10/26/2026
The Elk River Chain of Lakes joined Drew and my’s wishlists last summer and this past sunmer we finally booked a trip for it to happen when it had looked like things would slow down and we’d have a little more time, which happened to be this past weekend. When planning it we knew it’d likely be the last trip we took before Hope came, so it shifted into our baby moon of sorts. We debated on whether we still wanted to go after we had lost Hope, and ultimately decided that new memories should still be made even if they weren’t the memories we were planning to make.
Trying to step back into the regular swing of life has been hard and at times it feels as though it’s swinging too fast to want to try, but each step taken it is a reminder of the joy that comes with living. Anywhere that goodness can exist, I find it there waiting for me. How grateful I am to be supported by people and spaces that remind me of that.
I look forward to each session and my time spent editing as it’s a place I can feel in touch with my “old self” and provides a sense of normalcy to what is becoming and who I am becoming in my “new self.” Thank you to everyone in front of my camera and the vendor community I have behind it for providing that for me.
I understand that even though many places now feel empty, that my heart is still full and I can learn to love from afar. That not having Hope here with me doesn’t erase the bond we created together as she grew and entered the world.
I praise God for the time I got to have with her and I look forward to a future of remembering her while remaining open to the unknown and unplanned memories He places in life.
