Friends, this photo shoot was near and dear to my heart. Ashley and I met long long ago in a magical land called Kanakuk Kamps near by Branson, MO where we were both kampers (yes, you spell everything with a "K", and it's amazing). I had never been to a summer camp before, and at 17 years old, I was TERRIFIED that I had agreed to go for a whole 28 days.
Lo and behold, I meet Ashley in good ol' Kabin 18, and she, along with a few others in our kabin, took me under her wing. She welcomed me with love and grace. She spent hours teaching me how to do cheers, touring me around the place, escorting me through meal time, and making me feel like I belonged. Unexpectedly, she had to go home during before our term was over, but our friendship was already rock solid in that period of time.
We faded in and out of each other's lives during the school year (with many Skype dates, I might add), but for quite a few summer we always managed to end up at Kamp together. We worked at Kanakuk K-1 for several summers, she came to my wedding last May, and every time we talked, we just picked up where we left off.
Meeting in Stillwater on the beautiful campus of Oklahoma State University (her *almost* alma mater) felt no different. Within minutes of hugs and hellos, we were sitting on her bed, watching Netflix and munching on snacks between words. As she toured me around campus while taking her photos, I was reminded of when she toured me around Kanakuk all those years ago. She still showed so much love, so much passion for her school, and so much grace to the "new girl" like me. :)
Here are some of my favorites from our time together:
