I had the pleasure of meeting Samantha at the gym. One day, no else showed for her class so I got to work out with her one on one. I wasn't so sure about this girl with the perfect body who seemed to eat like a rabbit... but since she was new to the area and seemed sweet enough, I thought I would put the judgmental (really, the jealous) part of me away for a while and give her a try. I'm so glad I did. The first time I met Stephen was at a New's Years Eve party we threw at our house. I think it might have been the day before NYE when Samantha texted and asked if we were doing anything. Ryan and I are pretty uninteresting people who usually just convinced our friends to go to the movies with us or binge watch HBO Go or Netflix on these sorts of holidays, so we had no plans. But I definitely told her that we were throwing a party and told her they should come. (It sounds more sad than it actually is, I promise) So I called on my tribe (that's what the kids say now, right) and we threw a party. And it was one of my favorite nights, ever! Samantha and Stephen have come to every lame party I've tried to throw since then. I'm so grateful for their friendship and for the opportunity to go with them to Mexico and be a part of their day.

They share a love that I have grown to admire more and more over the years. I used to love the rom com kind of love that you are warped into believing when you are a teenager. I've grown to have such an appreciation for friendship and true devotion. It's a kind of appreciation I know comes with age, but also with the right person. Stephen and Samantha are not just two people who love each other, but they are two people who are best friends and one hundred percent devoted to one another's happiness. That kind of love is easy to take pictures of anywhere, but the backdrop of Rivera Maya, Mexico made it so much fun.