It’s been a little over 7 years since our paths first crossed. A little over 7 years since that tall, blonde (he had a little bit of hair then!), slightly nerdy, jazz musician + audio engineer first started crushin’ on that kind of shy, also blonde, fairly quirky, worship leader girl. It’s been a little over 7 years since that girl told that boy that she just didn’t like him like that. And exactly 7 years since she changed her mind. And she’s so glad she did. 

   When I (Britt) agreed to be that boy’s girlfriend exactly 7 years ago, I had no idea the incredible journey we were beginning together. So many moments. So many memories. Each a part of our story. Each a piece of our narrative. 

Today, I bring to you the first edition of Meet Us Monday.

   One of our greatest joys is being able to invest in and document the lives and love stories of so many amazing people. We feel like it’s only fair to share ours, too. Every Monday we’ll be opening up about our life. From our love story, to how we became photographers, to what it looks like to run a full-time business with two toddlers at home (I’ll give you a hint: it’s mostly madness). You’ll get to see our quirks, go behind the scenes, and meet some of the people in our world who play a vital role in keeping this thing going and helping us maintain our sanity! It’s not all rainbows and unicorns (except we do have an almost 4 year old who talks incessantly about rainbows and unicorns, so I guess it is sometimes), but it is real. It is us. 

So, we’ve made a list. Here are the top 5 things we think you need to know about us on this first Meet Us Monday.

1. Our full names are Michael + Brittany Smith. While in college, he worked with 7 other Michaels. He says he was too little to be “Big Mike” and it didn’t quite seem fitting to call a 6’1 guy “Little Mike,” so “Smitty” was assigned to him instead. The name stuck and 10 years later, it’s the only name he goes by, even at home. You should have seen the texts I received after we sent out our wedding invites and people were terribly confused at who Michael was!
2. We’ve been married for 5.5 years and have two daughters, Adelyn (almost 4) and Elsie (almost 2). Our life is a little bit crazy (okay, it’s pretty bonkers most of the time), but we’re so thankful for every minute of it!
3. We are musicians by trade. Smitty’s degree is in Jazz + Audio Engineering, and Brittany is a singer-songwriter with a degree in Worship Arts. We still play music weekly, write songs often, and Smitty works as the audio director at our church (where we met!). Photography + videography, though something we never anticipated doing full-time, has opened up a whole new world of storytelling and we LOVE that this is what we get to do! More than that, we love that it’s something else that we get to do together!
4. We have one cat, named Lily. We rescued her when she was 3 weeks old and bottle fed her until she was big enough to eat on her own. Brittany may or may not have surprised Smitty with the cat while they were dating, even though she knew he was allergic, because she has a hard time saying no to animals, especially when they’re cute, teeny, tiny, little black and white tuxedo kittens. 
5. Brittany is afraid of vacuum cleaners + hates chocolate. Pizza, on the other hand, is totally her jam. And Smitty’s too, really. Okay, let’s be honest, we eat way more pizza than any human probably should. Smitty hates pickles, but is a mad beatboxer and closet hip-hop dancer. 

So there you have it, friends! The basics of Britt + Smit. Want to join in the Meet us Monday fun? Use the hashtag #meetusmonday on Instagram and we’ll get to know each other one week at a time!