Hooray for Wonderful Friends!

Even though they would never want the recognition, I just wanted to take a moment to thank 2 of our best friends in the whole world: Tonia Bendickson and Sean Lyon.

Aaron and I met Sean and Tonia at Elevation almost 2 years ago. Sean and I became instant friends because of our common love for photography (I won't lie...I was extremely jealous of his insane skills with a camera). When I fell in love with their brilliant son Cooper, Tonia and I got to know each other better. It wasn't long before I was babysitting Cooper and Aaron was helping Sean put wood floors into their new house. The more time Aaron and I spent with the Lyon family, the deeper our friendships became. Sean helped us paint our new house. Aaron and I were at the hospital visiting Tonia and Asher 12 hours after he was born. Sean and Tonia have given me the "Right of First Refusal" when it comes to watching their children. Sean and I help each other with photo shoots. Aaron and Sean can talk for hours about nothing and everything.

Aaron and I don't have family here in Charlotte, but we feel like Sean and Tonia are our family away from our families. They take care of us. We help each other out. We keep up with what's going on in each other's lives.

This past weekend, Sean and Tonia saved us $1000 by giving us their old washer and dryer. They needed to buy a larger set so Tonia wouldn't be doing 7 loads of laundry a day...and Aaron and I needed a set so we could stop paying to do our laundry. On top of the gift of a washer and dryer, Sean and Tonia brought back a gift certificate for Aaron and me to a Bed and Breakfast in Blowing Rock, NC. I told Tonia she wasn't allowed to pay me for watching Cooper while they were away last week, so she cheated and brought back a gift certificate. Aaron and I don't deserve such wonderful friends...but we're so glad God has blessed us with them.

We love you Tonia, Sean, Ciara, Cooper, and Asher! Aaron and I pray that we'll be able to share a lifetime of friendship with you! Thanks for everything. You're the most generous and genuine people we know.