Last December we decided that presence > presents. While everyone was hustling and bustling to buy gifts upon gifts, we tried to keep it simple, focus on family, and forget the pressure of presents. My mom, bless her soul, searched for a middle place where we could all commit to a weekend together up north. She found a little cabin tucked in the woods and we all cleared the calendars, it was time for family. It’s crazy rare, really, that the nine of us are all in the same place at the same time. Those moments are generally fleeting, one of us running off to work, the other with obligations, and we are never whole, never complete. This weekend was the longest stretch of time where we were all present, all together, all free of obligations and schedules. We played cribbage, hiked the bluffs, slept in, made food, sipped beers, sat around the bonfire, got in a game of Pictionary, played with baby Owen, and caught up on life. It was refreshing, a reminder that presence > presents, a notion that kept us scheming and dreaming of how we could all get together next, and a promise to always keep family first.
It was crazy, just like we are, but it was perfectly us. It isn’t lost on me how rare it is to have a happy, healthy family and the fact that we can all be in the same place at the same time and enjoy it is one of the best blessings in this life of mine. Take some time today to grab your phone and call someone you love, remind them of how special they are, tell them that you are thinking of them. It’s time to disconnect so we can reconnect, in real, honest conversations. I double dare you to make your loved ones a greater priority, to choose presence over presents and to celebrate the people who have seen you at your best and your worst, and they have loved you through both.
Ps. I also got to shoot my first editorial shoot for hometown favorite, Duluth Pack and Kate and Adam were amazing models! Stay tuned for more images from that shoot, it is pretty freaking awesome!