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this is joy. her name couldn’t be more perfect for her.

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she and i have been friends for almost a year. we meet bi-montly for pedicures, have lunch when our busy business-women schedules allow (and when they don’t we grab a quick drink and catch up in the few minutes we have), we attend bunco together, and are in the same book club (we usually discuss the book via facebook or email a week or so before formally discussing with the other gals just so as to know what the other thought). she is there when i need a friend to tell me i am good enough and smart enough, and when i need to be told my jeans are the right size even though i feel i am spilling out of them, and i vice versa. she drops her girls off at my house when she needs to run errands or has appointments or just needs to think, by herself for an hour or two, and i do the same. we watch the same shows and debrief about them regularly, we send funny emails back and forth through out the day, we call when we need to vent; we laugh, feel understood, and accepted when we hang out. she is a dear friend and i am thankful for her presence in my life.

well, sort of.

she is a dear friend and presence in my life, but we don’t really do anything together.

we would do all the things listed above if we didn’t live five hours apart.

joy and i became friends first through photography, and now through the beauty of email, blogging, facebook, and twitter. i have only been with her, actually in her presence twice, and both were to take pictures, but we have created a friendship that is so neat, albeit close to pen pals, and if we did live closer all the things good friends do like bunco, mani and pedi’s, kid swapping, golden spoon, and lunch, would, for sure, be happening.

even though we haven’t “hung” out we still have had the opportunity to become friends through our correspondences. i feel, strangely, like i know her pretty well. she has a kind heart and a geniune spirit that has cultivated itself through trial and growth. she feels like she has to explain herself and every choice or action she makes, even though she owes no own any explanation (much like myself.) she likes to talk, but is really good at listening. she loves her sisters, and is a good sister in return. she is really talented at what she does professionally and finds a great deal of accomplishment in her work.; although it’s hard to leave her girls at the beginning of each day. she loves sweets (me too!!!) photography (wow! me too!!!), books (what? me too!!!), girlie things(same!), and new shoes what? no way. me too!). she is a simple gal, but still has passions and interests she is willing to splurge on. the people that matter the most to her are the three people that live under her roof. she cares about family, community, friends, and even strangers; she would literally give you the shoes off her feet, without hesitation, if you asked. she is determined, courageous, and lives with integrity to what she knows to be true in her heart. 

and if i know joy her jaw is going to drop in five, four, three, two, one…

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since it already dropped, let’s just keep it there and lie this one down too.

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and if i know joy this one will make her head shake in disbelief because it captures her girls’ spirits perfectly: mischievous and daring, intrigued and cautious.

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and if i know joy these might make her a little emotional, because they will remind her of the memories we made of a moment in time with her sweet family:

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if i know joy these will be two of her favorites, because they are bright and colorful, much like her, and because they are of her two favorite sprites.  

if i know joy they might replace the current pictures on her desk at work:

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if i know joy she is going to love this next image. seriously. love it. and if i know joy it is going to make her laugh audibly. and that is going to make her happy, and me too.

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(i love it too joy! it was one of my favorites as well. i hope you find a place for it on a wall somewhere. ;))

and she will keep on laughing at this, and she will think, “oh, maddy! gotta love  you girl!”

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if i know joy these will make her heart sing, and they will make tonight’s good night kiss a bit longer. (remember trevor from their last shoot? he sounds just like this man; it’s awesome. i kept asking him questions just because i wanted to hear him speak.)

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if i know joy she will like this image, because it isn’t a perfect family portrait, but still a true reflection of her family and their distinct and endearing personalities.

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if i know joy these will be in the running for christmas card picture this year:

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(my vote is the second. what do you all say? help her choose.)

if i know joy these will make her smile and feel happy, and the next time these little sweethearts walk in the room make her squeeze them a bit tighter:

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if i know joy she’ll think this one is great because it will remind her of how hard we worked to get her spirited gal to take some pictures:

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and joy will be chuckling at how well maddy focused her shot, on the hairs in my nose. bravo maddog, bravisimo! (she actually got some really great stuff of me. might use it for my head shot later. :))

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and if i know joy she already knows how much i think of her and that i am wishing our next visit to come quickly. and if i know joy she has checked this blog several times to see if these were up. and if i know joy she will keep looking at them because they make her smile and feel happy and blessed. and she is. and so am i to have a friend like joy in my life.

joy, may you know and feel how special you are to me. thank you for the fun, the visit, and the most delicious cupcakes. maddy, thanks for the dance. rebecca, thank you for being honest. trevor, thank you for talking. can’t wait for our next visit. xoxo kam

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