Seven years ago I received a phone call from a sassy young girl who wanted a senior session. She talked fast and knew what she wanted. I remember laughing when I got off the phone and thinking “I can’t wait to meet this chick.”
Fast forward a few years to a girl returning from a Hawaii adventure and in need of something to pass the time while waiting for school in North Carolina to start. Shan was our first intern and she did everything from package orders to organize our holiday cards (Sticky’s address book was a nightmare – it was not a fun job). We had adventures of our own with a trip to North Carolina and another to New York City. Sticky and I adored Shan, while clearly she was very young and fresh in starting her adult life she did have the attitude that she wanted a meaningful one, something we respected.
And then not even two years later a girl who I have loved all the sudden became a friend who was experiencing a huge moment in her life the exact same time as me. The path to conceive Adelynn and Jettie could not have been more different but once they were here Shan and I were on the same journey. What a gift to find out you have more in common with a person than you ever would have known. We talked parenting styles, eating habits and kids clothing over strawberry lemonade at Chili’s. We eagerly awaited the birth of each little girl and secretly hoped they would bond just as we have. Parenthood brings so much joy to my life, I could not imagine going through it all without such an amazing friend to confide in.
In two weeks she will be a Mrs. In two weeks that little girl with sass will be a wife, just like me. There may be more than 10 years between us but clearly age does not matter when it comes to friendship. Our lives crossed paths the way they did for a reason, I am not going to take that kind of fate for granted.
Happy Birthday Beautiful!
