My, how time changes us! Below are two family photos of the Stevens family, Mom’s side of the family. The first was taken in 1993, on an August day at a family gathering at my home in New Jersey. The second photo was taken this past summer (July 2012) at Nan’s house.

A highlight of the summer for me was this gathering of family because it was the first time that we were all together in probably four or five years. My family truly has a great time together, and it was evident during this past trip in the laughter and noisy fellowship that we shared.

As you can see from the two photos above, there are many differences between our family “then and now.” Of course, we’ve all grown up a bit, our sense of style has changed at least a little, and there’s a lot more white hair in the second photo than the first. Cousin McKenna wasn’t even born yet in 1993, and we’ve added some very special people (Nick and Justin) to the ranks of the family. (Side note: next time, Charles will be part of the photo!). One of the biggest differences that I notice is that my wonderful grandfather, “Papa D.,” is missing from the recent picture; he passed away about ten years ago, and we all still miss him dearly. I love looking at these photos and remembering all of the incredible moments we’ve shared together as a family. I try never to take for granted the wonderful family with which God has blessed me.

Ashleigh is the resident photographer in the family, and she captured a lot of great shots this summer while we were hanging out at Nan’s house and then down at the Jersey shore. I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite photo memories, all courtesy of Ashleigh.