Believe it or not, this is not my first senior girl portrait session that has included a bearded dragon!  But that’s not what makes her so interesting.

I’ve known this senior from the sidelines at church.  I’ve watched her grow up – a mini version of her mom.  Then I left the country for several years.  When I came back, I was blown away with all the talent bursting out of this presumably quiet girl!  As I would drop my son off at youth group, I would strike up a conversation with her mom.  One night her mom showed me a video of her show choir solo, and my jaw dropped.  I started intentionally having more conversations with her to find out more about her.  And I’m so glad I did!

This senior talks with her hands.  Not like me.  I talk with my hands all the time; I can’t help it – they just naturally fly all over the place, especially when I get excited or am telling a great story.  She doesn’t talk like me.  She literally talks with her hands!  She started learning American sign language in high school, and was so passionate about it that we would have two conversations at the same time: the one with the voice coming out of our mouths, and the one with the voice coming out of her hands.

This senior is such a creative soul!  She not only loves to perform in show choir and sing her heart out with the Christian radio station, but she loves to express herself through art.  She said that she loves coffee, but when I suggested the downtown chocolatier’s cafe because of the art mural they had on the wall, her eyes lit up.  I asked her if she preferred one medium over another, and she just smiled and said she likes to try them all!  I think her dreams and emotions are so big, she needs the variety to express them!

I also nominate her for Best Supporting Actress due to her beautiful nurturing spirit! For a long time she was the only girl coming to youth group.  She didn’t always enjoy all the games that were clearly geared toward the middle school boys, but she was always there to make sure her younger brothers had a good time.  In fact, in the process of designing her session and even reviewing the photos, she didn’t put herself in the spotlight.  She was more concerned about pleasing others, whether it be her mom who was really the one who wanted these photos taken, or her brothers who delighted in playing video games with her.  I know she has great stage presence from her show choir experiences, but in her family she takes on the loving supporting role.  If you have any doubts, just look at the way she’s looking at her reptile sweeties!

While I know that this wasn’t something she was looking forward to, we had an amazing afternoon moving from theater to alley to chocolate shop to the backyard – each place representing a little bit of who she is.  Her smile made me giddy, and her ability to lock eyes with my lens gave me chills.  I am so glad that she is getting the senior book to capture this and more!

Thanks for reading!  This is just one of my ways of putting a smile back in the world!