Four years have gone by and although we live on a different continent, are married & run a business full time, looking at these photos reminds me that at the core of it all, nothing has changed. We had no idea then that our beginning would shape our lives. We had no idea we’d be where we are now. There wasn’t time for thinking about that stuff. We were busy falling in love & following our dreams.
Jesse and I had both uprooted our lives in the States to move to South Africa and work for Monte Christo Ministries, now Monte Christo Miqlat. Both of us had been living in North County San Diego previously. I doubt we would have bumped into each other outside of SA. It was July of 2008, and we became friends. And then, a group of us went to Namibia and Botswana for three weeks.
September 2008.
He was scruffy and spontaneous. And he rarely wore shoes. I guess that’s why I was digging who-knows-what out of his dirty, sun-stained feet in the back of the bakkie with his Swiss Army knife. Romantic, I know. But his grimy feet didn’t bother me. Because I was starting to like him. I was 26. He was 22. A little young I thought, but somewhere in the middle of the Chobe National Park, the flirting began anyway. We talked for hours and experienced a place and a life so drastically different than our norm. The people. The wildlife. The red sun. It was all so vibrant and invigorating. He had a Nikon D100. Nothing fancy. My setup was nothing more than a glorified point and shoot. He encouraged me to get a real camera. His sense of adventure intrigued me. His happy-go-lucky attitude. His love for Jesus and those around him. And his big brown eyes didn’t help the situation.
We returned to our homes in South Africa in October 2008. We spent the next two months shooting together, walking together, working together, laughing together, dreaming together. Like I said, not much has changed. We walked away from South Africa knowing two things: we wanted to be together for good and we wanted to document the beauty, relationships & adventures of life. In May of 2009, we started Limelife Photography. In November of 2009, we vowed our lives to each other. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Africa.
Below are some photos (taken by both of us) of that trip to Namibia and Botswana in September 2008. I especially love the ones we took of each other, not knowing we were foreshadowing our future.
December 30, 2012 at 8:39 pm, Allyson Simone said:
Love your writing becky and the story is so lovely. Both of you are so lucky to have experience your life in Africa
December 30, 2012 at 8:57 pm, Becky said:
Thanks Allyson! We are so thankful for it all 😀
January 01, 2013 at 7:18 pm, Cole said:
AWESOME post guys! Love reading these types of posts and how you two came to be….and of course the photos, how rad. 🙂
January 04, 2013 at 8:03 am, Becky said:
Thanks Cole!
January 02, 2013 at 11:22 pm, Megan said:
I love this post! I love the beginning of your love, your hobby, your career, and your lives.
I also love your MSU hat, but I’m a Michigan gal.
Will you be traveling to a different continent again, any time soon?
xoxo
January 04, 2013 at 8:02 am, Becky said:
Thanks Megan! Yes, we will be traveling to another continent…just figuring out the when part 😉