Dear Willow,

You were right. You asked if this photo would go up on my blog and I laughed and said yes. Then I reconsidered and said if not my blog, at least my flickr family account. Well, I couldn’t resist. It’s on both.

Let me backtrack.

First, I love you. You are one of the few people who can make me laugh so hard that my stomach hurts and I’m almost crying. You are also one of the few who can say something that will make me cry at the drop of a hat. I love you that much.

We had planned to go out to take pictures with your new camera that you got from Santa Claus. Santa is one smart guy. He knew how much you’d enjoy that gift and he was right. Little did we know, though, that today would be stormy and full of snow flurries and high winds that cut through us. Still, we pressed on.

We went to the place you had been asking to visit: Elden Pueblo. It was interesting and we took a lot of photographs for that little place. But then you got cold. That wind was biting, wasn’t it?

We headed toward Walnut Canyon with a stop for some hot chai.

You almost forgot to use your camera in the excitement to become a Junior Ranger at one more national monument. I love it when you get that excited. It makes me smile and get excited with you. I feed off of your energy.

We headed down those long steps to the promontory. You were so excited to see what was going to be down there (it was your first time but I had been there dozens of times, if not more). There was a moment on our trip down where you made me say that you were a little me — mostly because we both love taking photographs and we both have red hair and blue eyes and we talk the same way when we’re together and we laugh over things that others would think are so incredibly silly (remember the “I hate you/I love you” thing?).

You’re not, though. You’re not a little me. You are so much your own person. You are confident and beautiful. You are intelligent and talented. You are so much fun. You are so incredible.

“Thank you so much,” you said, over and over, when I bought you the national park passport. You were so excited over it — and almost more than earning your Junior Ranger badge. You couldn’t quit looking at it. You kept talking about all of the places you want to visit to get more stamps in your passport.

We went to lunch and played the games on the children’s menu as we always do. Tic-tac-toe over and over again (and I wondered how many times we have played this over the years). You had just said something about never having won. Then you did. And it wasn’t intentional. You got me. I totally missed that move because I wasn’t thinking. And the way you did your little victory dance made me laugh all over again.

Willow, you are one of my favorite people in the world. I am fortunate to know you. I grow and learn by being around you. I feel more alive just by spending time with you. You are my beautiful girl, my photo girl.

I love you with all of my heart,

dawn