would like you to post a picture of yourself in the t-shirt with the #Megansfight. There will be other fundraisers coming up to help raise funds for Megan so keep your eyes on the page. Thank you again for your prayers and support."
Megan had surgery last Friday and is now beginning her road to recovery. The support system that has stepped up and rallied around Megan to carry her through this time is INCREDIBLE. Never in my life have I witnessed such unconditional and selfless friendship. So finally, I want to share some of the ways that you can join the community surrounding Megan right now.
Let's lift up Megan, in every way that we can.
#megansfight
I love the opportunity to share bits and pieces of my personal life here - my hope is that those who may not have met me yet will feel a little more at home with me as they see more of my everyday moments!
I work in the office at my other job (Lancaster City Alliance) Monday - Thursday, so Fridays are 100% dedicated to all things photo (and grocery shopping, laundry, etc. mixed in, of course!) AND they're a little more flexible since I work from home, so I get to enjoy mid-afternoon breaks like this one! Liz, Emme, and I decided to take a short walk down to our favorite cafe for some pastries and iced lattes. Liz is my favorite subject (you'll see why!) when it comes to experimenting with light, locations, and posing, so we wandered a little and she patiently let me snap a few photos. She's a beauty and an incredibly loving, patient, and wonderful mom (wife, daughter, friend, you name it.)
Meet Emily.
She is grounded, bright, confident, kind, adventurous, and beautiful, among many other things. She loves to sing, she has great style, a contagious laugh, the brightest smile, and a heart after Jesus.
A highlight from our evening: my favorite kind of photo bomb by our new friend Scruffy.
