It was 13 years in the making.

It all started in 2012 when my dear friend Kristen Dick was diagnosed with cancer. As the mom of 5-year-old and 2-year-old boys, she feared she might leave them motherless.

Over lunch one day, I asked her to picture something in the future, when her oldest graduated high school, where everything was OK. I asked her to describe it in detail – something she could visualize for a minute every day.

Her answer? 

You need to hear about it in her own words, because it was her dream, her manifested miracle.

Get ready to laugh, cry, and be inspired. Listen to the KDI PODCAST interview here. 👇🏻

Later, she told me she took my suggestion, and thought about it every day. She told me that visual got her through some very hard times, not just her own cancer, but her son’s and other really painful challenges. (Read his story HERE.)

Fast forward to 2025. Kristen reached out.

“It’s time. Let’s do this.” 

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The framed wall art grouping installed on the family walls. 👇🏻

Behind the scenes of the family photo session in Hawaii. 👇🏻

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Flagstaff Family Portrait Photography • Flagstaff Maternity Pregnancy Photographer • Flagstaff Newborn Photographer • Flagstaff Child Photographer • Flagstaff Senior Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Couples Photography

Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona

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