There are those times in your life when you need to get away and there are those people in your life that you need to get away to. For my wife and I, the Lipsey's are some of those people. I was going through what I humorously called "Toby Withdrawals." And I was only partly joking. There is hardly any other place in the world where I can be myself like when i am with The Lipsey's. I mean, they know me so well that I couldn't be someone else if I tried. (For example, they often count how many times I use the words story and Flint while on a visit. It's more than I thought.) They have seen me at my best and my worst and we have been side by side through some of the most difficult times in our lives. The last several months have been really difficult for my wife and I. Our life has been flipped on it's head in more ways than one. For the better and for the worse. And if I am honest, I was starting to lose what makes me, me. This weekend spent with the Lipsey's was just one step forward on a long journey I am on. But, I am so grateful for these two boys, tents made out of rocks, branches, and bed sheets, throwing rocks into a lake, croquet, unsuccessful morel hunting, and good friends.

We do Two Kin Photography to tell stories. That's pretty obvious if you take one look at our website. Or listen to me talk for five minutes. But here's the thing, our stories aren't always pretty or fun. Sometimes our stories are really difficult and painful. At Two Kin, we don't want to mask those parts of our story. And we don't want to pretend like they don't happen. That's why we constantly strive to tell honest, real stories. and stray away from moments that are too posed or set up because we believe that your story (the good, the bad, the ugly) matters. And, I truly believe that the hardest moments in our lives are the times that actually make a story great.

This is a story of me being me. Or at least trying to figure out what that means again. enjoy!