I met Derrick in 1999 (although he probably doesn’t remember it) when he was a semi-professional mountain bike rider at a race in Prescott, AZ. I had just gotten a new camera, and went to test it out during a race. All I remember about him then was that he was too fast for me to get a good shot! Fast forward about 6 years and I found myself in his house for a BBQ where I had been invited by mutual friends. (This mutual friend would later become my husband, Grant :)) During this visit, I met Tamara. At that time, I didn’t know Tamara at all, but I could tell from the sidelines that this girl would become his wife one day. She was sweet, genuine and loved Derrick to the moon and back. Plus, both of us are misplaced Southerners, so we struck an immediate bond. And, sure enough, in 2006, Tamara and Derrick were married in a tropical paradise in Costa Rica. In 2007, Derrick was one of my husband’s groomsmen and someone my husband still calls his “BFF” to this day. Over the years, I’ve seen their bond grow as husband and wife, and watched as their family of two grew to four with the birth of their adorable children, Kiley and Alec. For the past two years, I’ve been blessed to take their family photographs, something I will never take for granted. Seeing them interact as a family is something that always makes me smile, laugh, giggle and realize just how amazing it must be to become a parent. I hope you enjoy these photos of some of our best friends, and family of our hearts :) ~Melissa Sedona Wedding and Flagstaff Family Photographers, Tangled Lilac Photography
