There’s no question or doubt about it — I love taking pictures.

Over the past weekend, I spent some quality time with my family in North Carolina at a house my parents just finished building not too long ago.

It was a special occasion because it was the first time that our entire intermediate family would be together at the house.

Before I go any further, let me tell you that I had been waiting on pins and needles to get my first glimpse at the house, which I’m quite pleased about.

Construction took more than a year and wow, what a long year it was. My parents traveled up to our property quite a lot during that year, and sent pictures noting the progress of the build.

As the time to gather drew nearer, I got more excited.

Last Friday, I got up early as I was waiting on my dad to pick me up in Greenville so we could make the long six-and-a-half-hour trek up to our property.

The first time I saw this new addition in our family will be a moment I’ll never forget.

What made that moment even better was the fact that in a matter of hours, I’d start taking photos to record the gathering.

Saturday dawned and I knew I had to start getting to work on taking pictures inside and out, along with around the house. So, every moment I could, I snapped away, smiling at the same time as each memory was captured.

Now, those who know me, know that I am one of the principal photographers at the newspaper, and take a lot of pride in that work.

While it was my vacation, I did have fun using my photography skills to gather that which I’ll never forget.

Why won’t I forget last weekend?

Because I had a great time.

I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun taking pictures of my loved ones.

My older brother has three kids, two of whom were playing on a dirt mound behind the house on Saturday.

The best moment I captured during the weekend was of the both of them running down the mound with the sun glaring in the background.

Like that moment, I hope to capture many more from the mountaintop.