A few months ago, the Cottage Hill team visited California to scout for shoot locations for The Captivated Issue, locations for events and meet Silver Cup Artists, including Lucia Gill. Lucia captured Ajenda's grandparents in their adorable beach home as they shared with us their love story and fond memories in the house. It was a special afternoon for us all. Looking at all of the old photographs and books brought back to mind the Cottage Hill mission of celebrating legacies. Today, Ajenda is going to share the experience with us - enjoy the full gallery here.

With the excitement of a new year I love to reflect over the last 365 days. I tend to put the year into highlights: this was my first full year married to my husband, our niece came into the world this year, and I made my first out of state move. But what I’ve found is nested outside of these events are so many special moments that I’ve missed and the overall legacy that I want to live. This year I’m choosing to cling to the legacy I want to remember from every year past and all the years to come.

My family legacy is wrapped in a place. It isn’t just this special place but the legacy of the generations that echo through its halls. This place is my great grandparents beach home in Oxnard, California.

Every year my family has come together to spend our summers at this home. My great grandmother, grandparents, parent, aunts and uncles, and cousin all gather in the home. The tradition started with my great grandparents who were married on New Years Eve. They were together for their entire lives, and my great-grandmother lived in the house until her passing in her late 90s. Following my great grandparents were my grandparents who were also married on New Years Eve. They decided to have their honeymoon at the beach house, and much to their luck this was the only year the Oxnard beach experienced snow.

As of New Years Eve my grandparents have been married for 67 years, and I can’t imagine a better legacy than the generations this beach house has seen. Long marriages, love that surpasses kind words but rests in protecting, honoring, and caring for one another no matter the situations. My New Years prayer is that I can live just a little bit of this legacy out this year and the years to come. 

Photographs by Lucia Gill Photography