Julia and Matt at The River Drivers Restaraunt

This past Friday I spent the day at the edge of one of my favorite places in the world. Millinocket, Maine is in many ways a border town. A small'ish town with a thriving population that in recent times owed it's existence to the forestry industry. Today, like many towns forced to deal with change they are in the midst of acclimatizing to an economy that is much more diverse. It's a last stop for provisions and the benefits of civilization before entering the North Woods and Baxter State Park region. I've spent much of my life ambling around the north woods both as a Reg. Maine Guide leading clients, and on my own adventures chasing both rivers and fish. I feel so incredibly fortunate to "know" much of this region, and whenever I get the chance to return I jump at it. The wedding of Matt and Julia was just one of those opportunities.
Although the location was beautiful and personally relevant, the weather overcame the odds, and the wedding party was a ton of fun - these are not the things that stick out for me. You see, Julia(in her mid-20's) is a cancer survivor! She has recently come through a battle with Hodgkins Disease and is as healthy and vibrant a young woman as ever. Perhaps if anything her experience has left her more appreciative of what life has to offer, and as her Mother explained to me, "she(Julia) got us all through this". "Julia is a rock", and would not for one second believe that her disease would stop her. On top of her battle with cancer, she fell in love, built a life together with Matt, built a home, planned a wedding, and so much more. Each time I think of the story that is Matt and Julia's life together so far, I get a lump in my throat. This is an example of the real stories of peoples lives that make what we do so powerful. I got to make a connection, and got an insight into a phenomenal couple that has faced what many of us hope we never have to. They know they have what it takes to get through "the hard times".
So, if you hadn't figured it out by now I'm pretty astounded by these two. In a small attempt to honor Julia and her battle I have decided to donate 15% of all print sales from this event to the Maine Cancer Foundation.

Here a few sneak peaks. Click HERE to see the slide show. The password is the brides maiden name. Sorry for the delay. The remaining photos are on their way in the next couple days.

Have a wonderful life together!!!!