Amazing People Are Never Far Away

People are amazing! Even a 1000+ miles away from my hometown, I feel like I'm at home surrounded by family. Women in my church banded together and threw me a baby shower, a neighbor ran out of his house while we were on a walk and offered us brand new baby gear, and I will never forget the women who befriended me (a silently-suffering pregnant woman) and made a 7-hour flight delay so much more pleasant!

 When Scott and I joined the Air Force this year, we set off on this new adventure with no idea of what to expect.
After boot camp,  all of our attentions have been focused on getting ready for the birth of this baby girl, (who will make her arrival within the next 3 weeks!) and on our move to a foreign country, so for the last 6 months, all of our efforts have been put into working hard and pinching pennies. With all of these big changes looming on the horizon it can be easy to be bogged down with stress and worries about the “little details”, but the truth is, I feel very calm. Perhaps I’m being naive or premature but I feel calm because I know that wherever we go, God will continue to introduce amazing people along the way.

That being said, today I'm posting some pics of some particularly amazing people we’ve been lucky enough to meet, the Clapin family.

Phil and Scott met at boot camp; they were the "old men" of the group and became good friends. Unlike Scott and I, Phil's family can't come and live with him while he attends tech school, so except for a few visits, he's been separated from his awesome wife and adorable little girl for 5+ months and that's not including the duration of boot camp!

I admire their strength, love, and devotion they visibly emulate for each other and am super honored that they asked me to intrude on their precious time together to take their family portraits. Capturing this family and especially the sweet moments between Phil and his adorable baby girl, radiate what I find to be most important. Family. I can't imagine what it has been like for this family to be separated for so long, but I hope that when Scott and I’s time comes, that we will manage it as gracefully as they do. And when it does happen, I’m glad that I know that no matter where the military life takes us, the opportunity to meet amazing people who can ease pain, create laughter, or give hope, will never be far away.