Gentleman (Jonathan Toews)

When in Canada

Payton

"We're here" Jonathan announces as we step off the plane. I look around with the brightest smile on my face.

"So this is where you're from, Winnipeg Manitoba" I announce strutting off the plane. I snap a pictures as he pulls me into his side.

"That it is" he nods.

We grab our things from luggage and drive over to his house he has up here. It wasn't much for he hasn't had a lot of time to do anything to do something to it, but it was still cute. We walk in and I smile at the little home head created.

"I know it's not what you're used to but this is the home I made to come back to when I need it most. There isn't much but it has whatever I need" he explains.

"I love it" I whisper and he smiles.

"Really" he asks.

"Yeah, its great actually. Did you put up everything in here" I ask looking around.

"Yeah, it has a few of my things in it. A lot of jersey, some medals and other things" he explains.

"Is this your ring from 2010" I ask looking at a black box with the Blackhawks emblem on it.

"Its a replica" he says opening it. "The real one is in the hall of fame with some of the other great things in Blackhawks history" he smiles.

"You really want to win again, huh" I ask.

"More than anything" he admits.

"Anything" I tease.

"Not anything" he smirks.

He shows me around the rest of his place and we toss our things in his room. We drive a little down the street and up to his parents house.

"Are you nervous" he asks.

"Should I be" I ask.

"No, but meeting the parents can be intimidating" he reasons.

"I don't let things out of my control affect me. All I can do is be myself and hope they like me. The real me" I shrug.

"And they will love you. The real you" he smiles.

He knocks on the door and after a little shuffling behind the door it swings open. A nice couple stands on the other side smiling bright and it makes my heart warm.

"Hi mom, hi Dad" Jon says and they pull him into a hug. His mom lets him go and turns to me. To skip the awkward introduction I just pull her into a hug instead. She was hesitant at first but she relaxes into it.

"Wow. You give great hugs" she laughs.

"I'm a hugger" I giggle.

"I'm Andrée" she says.

"And I'm Payton" I smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Jonathan has not stopped takin' about you. At first I thought he made you up because he's never brought a girl home but-" she goes on.

"Mom" Jonathan gasps and I smile.

We get the introductions out of the way and they welcome us in. The place smelled like coffee and Canadian bacon. We sit at the table filled with food and get settled in.

"So Payton, how have you liked working with the Hawks this season" his dad asks.

"Oh I love it. I've made so many great friends with the guys and their family. There's always something to photograph around there. It's great to capture the small moments that happen through a long season. Something the guys can look back on and smile because even if they don't remember why they were smiling they can feel the same way they did in that picture and that's such a great feeling" I admit.

"It seems like you're more into just photography" his mom notices.

"I use photography to capture some of my favorite things, and I love life. I love helping people to see life the way I do. Maybe it's the way someone looks at someone else or how much something means to them. Maybe it's catching the spark in someone's eye as they look around and finally realize how great life is. I don't know. Sometimes I'm stuck in between it can be so much better and it doesn't get better than this. Regardless of how I see it I don't want to take a single thing for granted. I love photography because it's so real. It's how things are and how we see things. It's great" I smile. I turn to see Jon staring at me with a huge smile and it makes me blush.

"That's a very intellectual view of it. I've never thought about it that way" Andree admits.

"It's always good to have a new perspective" I admit.

After breakfast we sit in the living room and we look at pictures. I show them things from the last six months I've collected from my time with Jonathan. There was a lot of pictures of us eating or playing basketball. But there's a bunch of cute ones from our dates and the days we just walk around.

"Wow, you guys have done a lot for such a young couple" his dad admits.

"That's all her. She makes even the littlest things worth remembering. Watching her wash dishes can be the highlight of my day at some points. And she keeps yelling at me because my candids never turn out right because she always catches me staring but I can't help it" Jon claims.

"That was the cutest thing ever... oh my god" his mom smiles.

"I'm pretty lucky" I admit.

After looking through all the pictures it was time for us to head over to the game. We grab our things from his house and drive over. I look out the window as I take in the foreign surroundings. Jon slips his hand into mine before setting it on the center council. He rubs the back of my hand like he always does and it makes me feel at peace with the world. I turn my attention from one beautiful sight to another. I watch Jon aimless drive with one hand on the wheel in his nicest suit for his home town. I pick our hands up and kiss the back of his causing him to smile. He turns to me with those eyes and it made me feel... great.

And while I love photography, moments like this can't be captured in a lens. It can't capture why moments like this are my favorite because it's also what's happened before this that makes this one special. What's going to happen that makes this moment so special. Because pictures capture the response on the outside that captures what happens on the inside.