Our Story

Jess and I (Giselle) met on a sunny afternoon, on a beach where our children were playing calmly in the sand, while we enjoyed our favorite variations of red wine with the Mr.’s …. Wait, maybe I dreamt that.

Truth.

In life, you meet people just at the right moment. This is how we actually met, although I still dream for the above. Jess and I had our first exchange when my sister, her midwife, decided to exchange some intimate vows in June of 2014 and us lucky gals got to participate. Granted, Jess was there to capture the moment from behind the lens, while I was there as a participating family member. Either way, it was an honor for both of us.

We remained acquaintances via social media till my family was impacted by pediatric cancer. Jess was a positive and energetic force from the moment she found out and again, via social media and my sister, stayed as close as she could to our storm. During this time, I found out that I was pregnant with our third daughter, and Jess offered to photograph our family as a gift to inspire and encourage us through capturing raw photos of my family’s experience. I was beyond excited and immediately took her up on the offer, and that’s really where our friendship began.

After I gave birth to my third daughter, Jess once again offered to photograph our family for the holidays. This time, she captured us surviving, and I still get goosebumps thinking of last year’s Christmas card.

Jess had two boys whom I’d never met, but I knew that her oldest son, Zach, was now attending the same preschool my oldest, Frankie, had previously been attending. I guess when you find a common mom at preschool, you hang on. And our worlds began to blend even more.

I found myself reaching out to her in moments of despair and on one occasion, after hearing that a fellow cancer mother was going to lose her son, I reached out. Jess, having already shown me her love for life, showed me another side that blew me away. She offered to photograph my friend and her family in their last days during a Make a Wish trip to Disneyland. I remember hanging up the phone in tears, being so grateful that there were REAL LOVING humans in the world like Jess. From here, I knew we would be in one another’s life in some way.

In February of 2016, Frankie was ready for school again, and Jess was my go to for questions. So, the bulk of our friendship really started here. We were thrown into the chaos of preschool and the challenges of mamahood within. Towards the end of school, Jess called me up and asked if I’d be interested in a project. Note, I love projects, and when I heard it was related to cards, I jumped. The stash of cards in my house is a bit absurd to say the least. We both have such a love for coffee, sarcasm, real life mama talk... it’s no surprise we gravitated to one another.

So here we are, two moms, raising our littles, trying to make each other laugh along the way. Honest Mama really is an extension of us and the humor we share with one another on a daily basis. And now we get to share this humor with you...enjoy!