Pictures are a magical place where many things happen. Pictures store our memories and show us things that our eyes alone cannot see. Most of the time, the unseen sights revealed in pictures are beautiful things, but I couldn't help but wonder: what if that's not the case this time? What if our family photos show me something I don't want to see? What would that 'something' even look like? An absence of love perhaps? Maybe a forced smile? Who knows. I, for one, did not know and that's the first reason why I was apprehensive to have our family pictures taken. The second reason I was hesitant is because I think that sometimes people hide in pictures. They put on the same matching outfits and try their very hardest to look normal. Big smiles, loving embraces, everyone is happy. Everyone is really, really happy....except they're not, because dad's cheating on mom as she drowns herself in denial and red wine. Meanwhile, junior's been a bulimic cutter since age 13. But don't worry, we're all okay. As long as we all look picture perfect wearing white Polo shirts in a glossy 8 x10 sitting in a Pottery Barn frame on our mantle, we are all doing just fine. The whiter the shirts, the darker the souls. And so, I was afraid to commit the happiness of our family to 'official family photos' because, in a tiny pocket of insanity somewhere in my brain, I believed that if we did, we would open ourselves up to the possibility of it all falling apart.
I'm not a complete lunatic, so I was able to push all of that garbage aside and coordinate a family photo shoot with our good friend Andy DeLisle. We did the shoot on the Old Main lawn on campus. All of the images and rights belong to him.
Without further ado, here's the first image I'd like to share with you...
See the church in the background? At the time we arranged the shoot, we didn't realize th background of the location would include this church. This church was built in 1903 and it's the church that Brendan and I were married in. Neat-o, huh?!
Here's the next one, which I think is adorable...
...except for the fact that it looks like I'm two knuckles deep in Kristen's butt. I've sent an email to the folks at Adobe suggesting they consider adding a "remove hand from ass" button on the next version of Photoshop. Still waiting to hear back on that...
One thing I've learned about family photos; kids have waayyy more fun getting their pictures taken than adults do...
The reason is because they are pure...
honest...
and free.
For adults, on the other hand, getting pictures taken can be awkward and uncomfortable...
When our personal space is infringed upon, we feel the need to defend ourselves...
But when we bring it back together, and we always do, life is good...
p.s. I always wished I would look this capable in my 30s. Sometimes I even feel this way!
Here's another family shot I enjoy...
And...one more on the bridge on the campus of the university where this little 'dream' all began...
Well, there you have it. We survived our first family photo shoot. Bring on the beginning of the end...or maybe not!
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