G-G-G-Gina

Introducing Gina DeSimone: an extraordinary photographer, goofball and pal. I met this girl just a few months ago in my new city, at my new church!

I am so grateful for the Church. I can't think of a better place to make friends as an adult. The church is all about community. The church is community. And the beauty of meeting the women that I have through The Block meant that I met them in bible study, where you get down to the nitty-gritty right off the bat. You're instantly vulnerable and open up on another level where other social settings may not allow for that sort of rawness. I'm pretty sure I shed tears the very first day I met Gina. And with zero judgment and only comfort, she shared her trials with me along with this verse: Colossians 3:23 "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." And immediately everyone else at group grabbed their Bibles and started sharing other verses that lift them up, too. They rallied around me. It was a beautiful, empowering moment with what once were strangers at the time. And that beautiful moment had a lot to do with this beautiful woman! No longer a stranger, but... a pal.<3

I thank God for that. I thank God for her! And all her spunk, creativity, comedic relief, oh, and the hilarious viewings of The Bachelor she provides in her cute studio apartment, consistently stocked with veggies and four cases of Diet Mountain Dew (at all times!!) because Gina is a woman of balance. 

Though the transition of moving to Philly has been a tremendous feat for me (and my patience is still tested every day in different ways), it is true that good things come to those who wait. For me, in the midst of waiting to make friends for instance, I experienced loneliness for the first time in my life. And while this feeling wasn't so much the "good" thing I was waiting for (the good-good was that I found an awesome community of course), maybe there was even good from the "wait." Now that I've undergone lonely times, I'll be able to relate with those that have, too. Another lesson amidst this struggle/feeling, was truth—that we are never really alone, no matter the strength of that lonely bug inside us. There's a friend out there waiting to befriend you back! A friend ready to make you feel beautiful with her photography skills, or expose you to awful reality television shows. Whatever it is! Whoever they are, know they're out there, ready to fill your life with goodness. This may mean putting yourself out there; going to church alone and taking it a step further and signing up for a small group. And while you may walk in "alone," you will not leave alone. I promise. 
                                                                                                                                                                                        

Gina is wearing a Free People top, Gap jeans, and shoes so cute she doesn't remember where she bought them from.:)

Gina is a [bad ass] photographer at Urban Outfitters and we got to play in the studio on this luscious couch, and explore the Navy Yard-based headquarters of URBN. It was a beautiful, sunny day full of smiles, hair flips, chasing airplanes, and lots of outfits documented.

More to come!