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Life has it's ups and downs, some things bring us happiness and some bring us sadness. There are many moments of joy in my life, but if I were to single out just one small, simple joy that consistently brightens my day that would be drinking tea with my wife. 

The first time we met was during the photoshoot I did for her as my photography client on June 17, 2017. We were having a great shoot as she came exceptionally prepared and had every single outfit planned out ahead of time which was a rarity among my clients. We were making a great time going through the shoot and since we had plenty of time left I offered her to have some tea with me in my kitchen. She agreed and it was our first time drinking tea together.

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There would be many more tea-drinking occasions in the years to come. We drink tea every day and usually several times a day together. This simple act of sharing tea time and conversation brings me happiness.

Our tea drinking together has evolved over the years, we used to have a tea making machine in our bedroom and drink tea at night together in bed, that has gone away just like the little glass table that we used for the instant hot water machine. That table now sits in front of me in my office as I type this...

Things change with time, just like relationships change. We changed from the client / photography provider relationship to boyfriend / girlfriend relationship to husband and wife relationship. But our tea-drinking ritual has remained over the years and serves as a point of connection for us. It brings stability and consistency into the turbulent sea of life that is ever-changing. 

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This tea-cup above was a present from my wife. I used it so much that eventually this phone-controlled temperature keeping cup broke. We used to shop for David's Tea in our local mall store, then David's Tea closed all retail locations in Washington State, we ordered it online for years afterwards. Now I don't recall the last time we did... Things change: what kind of tea we drink, from what cups, at what locations, but we still drink tea together. It is not about what tea, or where we drink it, it is about drinking it together and connecting as two humans going through life in the same boat.

One more thing to note about the Ember cup picture above: even the house that this picture was taken in is gone now. Sold this June, that was the kitchen where we drank our first tea together during our first meeting. But we are in love and drinking tea together despite all the life's challenges and storms it throws our way.

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My wife sometimes makes us loose black tea with various additives - her special recopies: with cardamom or with various fruit additives, combinations of loose teas etc. I love it and I feel loved when we drink those together.

It is not even about the tea itself, though they are always exceptional, it is about the act of making something special for us to share together.

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So drinking tea together is our ritual that consistently brightens my day! 

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All images in this post were taken on my Samsung S20 FE phone. I hardly ever use my Canon 5D Mark Three anymore, it is just way more convenient to pull out my old phone and snap a quick picture.

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I am also a Hive Witness and would really appreciate your vote for me as a witness: https://vote.hive.uno/@seattlea