Hey hey! Since I finally have my little corner of the internet, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to make a proper introduction.
My name is Jennifer, a photographer located in Northern Virginia, and I hail from sunny California. If you were to ask me to describe myself briefly I would say my favorite color is pink, I’m a night owl, self proclaimed foodie and explorer.
Meet your photographer!
I spent part of my childhood in Guayaquil, Ecuador (which I remember faintly) and returned to L.A. around the time that I was 8. I grew up going to the beach almost every weekend, and when we weren’t at the beach, we were attending some cookout. I grew up surrounded by family (nearly all my aunts and uncles lived within a block’s distance), which meant that I saw my cousins almost every day. We would spend our days outside playing or fighting with neighbor kids, but we always stuck together. This is why family is everything to me.
I was 8 years old here! Crazy that I now have a 8 year old
Growing up, I was excruciatingly shy to the point that most of my teachers always told my mom I needed to speak up more. So when we moved over to the other side of the country to Virginia, it’s no surprise I had a hard time adjusting. Most of the friends I had up until that point (mid-high school) I knew since I first came back to California. We had gone from elementary to high school together. I had my people, and I had to start all over again. I’m not going to lie; it was tough. A new girl in the middle of high school and highly introverted = a bad combination! Not only that, but up until that point, I had lived in a primarily Hispanic area, so I was utterly culture-shocked.
I still remember the first friend I made on the second day of school. Her name was Erika, and she was amazing. She took me under her wing and introduced me to all her friends, and slowly, I found more people to call “my people” again. I can’t imagine high school without her.
It was that same year we had some strangers knock on our door and invite us to church. So my mom, in need of friendships as well, dragged us to church. This is where I ended up meeting my husband and many of my good friends whom I still have contact with now. We ended up becoming involved in this church, and through that, I started joining into youth activities. Sometimes, these activities took place when my parents were working, so I was often in need of rides to attend. This is how I met my husband, Chris, the only teenager with a car at that time. He already had his eye on me, but I had no idea. We got to know each other by the conversations we would have on our way to and from activities. Eventually, our friendship became something more, and I am eternally grateful for having met him. Life would not be the same without him in my life.
Back in our dating days circa 2007?
We ended up dating 5 years before he eventually proposed and got married 6.5 years into our relationship. By then, we had gone through so much there was no question he was always going to fight for me, for us. We got married on August 9, 2008, and everything On our wedding day was perfect. It was just four months later I started with some serious health issues, and no doctor around me would take the problems I was dealing with seriously. I ended up having to go back to Ecuador and finally started getting answers. They found precancerous cells in my uterus, and test after test confirmed it would be nearly impossible for me ever to have children. It was devastating and such a hard time because I felt all alone. This was also the time when God became real to me in a way I can’t describe. It was by faith that I made it through that time. I continued to see doctors, but I could still not find any concrete answers or solutions. It was a random conversation that led my mom’s best friend to take me to a natural doctor. So, I went very reluctantly, but at that point, I had nothing to lose. I finally had the answers I needed, and not only that, but her treatment gave me solutions that I could see and feel for myself. She helped me regain my health. This was when I became a believer in natural medicine. I believe it saved my life, and because of it, I have my children.
A little glimpse of our wedding 2008
God walked me through it all, and I can’t help but see my children and think of his goodness. When man said you can’t, God said you can. I still went through treatments with both of them, which were hard on many different levels but worth every bit of it.
Brotherly Love haha
Fast forward to my life now. Chris and I will be married 12 years this summer. We have known each other for almost 17 years. He’s my best friend and greatest cheerleader. When I feel like giving up, he pushes me forward. We have two boys, 3 and 8. We love going on adventures and living life through experiences. I’m so excited To see what the future holds for us.
Adventure awaits!
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