Regardless of your politics and whether or not you agree with the mission of our military in Afghanistan, I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to this courageous and loving family. Drew & Patty are posted in New Brunswick, but their families live in Ontario and I had the great pleasure of photographing both their maternity and newborn sessions. When I first talked to Patty on the phone to set up the sessions I learned that Drew was in the military.  I was excited to not only be able to meet one of our brave soldiers but the thought of photographing him in his uniform that means so much to him along with his new baby was truly inspirational to me. I couldn’t help but feel honoured and incredibly grateful when I met Patty & Drew for their selfless sacrifice to protect our freedoms. I was amazed to hear of some of his Afghanistan stories and tickled to know that baby Jasmine is a result of his tour there.  

It truly takes a very special person to serve in this way and Drew is no exception. He is such a gentle soul and his love for Patty and his baby girl was so apparent. I feel compelled to honour him and this is my little way of doing so as well as thanking him and all our military serving in Afghanistan and around the world. In addition to the words I had planned to write, I asked Patty if she would write their story in her words for the blog so he can truly know that we admire him and are thankful for him.

Here’s their story and their images.

Until next time,

AR

    

“Drew and I met in 2003. He was posted at Canadian Forces Gagetown, in New Brunswick and I was living in Ontario. In 2005, I moved to New Brunswick and began my studies at UNB. About a year later, we found out that Drew would be going to Afghanistan on his second tour of duty, (his first tour was in Haiti in 2004). The thought of Drew leaving for 7 months both worried and saddened me beyond belief. January 26, 2007, I hugged and kissed Drew and watched him board a bus, not knowing whether I’d see him again. I still tear up when I think of that day. It was the worst day of my life. For the next 7 months, I wrote letters, sent packages and postcards, obsessively. We managed to speak a couple a times a week, for about 5 minutes at a time. Although the conversations were short, they were enough to keep me going and look at the positive side of our situation-everyday that went by, was one day closer to him coming home. In March of 2007, Drew and I met in Thailand for his 3 1/2 week leave. We were engaged on a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. It was both romantic and wonderful.  

   

After returning to Canada, I kept occupied by staying in school, actually I completely dedicated every moment to it. When I finished up in April, I went to Italy for a summer session for 6 weeks and then backpacked through Spain and Portugal. I actually almost broke down and cancelled my trip because I was afraid that I would miss Drew’s phone calls. I was right, I barely spoke to him, we went an entire month without speaking. It was hard, but I learned a lot about myself and our relationship. After returning to Canada, I went into a French Immersion program at UdeM, in Montreal. During my last week of school there, Drew informed me that he would be on his way home the first week of August. I drove the 9hrs to New Brunswick to meet him. As he marched out, I was tearing up so bad, that I couldn’t keep my eyes focused. And I’ll never forget when the officer commanding yelled out “dismissed!” Drew came rushing at me with tears in his eyes, and all of a sudden everyone and everything around us just disappeared, just for second. We just hugged, then I grabbed his hand and said “let’s go HOME!” Our reunion was short, 2 days later I returned to Montreal to finish up exams. I couldn’t wait to get back to New Brunswick.

   

I am so proud of him, and I am so proud to be with him. I think it takes a certain type of person to do the job he does. He is my hero and my inspiration. About a month and a half after Drew came home, we found out that we were expecting. What a shock that was!! After a good and normal pregnancy, we welcomed our precious little Jasmine, on May 1st, 2008. She is the best thing that ever happened to us, we are so happy and blessed to have our family. During delivery I suffered a complete seperation of my synphysis pubis, it usually stretches, but my liagaments completely let loose. I couldn’t walk on my own. It took about 3 weeks to walk with walker and about 3 months to feel almost back to normal.

 

Lucky for me, Drew is truly one of a kind, he’s a great soldier, a loving spouse and a wonderful father. I thank God everyday for all that he has blessed me with. Our relationship has grown so strong, I often compare it to a palm tree swaying in hurricane force winds, and when all is said and done, and the buildings around us have collapsed, the palm tree still stands, strong and ready for the next big hit.”