Seriously, my main motivation for writing these things is because I am certain one day my memory will fail me. And when it does, I will have these stories to turn to. In the meantime, I will also have a few good laughs.
Today was a funny day overall.
Partially because I set up a photo shoot for my family at the park. My gift for them. Everyone was on edge just a little because they wanted to look really nice, but everyone had different ideas of what nice was.
My dad thought nice meant a 3 piece suit.
My mom felt she should wear her Christmas sweater.
My brother thinks he looks good all the time, so he wasn't worried.
And I wanted everyone to be comfortable (and happy) so I wore my smile.
I'm so glad it was my good friend, Kendra, taking the photos and not some stuffy photographer. She put my family at ease and has mad skills!
Things were going great... until we were all heading back to our cars. My mom whispered to my dad, my dad looked at me. I knew something was up.
My mom wanted to know if Kendra could take one more photo... with HER little point and shoot camera!
Oh my.
I mean Kendra had just finished taking a bazillion shots and she did it with her fancy camera with the killer lens. And here's my mom handing her the point and shoot. Never mind that very soon we'll be getting these amazing photos from Kendra, which will be forever ours. I almost wish she'd waited after Kendra left and asked the guy walking his dog to take it...but nope.
Kendra was a great sport.
I find life is easier if I stop fighting it and just let my family be who they are...and love them for it.
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| The infamous "unofficial" shot |
Tomorrow, I hop on a plane for St. Louis for 5 days then back to Fresno. A few hours after me, my brother hops on a plane back home to New York.
I've been blessed with these two weeks in Vegas!
I'm also excited for my trip to St. Louis. (It's for InterVarsity's National Staff Conference and they do an amazing job loving on us there!) Over 1000 of us will gather there. I've got some specific questions I'm pondering that I'm hoping the space, teachings, conversations and reflection will give me clarity on.
But it's bittersweet leaving home.
I'll miss my parents. I'll miss our drives. I'll miss the random stories.
Today, as my mom and I were running errands after the photo shoot, she began to tell me about a photo shoot she took part in when she was in her 20's. I braced myself, because my mom's got a crazy past and has traveled all over the world as a professional dancer (Japanese dance).
She told me that when she was in her 20's in Japan, a friend, photographer, asked to take her photos. He was a real artist, so nothing shady happened (phew) but the photos he took of her were entered into a national contest and won!
All the winners where published in a book and her's was the main photograph featured.
Naturally, I asked if she had a copy of the book and she didn't. (She didn't get any prize money either.) It was the 60's and she was a showgirl at the time and had lots of photo shoots back then. It didn't cross her mind to keep it.
Which is funny because she's got almost every copy of People magazine and National Geographic since 1983, but to each her own, I guess.
We started talking about Japan and I mentioned that the next time I go I'd love to get a kimono. I've got some from when I was a kid, but I'd love an adult one. I tried on my friend's when I visited her a couple years ago. It was beautifully ornate.
She knew the one. She began to tell me that when the kimono has really long arms, it's like a sign to the young men that you're single and available. You'd wear a kimono like that to a wedding or formal party so that all the cute guys know they can chat with you.
So, now I'm really wondering where I can get my hands on one of these asap and if it will fit in my suitcase?
1 comments:
Whether it's your storytelling skills or the subject matter, I love your family stories. I suppose you won't keep happening onto them when you aren't in a car with your mom in another state - but I'll look forward to the next time...
And meanwhile, where's a post from St. Louis???
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