Jump Creek Falls Idaho Anniversary Session- Neva + Eric

 

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Neva and Eric are rockstars. 

Two reschedules, a ripped dress the night before, 109 degrees and a lost wedding ring would be enough to put a damper on any couples spirits. I mean if they had decided to end things right then and I would’ve understood. But all those mishaps paled in comparison to Neva and Eric’s passion for life and love for each other. They floated right by what some might call major hiccups and chose joy instead of disappointment. Which is no surprise of course, you don’t have two kids and a five year marriage without learning to dance through the hard times. You just have to approach life with a bit of optimism. 

For example, we rescheduled the morning of their session (for the 2nd time), because Eric was sworn into the Police Academy, something he didn’t find out about until the day before. We want to take some time now and shout a big CONGRATULATIONS to him again on this amazing accomplishment.

Neva was so excited when he got the news, not just because she was proud of him and all his hard work but also because now there’s a chance they’ll end up working together. Neva works as a social worker (which we totally bonded over) and social workers often collaborate with the police on referrals, which means in the not to distant future, it’s possibly that she’ll get to boss him around at work.  

How fun is that going to be! Ladies I know you feel on that one. 

Before that, we rescheduled because Arthur and I were driving down from Yellowstone to Boise. We had plans of waking up early and making the six hour drive but as soon we rolled over to turn our alarms, we took one look at each other and we knew, There was no way we could not do our best work in serving this couple an amazing adventure session when we were drained from being on the road for 11 days in a row.

Well Neva being the sweet soul she is, was so kind and so understanding when I reached out to her, and had no problem rescheduling for the next morning (which ended up being when Eric was sworn in), she had no idea we were making a six hour drive and encouraged us to get some rest, that we would have a great time together the next day. 

And did we ever!

 

 

 

We met with Neva and Eric around sunset at Jump Creek Falls, and I instantly connected with Neva. She has the brightest most bubbly spirit and it was clear that Eric adored her every move. I mean just look her, how could you not!

Even when we were lamenting over the heat (107 degrees y’all because excuse us, but we’re from New Hampshire and we’re not used to that kind of heat), these two love birds were laughing and splashing around totally unbothered. I mean look at those smiles, look at that joy y’all! And this is after Eric worked a 12 hour shift on top of his ceremony. 

Talk about troopers. Their energy was so infectious, we soon forgot about the heat. 

As we explored the park we discovered this really cool cave  It was as cozy as it was romantic and hands down one of my favorite parts of our adventure with Neva and Eric. If you ever find yourself at this location be sure to check it out for some dreamy pics. 

The session was made even sweeter by the fact that Neva and Eric had planned to have their pictures taken for their 5 year anniversary but unfortunately their original photographer had a baby, who ended up getting very sick and they had to cancel.

But as luck would have it,  Neva saw that Arthur and I were traveling to Boise, Idaho and reached out to use. It a series of unfortunate events that led to magical adventure and we so glad that we able to capture this special time for them.

  

 

Spending time with these two was honestly so refreshing. In this season of life, we’ve all been thrown curve balls, whether it’s postponing your wedding because of COVID-19, figuring out how to work from home or canceling plans because of travel restrictions, we’ve all struggled to learn to see the brighter side of things. 

When Neva lost her ring, she was pretty quiet about it, not wanting to make a fuss. She looked at her finger right before we switched to another side of the water fall and then again after. That’s when she realized it was missing. We looked around for it but we couldn’t find it. She was of course sad, but she smiled  said “I don’t want it to ruin the session, it’s been so fun” and encouraged us to not worry about it. 

After the session, Arthur and I were still sick about Neva losing her ring. So we decided to rent some scuba gear and a magnet the next day before our flight and look for it. But just as we were finalizing our plans, we checked our flight schedule and realized we were leaving that morning instead of that evening. As much as we wanted to, we just didn’t have the time. Bummed I messaged Neva to let her know what we had intended so maybe they could try the same method.

What she messaged back was so heartwarming, she said “I appreciate you even thinking about attempting to find it! We picked up our babies last night and went home and had a glass of wine and talked about our plans for our anniversary that is coming up. We are going back to try and find it every year. Wish us luck because we are both blind”

And that kind of says it all. They took what could’ve been a super sour lemon and made it into lemonade. I can’t help but think what a romantic tradition that is, looking for something you’ve lost knowing that the love you have is far more valuable. And also the bigger tradition of looking for the good when it’s so easy to see the bad.

Neva and Eric’s session was a perfect reminder to us  all as we push through the rest of 2020, to keep looking for the bright side. Despite all the obstacles they faced, they still smiled and laughed like the high school sweet hearts they are. They found a way to make what could’ve been bitter, something truly sweet.  

And for that reason, I’ll always hold this session close to my heart.

 

Ready for an Adventure?

Ready for your own waterfall adventure? Let’s start planning. I would love to chat with you and create some magical moments together. Just tape the contact button and we’ll get this show on the road.

Written by Viranda Brooks for Lexi Foster Photography.