A Tribute

I decided today to dedicate this post to someone very near and dear to me. Someone who is extremely talented, inspirational, compassionate, beautiful, and so much more. I have had the pleasure of not only knowing her, but calling her one of my best friends for the past fifteen years.

Meet Jackie!

Jackie Lovato is a professional photographer and owner of Lovato Images, specializing in destination weddings, lifestyle portraits, events and (as she puts it) other fun schtuff. She lives in Orange, California but her business (and leisure) has taken her all over the world. She shares her adventures in life and photography on her super awesome blog, which you can see HERE! Not only does she “write life with light” (as she describes her photography), but her actual writing makes you feel like you are right there with her, seeing all the beauty the world has to offer. Fair warning, you might just fall in love with her ❤️

On a more personal note, Jackie has been a big part of my life since we were fifteen years old. We helped each other navigate the madness of high school, crushes, young love, frenemies, heartbreak and trying to figure out who we wanted to be. We definitely had some downs, but the ups always made up for whatever drama we were going through. Ok, so this might be kinda embarrassing (sorry Jack 😉) but here is a picture of us at fifteen years young…

I know, I know… we were so cute!

Jackie’s family moved to Iowa from California before sophomore year of high school, and they moved back to California before we graduated. Luckily, I ended up in Cali for college and we were reunited! I’m not going to discuss all the trouble we got ourselves into during our college years (deniability and all), all ya need to know is that we had FUN. One of my fave pics of us was taken on my 22nd birthday in my little studio apartment before we went out on the town to celebrate…

(She’s beautiful, right?!)

Jackie has taught me many important lessons, most importantly, what true friendship means. It means you never give up on one another. You encourage, inspire and support each other in all endeavors. You get into petty fights, and some not-so-petty fights, yet always get past them. You laugh together, often; and you cry together, no matter how often that may be. You are brutally honest, because even when it hurts, honesty IS the best policy. Nothing is off-limits for discussion, nothing. And, you always know in your heart, even when nobody seems to understand what you’re going through, that someone loves you and will listen to you.

All of the above is why I am taking this time to honor Miss Jacqueline Lovato today (that and her birthday is right around the corner!) She is the most optimistic person I know, always smiling and dedicated to making the absolute best out of every situation. Her talent as a photographer and writer never ceases to amaze me, and inspires me for that matter. So, what are you waiting for?! Check out her website, Lovato Images
Dive into her blog here
Like her on Facebook here
Follow her on Twitter @jackielovato
Trust me when I say, it’s worth it. Here are a few more pics of Jackie, because she’s just so purdy 😊