My mom is visiting us this week. Besides being completely hilarious, she is a huge source of support and encouragement in our lives. The best way to put it, she’s our number one fan! We couldn’t be more thankful for her. Here’s a letter I sent her the week I was leaving my job to join Vitaliy full-time.

Dear Mom,

I don’t know if you are aware, but it was while looking for a snowman for Rustic Rose that led me to discover my first wedding photography blog. This then led Vitaliy and I to consider starting a photography business together. And well, fast forward five years later, here I sit, your daughter, getting ready to quit the safety and security of my day job to continue the crazy adventure God started in our lives the day I stumbled upon that snowman.

But I can’t make this jump without acknowledging you. Thank you for following your own dreams because it helped me understand how to follow mine. Thank you for every comment you’ve left on every single blog post I’ve ever written. Thank you for encouraging us to keep going even when the future is unknown. And most of all, thank you for believing in us in our frequent moments of self-doubt. We would not have made it to this point if we did not have a mother like you.

I will go now and run after this goal with conviction. And I will do it knowing that you’re behind me pushing me through on days when I feel like I can’t put another foot forward.

I love you,

Your daughter Candace