A Love Letter to Diaz Celebrating Three Years of love, and a Lifetime of You

May 5, 2026 kelly sanders

This year, as we celebrate the third anniversary of love, I find myself thinking about all the different ways love shows up in our lives. Quietly, loudly, unexpectedly, and sometimes all at once.

And right now, it feels like all at once.

We just returned home to Pittsburgh with our daughter, Diaz, after celebrating her graduation from the University of Alabama. Even writing that sentence feels surreal. Graduation always marks an ending, but more than that, it’s a beginning, and this one feels especially meaningful.

Diaz, during your final semester, you earned A pluses in every single class. Every one. You graduated Magna Cum Laude, but what fills me with the most pride isn’t just the achievement: it’s the dedication, the discipline, and the heart behind it. You didn’t just get there. You showed up for yourself, again and again.

Watching you step fully into adulthood has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Your dad and I have had the privilege of growing alongside you. Learning, adjusting, cheering you on, and sometimes just standing back in awe of the person you’ve become.

This season has been full of love in all its forms.

Familial love: watching our family travel to Alabama, gathering together to celebrate you. There is something so powerful about showing up for one another, about marking these milestones not alone, but surrounded.

Joyful love: those moments that feel light and full, like laughter spilling over dinner tables, playing "I'm going on a trip" on the journey between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, impromptu volleyball circles, and the kind of happiness you can’t quite put into words.

Celebratory love: honoring the work, the growth, the late nights, and early mornings that led to this moment.

And then there are the in-between moments. Like our January trip to Alabama, when we orchestrated a photoshoot for love, at Coastal Cowgirl Cafe, mixing work and play, creating memories in a place that now holds so much meaning for us. Those days felt simple and special, just being together, doing what we love, with who we love.

Diaz, you have always carried love with you in such a natural way. In how you show up for others. In your curiosity. In your strength. In your kindness.

As you step into what’s next, I feel nothing but excitement for you. There’s a whole world waiting, and knowing you, you’ll meet it with both courage and grace.