Travis and Jenny [San Luis Obispo Portrait Shoot]

Love can sometimes have a funny way of becoming work. There are moments when we look at a sibling, a parent, or a spouse and we say, “today I am choosing to love you,” instead of it just oozing out of our pores naturally. Travis and Jenny could have many reasons that could make love look like work and yet, they simply oozed love without thinking and with ease.

Travis and Jenny entered our Love Photo Shoot giveaway. Their story touched us deeply and while we wanted nothing more than to say, “They Win!” we had to leave it up to the judges. In a panel of beautiful stories, Jenny’s seemed to touch everyone.Here was her entry….

“My name is Jenny.
The couple I am nominating is my husband and I, Travis and Jenny.

Hmmm… I guess I feel somewhat narcissistic nominating myself, but I would really love a photo shoot of my dear heart and myself, so here is my response. Travis and I have gone through some what of a hard/challenging past year. Moving to our new military-assigned base in Kansas, finding out that our first born was to be born with a severe cleft lip and palate, learning the ropes of parenting, Travis deploying when our daughter was 2 months old, Bella (our daughter) undergoing the first of three surgeries at nearly 5 months – these are some of the hurdles that we have grasped hands and jumped over. I’m not saying we didn’t trip and fall many times. There are quite too many moments I look back upon and know that my tone and attitude could have been sweeter, more submissive, more loving. Many moments where I know that whatever was happening with our baby was not either of our faults, but I seemed to blame myself and him. But, our Heavenly Father is so precious and good to us – to keep us both within His safe and loving palm, to keep our hearts turned toward Him, to allow us to love one another through hardships. I would love to have a photo shoot with my husband to document this first year of parenting, to remind us what it is like to trust fully in our Lord and love one another fully through pain.”

Far from home and with a beautiful blessing of a daughter with health problems, Travis and Jenny have had the worldly odds stacked against them and yet, they display faith, love, and courage. We were touched by her honesty and moved by their trust in God.

It is often said that Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Jenny’s words spoke loudly but indeed, their Love in Action as a couple spoke volumes louder than any written story ever could.

Here are a few photos from their session.