Wow! Wow! Wow! This handsome fella was AMAZING to work with!! Trysten was so easy going and up for whatever I had planned! God bless him, he knew how much his mom really wanted these portraits, so he was totally going with the flow of the session…what a great son!! 🙂 And boy did this session take an unexpected turn. Wait, before I tell you about this crazy night….I have to say that I met this sweet family last summer when they were here from Michigan visiting family that live on the island. The Abrahams are near and dear to my heart!!! They took a risk on hiring me last year just from a referral at church. Never met me…but totally trusted me!! It was a beautiful night on the beach last year with two families and grandparents….gosh I think there were 12 of them for that session! It turned out to be one of my all time favorite sessions. The light was AMAZING!!!! The kids were fabulous!!! And the adults were hilarious!!! Such a fun time!!

So when Cheryl (Trysten’s mom) contacted me in the spring about doing Trysten’s senior portraits this summer while he was down visiting his aunt and uncle I made sure to clear my schedule!! He was here for a short time before heading to Chapel Hill for a seminar, so we did a little calendar juggling to make sure it worked out.

Annnnndddd then we had a RAINY WEEK!!! Storms galore!! Guess what….senior portraits and a huge storm rolling across the island don’t mix well. But I trusted my Weather Channel app and the radar showed that we had time to get the session in. (Last time I trust the app!!) We started at the tennis courts, then Trysten changed into his sports coat and dress shirt for some dressier shots, and then we headed to the beach. His aunt dropped us off at the public access and out we rushed to try and get some shots in…app still saying no rain on the radar until 8:30. We literally started down the walkway and drop…drop…drop….HUGE drop…HUGE drop…HUGE DROP!!!!! Pooouuurrriiinggg RAIN!!!!!!! We ran!! Hahahahaha

We made plans to meet up a few nights later to finish the beach portion of our session, and I headed off the island for home.

Can I just say that in my 40 years, I have never had a “life flashing before my eyes” moment!! Even though I’ve been through hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunami threats, bumpy flights, flights around the world, and even living overseas during 9/11. But on my drive home during this storm I truly did.

As I started up the bridge going from Emerald Isle to the mainland, it started to rain so hard that I couldn’t see the car in front of me, let alone the water below me. I tried to pull over, but missed the last pull off before you get on the bridge. As I made my way to the top of the bridge, I saw a bolt of lightning strike the power pole right next to the bridge…not a flash, a BOLT!!! Actually, there were several!! Then I looked up and there were no cars coming towards me, no cars in front of me, and I couldn’t see the truck behind me because it was raining so hard. It was like I was literally on the bridge all alone!!! I literally thought…..Really….this is the way I’m going to go?!?!!?! I was white knuckling the steering wheel and began to pray. I thought of my husband, our girls, my family, my friends….and then I just turned up KLove on the radio and sang louder!!! I thought as least I’ll be singing His praises as I meet Him face to face!!! Truly, I had such a sense of peace as I came over the top of that bridge…and I thought, this is what everyone talks about when they say their life flashed before their eyes!! When I saw more cars coming towards me and finally the tail lights of the car in front of me, I breathed a sigh of relief….I almost had to pinch myself as I came off the bridge…I was still here. Then I felt a little nauseous…I’m sure it was the adrenaline….but oh my golly I was a mess!!!! HAhaahahhaha At least I can now say that I had one of those moments and I can tell you that your loved ones are truly the first thing that come to your mind….not work, not your house, not your education, not your earthly possessions….it’s the people you love. Invest in those you love…it’s all you really have!!!

Needless to say, we did get another beautiful night and we finished Trysten’s session without another near death experience!!! He was such a great kid and I pray that they enjoy these portraits as he enters his senior year. I hope they are a reminder of his special memories of NC summers spent at the beach…especially during those Michigan winters!! 😉

Blessings,
Corry