Let me take you back to 2005 or 2006. My husband, Kyle, (fiancee then) was working somewhere in the middle of Nebraska for a few weeks installing satellite dishes after some tornadoes or heavy storms swept through the area. He took his BMX bike with him to enjoy his favorite hobby on his one day off. He found a skate park. He met Tyler. They became instant friends (maybe bro soul mates). Their friendship was one of those “meant to be” kind of things, I’ve decided. For starters, my husband isn’t the type to make friends with everyone he meets. And it’s not that he’s mean or unapproachable, but he can be shy and anti-social. Anyway, for the last several years, Kyle and Tyler have kept in touch, usually with hour-long phone calls (again, completely unlike my husband) and road trips to Lincoln or KC once or twice a year. I have enjoyed being pulled into the friendship on some of the road trips, or welcoming Tyler and his awesome wife, Brenda, into our home over the years.

Our road trip to them this time around included a tour of their new home, which they are in the process of renovating. Tyler grew up in this house, then his parents sold it, then several years later, the new owners decided to sell. Tyler and Brenda were first in line. The rest is (becoming) history.

It also happened to be Tyler and Brenda’s five-year anniversary around the time of our visit, so they wanted some portraits to commemorate the occasion. So here’s my first Nebraskan photo shoot!