10/12/2026
I’ve gone back and forth about sharing this, but I think part of healing is being honest about the parts people don’t always see or talk about. On September 16th 2026 @ 3:06pm I was entering my community center from picking up my handsome boy from school. 0.3 miles away from home before someone’s small decision almost stole everything.
We are healing. Physically we are all healing better than expected, but mentally and emotionally… that has been so much harder than I ever could have imagined.
Getting into a car accident really is almost like the movies make it seem. Somehow, everything is happening incredibly fast, but at the same time, it feels like slow motion. I can still hear and see it all. The screams and cries muted, but ear piercing, the smell of gas, all the visuals- the glass slowly floating around you, my kids’ toys flying across the vehicle as we were flipping. Slowly looking back to make sure my babies weren’t dangling. The immediate fear of the seatbelt being broken so I couldn’t get out. The doors stuck, not allowing me to get my kids. The fear of the car bursting in flames. Seconds in time that felt like forever. These are things I don’t think you can ever fully explain to someone who wasn’t there or who has never been.
Everyone talks about the physical pain after a car accident because that’s the part you can see. You can see the totaled car. You can see the bumps, bruises, scratches, swelling and injuries. You can see the doctor appointments, and the physical healing, but people don’t talk enough about what happens after.
They don’t talk about your baby girl becoming terrified of cars and crying the entire time she has to sit in her car seat. Hyperventilating as we take a turn because for her it feels like we are flipping again. The constant “be careful, be careful” she has to repeat in order to feel an ounce of comfort. They don’t talk about your son processing what happened the only way his little mind knows how—by playing “car accident” with his Mario Karts. Or the stress rash stress rash that shows up a week later, or the graining of his teeth at night. They don’t talk about waking up from vivid dreams about the accident weeks later. They don’t talk about sitting in the passenger seat, tensing every muscle in your body because your mind is constantly waiting for impact, just waiting for another car to come through an intersection, for someone to not stop, for you to just get hit again. There is a pain that sits with you when this was a HUGE life turning event for you, but to the firefighters, paramedics, police, tow truck, you’re just another patient, another victim, another customer.
There is a freedom that gets taken from you after something like this.
Our car was totaled. I haven’t felt comfortable driving like I did before. Suddenly, something as simple as getting your children from one place to another takes an entire village & thank God for our village. Our family and friends have rallied around us in ways I will never forget; finding car seats, switching around driving days, picking up Azzee dropping him off, helping us get where we need to go, and stepping in when I simply couldn’t do it myself. We are accepting any help people may be able to offer. (As many of us know, dealing with the insurance industry is a complete scam, and the way everything has unfolded has put our family in a really difficult financial position. If you or someone you know is selling a safe, reliable vehicle, please reach out to us. We would be incredibly grateful for any help we can get!)
My husband, I don’t think I will ever be able to fully put into words how much you have carried for our family through this. You have had to work from home every angle day so you could take Azzee to school every morning and pick him up every afternoon. You’ve driven us to doctor appointment after doctor appointment. You stepped in and picked up the household chores when my body physically couldn’t do them, you were the stable parent for our babies during the moments when I just needed permission to fall apart, when I needed to go somewhere quiet and break down, you were there. You have carried so much, not just physically, but emotionally, and somehow continued making sure all of us were okay while also dealing your own trauma after this accident. The crippling thought that in one second your entire family could have been gone. Your healing is just as important. Thank you, my love, for being the amazing man, husband, and father that you are.
Ive learned that gratitude & trauma can exist at the same time. We are so incredibly thankful to be alive and I will never stop thanking God for protecting my babies and myself that day. I know just how differently our story could have ended, and that heavy realization is something I carry with me every single day. You can be unbelievably thankful that you survived while also grieving what the accident took from you. All of this happened because someone didn’t pay attention and ran a stop sign. Please, please pay attention when you drive.
Get off your phone. Drive sober. Stop at the stop sign. Look twice.
You may think you’re invincible, but the vehicle coming towards you could be carrying someone’s entire world.
There was a mother and three children in mine.
A mother who now sits in a passenger seat waiting for impact. Children who are learning how to feel safe in a car again; a family whose everyday life changed in seconds. Please think about that the next time something tries to take your attention away from the road. If you think of us, please keep my babies and family in your prayers. Pray for continued physical healing, but especially for peace in our minds, my children to feel safe again, that the fear continues to loosen its grip, for restful sleep. Pray that one day getting into a car just feels like getting into a car again and for the Lord to restore the peace and freedom that trauma has tried to steal.
TO MY CLIENTS:
before I talk about returning to work, I need to say something to my current clients.
Thank you.
Thank you for your patience when my responses have taken longer than normal, understanding when album deliveries haven’t happened on the timeline I originally intended, for checking on me as a human being before asking about your photos, for giving me grace and space to truly heal.
As a small business owner, there’s always that voice in the back of your mind telling you that you need to keep going. Keep answering. Keep editing. Keep delivering. Keep showing up, but for a little while, I physically and mentally couldn’t pour from the same cup I normally do and instead of making me feel guilty for that, you guys loved me through it. I will never forget that with ALL of that being said… I’m coming back. 🤍
I’m getting back into photography full time, and I cannot even explain how ready my heart is to create again. Photography has always been so much more than work to me. Capturing families, babies, love, connection, and all of those tiny moments we wish we could still forever has always meant everything to me but after experiencing firsthand just how quickly life can change…those moments mean even more to me now. Especially during this season; my absolute favorite season to create—I’m ready to pour myself back into Be Still Moments.
I’ll be moving some things around, removing a few dates and times, and adding some new availability as I ease my family and myself back into our normal rhythm. If there is a specific date or time you’ve been hoping for, please message me. I’m going to do everything I can to work with you and see what we can make happen.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
