Yesterday, at the start of Nap Time, I found an irresistible offer in my Email Inbox. Free 8x8 photo book, hardcover. *Shiver of delight* One Day ONLY. Offer expires June 27. (Retail value approx. $24)
Now you can guess what I did during naptime. After an hour of compiling my best photos from the last 8 years, and on the verge of dragging-and-dropping them into the book, my phone rang.
(Dun-Dun-Dun-Duuunnnnnnn.....)
Caller ID reads Seth W., Royal's cousin who is coming to visit in a few weeks. (With his family, and 3 kids.)
Or, is it next week? I thought he was coming June 27.... AAAAGGGGHhhhhhh!
"Hello, This is Elizabeth. Hi, Seth. Oh, you're at the Science Center. Cool. No, we won't be meeting you there as I had planned, but I will have dinner ready for you guys when you get here. Great! See you then."
End of Photo-booking reverie.
Well, that is what happened, but that anecdote really diverges from the point I wanted to make. Therefore, we will return to the time before the phone call.
There I am, downloading pics from our Camera, looking for pics on my harddrive, and realizing I will have to look on my other harddrive because my pics from even the last year are on 3 computers and a separate digital camera. (Not counting the ones on the phone. They are too hard to bother with.)
And, even after searching all those locations, I can't find half a dozen pictures of Royal and Myself together in the same shot.
And, we've spent at least 3 evenings a month together, away from the kids, doing something, for the last 8 years.
Almost no pictures. No recorded history.
I was almost heartbroken. He is My Honey, and you wouldn't know it from looking at my photos.
I decided at that point to dedicate this photobook to Royal, and the marriage we've built. He doesn't know yet. (Don't tell.) But what he does know is that I need a decent snapshot camera. And what he is about to find out is that we are not going to go anywhere as a family anymore without that camera! And we can even take it on dates! I WILL have a record of my marriage, a photo record at that.
I love you, Royal!
Unfortunately, we will be paying the retail cost of this photobook since I couldn't finish it yesterday!!!
It was worth it, since we had a lovely visit with Seth and Amanda. Their kids played perfectly with ours, and it was fun to get to know them a little bit.