I threw her off my ATV. Yep. We were at this ATV park cruising along, quite smoothly I might add, and suddenly, I hit a rut on the trail. The next thing I know, I’m airborne – wondering how and why I’m airborne. Fortunately, it had just rained and the trail mud was nice and soft. I landed with a gentle “thud” on my right shoulder about 9 feet from where the ATV stopped abruptly. I turn around, frantically looking for ‘Stina. There she was, mud-caked from head to toe with a gnarly cut on her hand from holding on to the racks behind her. I was so panicked thinking I might have hurt her. I knew then (and I believe she knew too) that I really cared deeply for her.

This grainy photo is the picture of us before everything between us changed that night.

It didn’t take long after that night to realize we had a special connection. About 6 or 7 months of dating after that, I knew she was special. So in June of 2021, I took her to this amazing AirBnB. It was a barn that was converted into a loft. I asked her to be my wife and she said “Yes!”

Despite COVID-19 and the impact it had world-wide, on October 13, 2021, we were married. I can say, without reservation, it was the happiest day of my life. And to this day, we continue to build together, not just a photography business but a life.