When my aunt sent me a text saying that my cousin wanted me to take her senior photos, my immediate answer was something along the lines of, “Yes!!!” First of all, I couldn’t believe the girl I used to babysit was going to be a senior. Second of all, I couldn’t wait to photograph this beautiful woman. We decided on the perfect location and the next thing I knew I packed up our truck with suitcases and my kiddos and drove up to Michigan.

When I was growing up, I spent so much time with this beauty since I was her cousin and babysitter. It had been a few years since I last saw her and I couldn’t wait to give her a huge hug. We walked through the gardens, dodged a huge rainstorm, soaked in a beautiful sunset, and spent time catching up as we talked about her last year as a high schooler.

Before ending the evening, my aunt, cousin, and I went to a nearby sushi restaurant where we chatted and enjoyed an awesome dinner. When I babysat her, my aunt would always have a platter of sushi hidden in the refrigerator. After my aunt and uncle returned home from their date and their kiddos were asleep, her and I would sit at their kitchen island and devour sushi roll after sushi roll as we chatted. To wrap up an incredible senior photo session with an evening full of chatting and eating sushi was pretty much the perfect way to come full circle.

Everyone, meet my intelligent, beautiful, and kind cousin. I wish her all the best as she embarks on her final year of high school. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” — Henry David Thoreau