Dixie and I have known each other for over 20 years. We were inseparable our last 2 years of high school and have been the best of friends ever since.

We grew up in NYC and you better believe that we posed for each other with our point and shoot cameras during sunsets, sunrises, new outfits, regrettable haircuts, and of course famous landmarks.  This is making me totally nostalgic and I really should pull those images and blog them.  Focus Doorly!

While in Utah for a marathon, I had the pleasure of staying with Dixie and her family.  Dixie is an incredible, I repeat, incredible massage therapist.  She uses her trade to truly heal her clients and give them a better quality of life.  So we traded a massage for a family session. But can I tell you that I am the one that is still indebted to Dixie and her family.

Antelope Island in Syracuse, Utah is breathtaking (just wait and see).  But it’s infamously known for biting gnats.  In these images you cannot see that they were literally getting bitten alive.  The next day, the men of the family had so many bites on their heads, it deeply saddened me.  But you don’t see that.  What you see is a family that truly, truly loves each other. You see genuine love and laughter.  You see admiration and respect as Mom and Dad spend a few moments alone at the end.  You see children who when I told them to run, I didn’t have to tell them to laugh because it’s part of who they are.

After my visit with the Meldrum Family, the kids and I quickly began Game Pigeon games.  We still text each other about upcoming visits.  But I’m secretly hoping they will pose for me again because I just can’t get enough of them. Without further ado, here is one of my most beloved family friends, the Meldrums.