Dear Mallory,
These past 13 years of school have been one big beautiful blur. Even though I tell myself I’ll remember all the details of when you were younger, it’s inevitable that even now some of those memories are fading. Like the way your voice sounded when you were little or how I try to replay moments in my mind like a live photo when I catch myself being SO thankful I so tediously about capturing short little videos and LOTS of photographs of you over all those years….so many photographs trying so hard to hold on to the moments of those early years. The hard years, the years full of fatigue, sleepless nights and worry if I’m being a good Mom, can sometimes be one big beautiful blur. No matter how hard I stared at you, you seem to be changing before my eyes making me ever so thankful for chasing you with my camera.
I have accepted that there will be moments that fade like those paper photographs, and with it some of the details..but not all. Although there is only ONE of you, there have been so many of YOU in my life already and all of those versions of you live in my heart. The preemie version where we weren’t sure if you were going to survive, the toddler version when you were so curious about the world, the elementry version where you learned how to add and read, the middle school version when you were navigating relationships and friendships and now the high school version where you’ve become independent and ready to conquer life…and every other version of you in between. I’ve tried so very hard to document as many parts of you over the years because I know that once you “grew up”, it’s all I would have left of those versions of you.
I am so proud of the young women you have become and I’m SO excited to sit back- let you do your thing- and watch what you do with your life while you blossom into your adult version. But you bet your sweet ass I’ll most likely be there with a camera thru every.single.eye.roll.
I love you more than you’ll ever know!
Love,
Mom
River Valley High School Senior Photos
