Cookie Dough. America Idol. Nau. Lake Tahoe.
I have so, SO many memories with Ben and Anya. We were there for other when we needed someone the most. It’s been 9 years, NINE since I’ve seen and hugged Anya in person! I’m thankful for social media so we can keep up with each other even though we haven’t seen each other in so long! So much has happened in the span of years that has passed. We’ve both have gotten married, have two sweet little blonde haired babes and have both continued pursuing our passion for photography! She always had a camera with her in college and was there documenting all the fun times we shared with our college group!
So you’re probably wondering about the cookie dough and America Idol, huh? Though it probably doesn’t take much explaining! Almost every Tuesday for an entire season (I believe the year Jordin Sparks was on) she and I would meet at her apartment, eat dinner and watch American Idol and there was almost always, cookie dough in one form or another. Cooked, raw, it didn’t matter. We ate it. To this day, that recipe is hands down my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!
After she and Ben got married, they moved to Sacramento for Ben to start his first job in construction management. At the same time they were starting their marriage, mine was ending. It was a very painful time but I went to visit them for a few weeks and it brought so much healing to my soul. We hiked, we canoed, we ate, we laughed. It was what we both needed and it’s a time I’ll never forget!
Fast forward 9 years and God’s healing and restoration has been so evident in both of our lives. From the challenges that faced us then, to the challenges of mother hood now, the one constant in our lives has been the presence of our loving Savior. He is hope everlasting.