Life is funny. The people you meet along the way, the choices you make, the places you go...it's all a part of a larger plan that we have NO control over. I kind of like knowing that no matter what I do, the plan the universe has for my life is out of my hands, so I may as well enjoy it along the way, and learn a much as I can...and don't forget to pay attention!


When I started working as a Mother Baby nurse, my night preceptor was LeAnn. At very first, I was intimidated - not of LeAnn herself, but of how GOOD she was. Not just good - INCREDIBLE. There was no question she didn't have the answer to, her clinical skills were top notch + even on my first night, when I was overwhelmed and in tears because my type A brain couldn't fathom failing (I was a trauma nurse for goodness sake!). she kindly told me, in so many words, to get my sh*t together + pick a place to start. From that point, I knew we'd be friends. ( I also survived my first night, thanks to her :)


Cut to almost 10 years later, after many rough shifts + times that tested us, she's one of my favorite nurses I've ever had the privilege to work with. It's funny, because she makes it very clear when she clocks in what her mood is - if she wants to be social, she'll be social. If she doesn't want to be around anyone, she'll "put herself in time out." (her words, not mine!) I was noticing that she was putting herself in time out less and less, and then one night I overheard her talking to another nurse about a guy. I wasn't sure what about as I was just walking by, but I saw that look on her face and I knew it had to be a really great guy. After a little more time, I learned that this guys name was Chuck - formally, Charles. The smile she had when she spoke about him was the best - if you know LeAnn, you know the smile I'm talking about. I learned that he deployed a lot, and I know that life...so we chatted every now and then about "Chuck," she'd tell me funny stories, all the while with that grin PLASTERED on her face. I had clearly never met him, but I needed to know who was responsible for this side of LeAnn.


When it became common knowledge that we were moving down under, she told me that it was a shame because she really wanted to do a session with Chuck, but wasn't sure we could do it before we left (time being a factor). The Welcome Summer sessions didn't fill up like I thought they would, so I texted her and offered her the second to last slot of 4, knowing that if we went over the 30 minutes it was fine - more chances for magic to happen. AND BOY DID IT!!! I finally got to meet Chuck in person (he introduced himself as Charles, and she laughed and said, "nope - you're Chuck - she's heard all the stories!") We shot for almost an hour and a half, and the amount of love I got to bear witness to was so pure, I didn't want the sun to set. She'd ask him to help her with her dress, or hold something in his pocket and his response was always "yes, my queen." To calm his nerves, he played music on his phone and sang to her almost the entire session. I meeeean - come on!


I could go on and on about these two - I think the thing I liked most about Chuck is two fold - one, he's a genuinely nice person. We got to chat after their session, and it was so easy to talk to him - and it didn't feel forced AT ALL! He even offered to help sherpa my tea party set-up back to the car, because that's what a gentleman does. And two, seeing this man hold my friends heart so tenderly was one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a long time.


To Chuck and LeAnn, thank you for trusting me to tell a little bit of your story. I can't WAIT to see the rest unfold. (To LeAnn - I'm so glad the universe gave you that nudge you needed to pay attention - because there he is :)


xx