KRISTEN & PHIL: ENGAGEMENT

Have I ever told you about the time that Steve and I endured a five hour thunderstorm out in a tent? It was almost a decade ago now and ten of us had met up for our annual summer camping trip. We pitched our tents…set up a dining area…brought board games galore…and then it rained. And rained. All weekend long.

It rained so much that by late afternoon on the second day, we gave up trying to make food and headed into the nearest city to dry off and eat food that wasn’t soggy. That evening, we returned to our site and managed to enjoy a few hours around the campfire during the first – and only – break in the weather. We laughed…we talked…we ate more junk than our bodies could handle. And then it rained again. But this time, a vicious thunderstorm began circling the bay where we were camping and continued to do so for five hours straight. We stayed huddled in our tents, wide awake, while lightning and thunder unleashed all around us. The boys would run out into the rain to dig trenches when the water started to make its way too close to the tents. It was a rough night. It was also the night when I began to fear thunderstorms.

We all awoke the next morning looking like we had just survived a severe gang beating! We were exhausted…rattled…and eager to get home. While we had hunkered down during the storm, almost the entire campground had vacated during the night. We were the only ones left.

And a strange thing happened after that. We ended up having the best morning.   We packed up our things and with the entire campground to ourselves…we played Frisbee golf in the field…had nice talks over our morning coffee…and relished in the long awaited sunshine. Despite the rocky 36 hours that led to that morning…it’s still one of my favourite memories with that group of friends.

Shortly before noon that day, we heard the thunder rumble in the distance and we hightailed it out of there as fast as we could! That was our cue to say goodbye for another year!

Life is full of storms. Some are predictable and some aren’t in the forecast. But they always pass. It doesn’t always feel like it in the moment – when you’re trembling in your sleeping bag in the middle of the night – but the clouds do part and the sun always comes out. Often leaving you with great joy on the other side. Leaving you with light.

I found myself in a great storm on the way to see Kristen and Phil for their engagement shoot. A storm so severe that I had to pull over on the side of the highway because I couldn’t see the cars in front of me. A storm so severe that I had to call home to see if shooting that night was even going to be possible.

“Power through”, my husband told me. “Power through to the other side”…

So I started back on the highway…blared my stereo so I wouldn’t hear the thunder [that has given me anxiety for the last ten years]…and on I went. And sure enough, I could see the light. I could see the edge of the storm. I could see where the clouds parted. It was an intense drive from home to my happy couple…but there was a great evening on the other side. Laughter, joy, great conversation. There was happiness on the other side.

And I couldn’t possibly think of a better couple to share it with…

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