The Joy of Photos

I've said this before but my memory works like photographs; I have a whole library of mental images. I think that is one of the reasons I love photographs so much. They freeze a moment in time and when I look at them all of the emotions from that moment come back to me with clarity.

After finishing the 8 bridesmaid dresses the next item on my To-Do list was to scan photos of Stuart for a video presentation to be shown at the groom's dinner (aka rehearsal dinner) and the reception. I leafed through 21 years of photos and pulled out the ones I liked the best; the ones that captured Stuart for me.

Not many days later Stuart informed me that he looked goofy in all of the photos (and that's MY fault?) He looked through 15 years of photos, marked ones he wanted me to add to or replace. I sent them off to Liz and told her she would have to get with Stuart to pick the ones that don't look goofy!

This whole *search and scan exercise* got me infected with photo-phever again! I want to be able to share these wonderful memories with my kids... you know, the ones who made these wonderful memories.

Working in no particular order I started in 1993 and decided to scan every page and label them chronologically so they will *read* like the paper photo album. (I have about 6 years scanned)

It didn't take long before this photo jumped of the page at me! Look at these beautiful girls! Rebekah and Megan were room-mates at BYU before Rebekah got married. So when Megan and Erik got married two years later I captured these two friends, and now sisters. I just want to cry with love for these two beautiful girls who have matured into wonderful mothers and women.

August 23, 1994

Another of my favorites is this one of Rebekah and Spencer. Rebekah is wearing a cute little jumper I made for her to wear in the ward road show. Spencer is just 2 months old; the same age his little Annabelle!

March 3, 1984

And here are Camille and Stuart when they were only 7 months old... just about the age of little Fiona. How is this happening to me? This fast forward of 30 years?

May 1986

OK... and then there's this one of my babies with mustaches...

 DRAWN BY DADDY WITH A PERMANENT INK MARKER!

He said they liked it. What really happened was he liked to vex the mama because they wouldn't wash off! Can you see how unbelievable cute these babies are?

April 1987

And my beautiful Rebekah again. She is 13.5. When I was that age I looked like a boy (Stuart, in fact, and whereas it looked good on him at 13.5, it didn't work so well for me!)

May 1987

No list of favorite photos would be complete without this one! These precious little children! What a joy! We have two more re-enactments of this photo. Camille just commented that we need to do that again. Wouldn't that be fun with them and their spouses and kids?

August 1989

And here is that same cute group... 1st day of school 1995. Spencer is starting 6th grade and Camille and Stuart are starting 5th grade. Such happy siblings.

July 26, 1995

I'm so grateful for all of these happy photo and memories! What a blessed life I have!

Old Towel Gets New Life

You all know that I am a sap, a romantic, a head-in-the-clouds-kinda-girl, but I can't help it when I see things that make me happy, when I see history repeat itself.

About 28 years ago, when Camille was just a six-month old baby, my dear friend, Auntie P, gave me several pieces of terry cloth. I immediately fashioned a hooded bath towel from a wonderful 60s era floral print. (I'm pretty sure this was a find of Edna's at DI) Camille used that happy little towel for many years before she outgrew it.

At some point I put it in the basket of pool towels that lived outside the back door. And when we moved to Utah, hence no pool, it went to live in my rag-towel basket under the bathroom counter. Which is were I found it when baby-Fiona arrived. I KNEW she would need her Mama's cute little hooded bath towel.

Recently, while on Grammie-duties, baby-Fi had a blow out and needed a bath (oh no, poor Grammie!) so I got to do my favorite thing... give baby a sink bath. I did a quick pre-bath search and found this old-friend, happy to be needed again (just like Grammie!)

*Laundry-Fulfillment*

Years ago a dear friend had to go back to work, part of the *deal* was that the rest of the family would help out with the chores she normally did, because she really can't do it all!

Her husband accepted the job of doing the laundry. All went well for the first couple of weeks. He stayed on top of his chore. Week three he says, "Can you just move the clothes from the washer to the dryer for me?" (You can see where this is headed). Each week he would ask her to *help him out* with just one more *small part* of the laundry.

Finally she says, "Why am I doing most of the laundry again?"

To which he responded-

"Because I just don't get the same fulfillment out of doing the laundry as you do!"

Gordon has long queried, "How would you like to be the poor schmuck who said that?"

We just had to get a new washer and dryer... and you know what? It really HAS up the fulfillment factor for me! This is my very first front loader. I'm already reveling in the increased Downey smell on my towels that I always find at Rebekah's house!

And, don't you know, that an new white washer and dryer (replacing an old white washer and dryer) calls for a paint color change!! Camille tells me that I *did a Desi!*

When Stuart and I finished this downstairs bathroom just after he got home from his mission I painted the walls yellow (don't ask me why!) and it had brown and cream towels. Blah...

Every time I go visit my sister, Sue, and see her beautiful ocean themed bathroom I feel so happy and peaceful. So that was the look I was going for... sand, surf and sky! I told Gordon that it feels so nice in there I almost want to put a blow-up bed in there and have a kip!