This shoot was a little different from other shoots, and yet it was exactly the same. Two people in love with each other who choose to spend the rest of the lives together.
I had so much fun capturing Josh and Tory; watching their interactions that were so second nature to them both. They are the perfect team and I felt so blessed to be able to capture their love.
A little about their journey....
"Josh and I had talked and spent a lot of time together before he wanted to be an "official" couple. He was extremely wary about his injury and he couldn't understand why anyone would want to be with someone in his condition. He told me constantly how hard it would be; asked me if I thought that I could handle all of the rehabilitation, doctor's appointments, lower days where he felt emotionally drained; etc. It took a lot of time and patience before he felt comfortable enough to try and be in a relationship with someone again. Like I said, we spent lots of time together. We went to movies, out to dinner, went to hockey games and became really close. For the first time, I had felt that I was in a relationship with my best friend. One night, Josh was showing me pictures of him at war. Pictures of him and his Army brothers, his vehicle they drove, his injury, and so on. I became very emotional because it was the first time I had seen what he had been through. Seeing the before made me emotional, and I then better understood why he struggled mentally accepting his new life as an amputee. He saw me become emotional and I guess that it made him realize how much I cared. He dug in a box and handed me his dog tags, so I could see them. He told me that he wanted me to have them because I meant so much to him. I wore those every single day. That's when I knew that I was in love with him." - Tory
One of my faves : )
Our first kiss happened after our second date. We went to a Coyotes game, and had so much fun. It was my first time attending a hockey game in person. After the game, we went back to his house and talked out front for a while. I had school the next morning, so I had to head home. He grabbed my hand and it just kind of happened. Nothing exciting or romantic. Just an awkward first kiss. I left and that started it all. :) - Tory
I first told her that I loved her when we were on our first vacation together in San Diego. We went around Christmas time with a couple of friends. We went to downtown San Diego (Gaslamp Quarter) and went into a sports bar called Maloney's Tavern that my best friend and I go to any time we were in California. She went outside with me so we could talk (the restaurant was very crowded) and we sat on the patio for a while. We were people watching and laughing at strange outfits and I was having such a good time with her. I thought about how hard it must be to be with someone in my situation. But she never made me feel like I was any different from anyone else, despite my injury. It was the first time I had someone who could connect with the person I am. So I told her that I loved her. I had also been drinking that night and following the "I love you", I proceeded to say that, "if I wasn't so young, I'd marry you right now", and she just laughed at me. It's one of my funnier moments, but I was telling the truth.
My favorite things about about Tory are that she is pretty. She makes me laugh all of the time because she tries to be funny (but she isn't funny at all) which can be funny, if that makes any sense. She always makes up these crazy nicknames for me and our dogs, and they always make me shake my head or roll my eyes. Her and I share a love for sports, which is one of the main reasons I was originally drawn to her. I love how encouraging she is all of the time. She is my best friend. - Josh
Thanks Tory and Josh! That was one of my favorite sessions to date! I wish you both the best of life and love as you begin this next phase of your journey together.
