Welcome to the world Baby Kai

There are some people who come into your life and perhaps without even knowing it, they change it completely. Kate was one of those people for me.Years ago, we were sitting on my couch chatting about the new jobs we had found after graduating from school where we first met as classmates, when she mentioned that the photography studio she worked at was looking for a new assistant. While I had always hoped to make a living taking photographs, at the time when I graduated smack dab in the middle of a recession, I had applied for months to any photography job I could find with no luck. I was working in marketing after a brief stint as a receptionist, lost in a world of endless emails and powerpoints, never dreaming that the life I had hoped for was actually possible.

Days later I was interviewing for the studio assistant job, and just a few short weeks later Kate and I were co-workers, traveling around the country together, working for a commercial photographer who shot everything from portraits and interiors to food and events. It was at that job that I learned everything I could about how to run a successful business while making beautiful photographs. Jim, the photographer, and his wife Holly took me under their wing as I began to take on clients of my own, growing my photography "side hustle" from a day dream to a job that now puts food on my family's table.While I like to think that photography would have found me one way or another, it's hard to imagine a world where I would have been able to leave an office job with benefits to take the leap to entrepreneur without seeing firsthand what was actually possible. And I know without a doubt that without Kate, I would have never made my way to that first interview, and those three wonderful years that awaited me in Syracuse.

Kate and I only had a few brief months working together before she made her way to New Jersey and New York to be a retoucher, but I'll always be so grateful for the time we had before she left. Beyond being one of the most thoughtful and warm people I know, she's also incredibly quick and funny too--making for some of the happiest memories over the years that we've known each other, largely punctuated with remembrances of nights spent chatting into the wee hours, sharing whatever boxed wine happened to be in the fridge, and the two of us literally turning red from laughter. While text conversations and yearly visits have helped to bridge the distance over the years, there's still nothing like having your friend live just around the corner, a quick walk away.Happily, beyond facetime chats and meme exchanges, there have also been beautiful life events to celebrate in person together too.

From engagements and weddings to meeting each other's babies in person, joyful reunions have come around again and again. But for me, beyond watching your friends find their perfect match in their partner, one of the greatest joys has to be watching your loved ones come to parenthood and grow into the most wonderful mothers and fathers right before your eyes. Being able to share some of the very first hours of their parenthood with Kate and Sandy was such a tremendous joy, and I know that Kai has two of the most wonderful and loving parents anyone could ask for.

Below are a few photographs from our time together earlier this summer, taken at Kate and Sandy's gorgeous new home in New Jersey, complete with sweet baby yawns, new family cuddles, and one very attentive Jellybean Frenchie. Here's looking forward to the beautiful adventure these three (four!) are embarking on, and the many wonderful years that lie ahead!