Hey friends! First, we want to say thank you. Thank you for following along this journey with us as we continue chasing our dreams. We’re officially wedding photographers based in Rosemary Beach, Florida – and the story of how we got here still blows our minds! Stay tuned for a blog post coming on how we decided to make the move and all the ways God made the path clear, like the fact we had a cash offer on our house only 3 days after we officially decided we wanted to move! That’s right, an offer only 3 days after we said out loud – let’s move (and before we even said we were selling our house 🤯)! But for now, we needed a post dedicated to a very special part of our life and marriage from the beginning-

 

To our first home, 

 

We walked through you one only day after I proposed to Anna in New Orleans. And what started as simply going to look at a house we knew was for sale – quickly became so much more. We spent our New Years Eve 2014 walking through the hallways of what would become our first home, dreaming of what life together in this house would be like. And as we walked those hallways one last time on August 24th, 2020, we couldn’t help but think about how much of a blessing you were to us! 

 

From first “meeting” you, when we were like little kids as we walked through each bedroom.. Imagining and dreaming of the possibilities to come. Anna dreamed of decorating the walls and making this house our home + pinterest meals and crafting. I dreamed of parking our cars in a garage or even better using that parking space for a home gym! (Is anyone actually surprised?! 😂) We pictured opening presents during Christmas together in the living room and welcoming friends and family in for celebrations and just to hang out. 

 

And I can still remember the moment that we walked out of the garage. It was like we looked at each other at the same time, because we knew that we wanted to begin our lives together at 10 Hawthorne Drive. 

 

But before we could exit, the owner looked at us and told us something we would never forget. He said, “Guys, we built this house 5 years ago and it has become such a blessing for us. If it’s the right fit, our prayer is that this house will be such a blessing for you!” 

 

And our first home, you were just that, SUCH a blessing to us! Our prayer for our first home was that as people entered they would instantly feel loved, a relaxed peace, like they were truly welcome, and a place they knew they could always come to for comfort and celebration! And, 10 Hawthorne you were that and more,  you were more than just a house, you were our home- more than just where we lived, you were where we made a life.

 

You watched us go from engaged (serving also as a great bachelor pad from me and my bro Phil) to newly weds! You watched as we learned to “adult” and figure out life together.  You watched us grow and you grew with us.  You were more than just a home for us but for family and friends when needed. You watched as we tried new things and as we ate far too much Dairy Queen (we blame you, you were just too close 😉).

 

You saw two teachers struggle to pay their bills, cleaning a church at night just to pay their bills. You saw us leave before the sunrise to drive a school bus route only to come in after midnight on Friday nights after coaching and being at the field house.   You watched as Ryan started working at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the hurt that we felt from being apart, and you watched as we prayed for God to give us direction for our marriage, jobs, and life. 

 

And our first home, you watched as we launched our dream business. You saw two teachers buy a camera that they so proudly displayed on the counter. You watched as Anna spent numerous hours photoshopping every single picture before we knew what Lightroom was. You watched and listened as we spoke dreams of being full time wedding photographers and the desire we had to love and serve women, to make them feel special and valued, to make them feel perfectly beautiful, just as Christ sees them! You were here the night that we cried together in our kitchen from being exhausted, because 3-4 hours of sleep on top of teaching and coaching full time while having 30 weddings booked in 1 year was taking its toll. You heard us double down and bet on us. You were here for us to celebrate quitting our teaching jobs to become full time wedding photographers! You saw us welcome two amazing women into our home and business and have them join our team! Tuesday Tacos and Training was a thing, and such a good idea! Photographers, we highly encourage adding tacos into your education! 😉We all know you watched us pop too many confetti cannons to count 🎉 And you witnessed prayer after prayer be answered which led us to the moment we knew it was time to say goodbye to you.

 

And 10 Hawthorne, our prayer today is that you will be such a blessing for your new owner. That love will abound in you, that peace and joy will overflow, and that you will continue to always be a Refuge for all who enter!  Thank you for five years of blessings and for being the absolute best first home ❤️