A decade is a long time. So much can happen in ten years. People change, families grow, and love can be nurtured and deepened. 

When Stacey emailed me and said that this year she was celebrating ten lovely years of marriage with her sweet husband, I knew our photo shoot would be extra special! 

With the girls in white and the boys in blue suspenders, I just about squealed with delight when we met for their session! 

I MEAN... How precious is this?? 

I love how photogenic these two are!! 

And.... we couldn't call it a photo shoot unless we got mama and her precious little ones! 

So sweet!

When I asked Stacey how they made it ten years, she was beautifully honest: not every season was easy, but they got to make it through everything together. 

And together they will continue to face whatever comes their way. 

It really was a beautiful evening to celebrate their love for each other, and to reminisce about the day ten years ago when they put these rings on each other's fingers and promise that they'd take on life together no matter what it brought them. 

I walked away feeling immense appreciation for this job. For this opportunity to connect with strangers and hear their stories. To catch a glimpse of their connection with a glance and to see the depth of trust with a little hand being held. To play with the kids and swap stories with the parents and learn a little bit more about the beauty of life with each click of my camera. 

And for that, I'm so very thankful. 

Stacey and Justin, THANK YOU so so much for allowing me to capture your family yet again! You two have created such a beautiful family and I simply love spending time with all of you!! Congratulations on your first ten years of marriage, and I can't wait to see what the next ten have in store for you! :)

Good morning, love. Happy Anniversary. 

If I could go back in time ten years and tell my 14 year old self that I would be married to you - Sunil Mohinani - I'd probably laugh at my old time-traveling self. There was no possible way.

By this time ten years ago, you had become one of my closest guy friends; a highly respected (albeit very mysterious) man in my life. You intrigued me with each conversation, and I was fascinated with your heritage, your crazy sense of humor, and your honor for your family. But it was your compassion for people that drew me to you. The way you saw through walls to the very soul of a person and spoke right to them with gentleness and respect. The way you broke down hesitations instantly and gained people's trust with your sweet kindness and genuine desire for their happiness. Me included. 

While you are much less mysterious to me now (but still full of all sorts of surprises!) your heritage, humor, and honor still fascinate me - ten years later. I'm no longer terrified of the way you can read me like a book; instead I find safety in the trust that you've worked so hard to build. I'm proud and so intensely thankful for the way that you disarm and set at ease the people you come in contact with. You see stories in people's eyes and find hope in the most difficult of situations. 

Ten years is a long time to know someone, and yet it's gone in just a moment. Changes have come, some easy and some not so much. We've both had moments full of tears, joy, wonder, fulfillment, repentance, unknown, and fear, but we've always faced them hand in hand because our story isn't finished. We have decades left to live (I hope!), dreams left to dream (I'll probably let you do the dreaming - you know that freaks me out!), people still to love (they each have a story!), and at least one more day left with each other. 

I'm so thankful to be your wife. Your dream holder, your secret keeper, your reality checker, your budget holder, your home hoster, your fashion adviser, your humor understander, your chicken burner, and your cupcake. This marriage thing is pretty awesome. 

Happy 4th Anniversary, love.