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That up there, that is me and my best friend Jill. She and I have known each other for a LONG time… since 2nd grade actually. I remember the first time I met her… I thought she was really pretty and then I found out that she was a better reader than me and it kinda pissed me off. I was the best reader in school and then she just came outta nowhere and was all smart AND pretty! What the what? But, as the years went by we just ended up loving each other. Don’t get me wrong, there were some tense moments in our tween years but by the time high school started our friendship was pretty much set in stone. Along with that friendship came her awesome family who became like family to me. I didn’t have living grandparents, and Jill had a lot of them so I kind of adopted them. I didn’t have an older sister, she did though, so I did too. I didn’t have younger brothers to pack around on my hip, but Jill did and so they were my little brothers too. Jill was my rock. She was always the one who told me I would be great. She was (and IS) also the one who tells me when I’m being an ass. I don’t know where I would be without her, and I’m glad I don’t have to know.

Last week Jill’s great grandmother passed away at the age of 98. Monday was her funeral, and I made the trip up to Foresthill to be a part of the celebration of her life. It was an honor to stand with generations of her family who loved her, cherished her, and flat out adored her. I can only hope that my kids and grandkids will like me half as much as everyone loved Grandma J. One of the best things about the day was all the family pictures that everyone brought to share. It was incredible to see these images laid out so lovingly and with such care. It made my job just seem that much more important to me, and made me so grateful that I had been able to photograph families and events in people’s lives. It means the world to me that my job is to witness families be formed, grow and change. It humbles me to know that an image I created helps someone remember the love of their family. It is an honor to have that be my job.

Thank you Jill for being my BFF, and for treating me like family. It means everything to me.