A friend loves at all times . . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.   Proverbs 17:17 & 18:24

Welcome to a gallery of portraits I took this week on a glorious Wisconsin day—our first of the year where we could be outside on the farm without coats.  This was no ordinary photo shoot of a beautiful woman. I wanted to photograph a woman whom I have known since she was a teenager.  She will turn 28 in a couple months.

I met Amanda ten years ago when we first moved to our farm.  She was clerking for a local grocery then and I was struck by her smile and outgoing personality.  When I learned she loved horses, I invited her to meet ours.  Since then, she has become part of our family.

For several years, Amanda cared for our kids when my husband and I needed rejuvenation, sometimes for up to a week while we were gone.  She also became an eager participant in a Bible study I formed with her sister and their close friend that expanded over the years to include other young ladies.

As Amanda grew into an adult, our relationship grew as well.  She is now a beautiful woman, inside and out, who opens her heart to give and receive.  She loves the Lord with abandon and is wildly honest with him.  She’s the same with those closest to her, always asking for feedback and prayer in her quest to grow closer to Jesus.

In short, she has become one of my dearest friends who supports me in prayer, offers me godly counsel when needed, and extends her heart and her hands always.  I am beyond words thankful for people in my life like Amanda.  Here is a photographic tribute to true friends of all ages . . .