I remember always wanting to hold Andrea when she was a baby. She remembers me doing braids in her hair when she was a little girl. This was decades ago...
My Quinceañera took place a little over a year after she was born, so our age difference is significant, but that hasn't gotten in the way of us being able to talk for hours and share stories about our family members and about the school that we both were blessed to attend, our beloved IAG! So when my mom told me through joyful tears that my dear little cousin and her husband Daniel were expecting a baby, I, of course, couldn’t contain my own tears either. Suffice it to say that nobody was expecting it - not even them!
We had an unforgettable maternity session. The day started with a delicious typical Guatemalan breakfast of scrambled eggs, black beans, cheese, tortillas, champurradas, coffee, Incaparina, and juice, yum! Thanks, Miriam! We had a great time catching up and hearing about the miracle that this pregnancy is. I actually consider every pregnancy a miracle, but sometimes you're just left dumbfounded, and such was the case with their story.
We arrived in beautiful Antigua Guatemala and headed straight to "El Sabor del Tiempo" restaurant, with its amazing display of bottles, cans, and various containers, on countless shelves, just like you would've seen at a pharmacy from a century ago. We ordered some incredibly sour and tasty limeades with soda water (my beverage of choice when I'm in Guatemala) and while we waited for the food, we started with our photo shoot. Where to start though? Wherever you looked would've made a super interesting and unique background! We decided to start on a narrow passage connecting two courtyards from the Colonial style house.
We headed over to the terrace, which was about to be set up for a wedding. What a view! Should we get the volcanoes in the back, or maybe the bell tower from one of the churches around us? Beauty wherever you looked!
**Maybe one day I'll share what startling event happened here**
After we ate our delicious food, we rushed over to Jardines de Provenza, only a few miles away. I was so looking forward to seeing this place and it certainly didn't disappoint!
The fog was coming down pretty aggressively, but all I could hope for was for the rain to hold up until we were done. I'm so glad it did! This place is gorgeous. We walked the trails framed by colorful and pretty flowers, we did the obvious shots in the middle of the lavender field and enjoyed their fragrance while we were at it. The fog only allowed us to see the silhouette from the volcanoes, but this gave an ethereal sensation to the whole experience.
Now, about Daniel and Andrea, they are just the sweetest couple! I enjoyed so much watching them interact with each other and seeing how their love is so real. They're so committed to each other and each other's wellbeing. They respect each other so much and show much thoughtfulness and consideration to each other's needs. I normally have to guide my couples to share a kiss for a picture. Not them! I almost had to remind them that we only had so much time before we were completely engulfed by the dense fog :)
I also want to give a big shoutout to Marjorie for doing such a wonderful job with Andrea's makeup and to Roberto, who was so kind to assist wherever he could. They say that in a lot of ways, our friends are a representation of who we are, and I could see how these friends were so eager to help and happy to be part of the process. It only leads me to be certain that Daniel and Andrea are just as great friends as the friends they have.
Danny and Andrea, it was such a pleasure to spend all that time with you and I know that you'll make amazing parents to your baby boy. Stay sweet, humble, genuine and faithful to God and He'll continue to guide your ways and make you paths straight.