Pictures Worth a Thousand Words…To Me

Day #25 of 31 Days of Storytelling

I have to admit, I hit a wall today.

I did NOT know what to write.

(It's been 25 straight days, you know!)

I had tons of ideas but every time I sat down, I just couldn't bring myself to write any of them.

So I started looking at pictures.

For inspiration.

And it hit me.

They say so much.

The pictures.

They are stories in and of themselves.

So I spent WAY TOO MUCH time sifting through iPhoto and finally said,

"ENOUGH!" 

because there were too many that could speak volumes.

I need to begin by saying that I am not one of those picture perfect people. 

It took our wedding photographer 4,000 pictures to just get enough decent shots for an album.

I always have one or both eyes closed or my nostrils flared or my mouth hanging open.

I am completely used to people taking my picture and then saying,

"Ok, let's try one more," 

but they have to say it like 5 times.

I am the one that LOVES the pictures that don't get picked for the frame that will sit on the piano.

THOSE are the pictures that I blow up and frame and give as gifts.

You know, the "out take" pictures.

The ones that, if you are really quiet, speak to you.

Ok, that was creepy.

But I hope you know where I was going.

I thought about grouping pictures by theme but THAT TAKES TIME!

And I am hungry.

So this will be random.

Halloween is our thing. Here we are 2 years ago as fast food characters:
Burger King, Colonel Sanders, Ronald McDonald and Wendy.

This picture cracks me up not because we are dressed up but because we all look like we were 4 random people that showed up at a party dressed (coincidentally as fast food characters) and were forced to stand together (awkwardly) for a picture.

Look at McDaniel as Ronald McDonald--she looks lost.

Ellie as Wendy looks like she is looking for help.

Me as the Colonel looks about as happy as one can look right before they sneeze off their mustache (which is what I did right after this picture was taken).

I just KNOW Monte is smiling behind his Burger King mask.

That is just who he is.

LOVE this!

This was at Fripp Island a few years ago.

So much going on here with my brother's deadpan face, my mom's closed eyes, Ellie not bothering to stop eating her ice cream for one second and my dad looking at whoever he is looking at.

It is SOOO my family.

I blew that one up and framed it for my dad for his birthday.

Too many words.

This is one of those silly staged shots that we got the idea from Family Fun magazine.

This is our neighbor Claire but the legs are McDaniel's who is lying down (quite well tucked away, I might add) behind her.

Her expression is the best. It is like she is saying,

"Help!" 

or 

"Well, this ain't right."

I just noticed in the background that Claire's mom is walking across the street towards us.

I am sure she is saying, "What the…?!"

They must say that a lot when looking over at our house.

Look at my mom! Favorite picture of all time…so far.

This picture just takes the cake! 

We went out west 2 summers ago with my parents.

Drove over 5,000 miles.

SO.

MANY. 

STORIES.

This picture was taken fairly early in the trip in Colorado in Rocky Mountain National Park. We decided to hike around Bear Lake.

But there was snow everywhere.

It was June.

We saw all these Park Rangers shoveling snow at the beginning of the trail saying,

"No, stop, don't go any further it is too treacherous," 

with as much interest and alarm as Willy Wonka (1970s version not creepy Johnny Depp version) to the naughty kids breaking all the rules touring his candy factory.

So we hiked right on by.

The snow increased as we went on and the path got confusing.

We all fell.

My mom fell a lot.

At one point, while on all fours, she said to go on without her. That she would "catch up."

Then we came upon this sign in the above picture.

Caution 

Ice 

Unsafe.

We were like, DUH! We've almost broken a leg on this stuff.

I love that my mom figured out why we kept seeing deep watery footprints along the trail RIGHT when we snapped this picture.

We were hiking ON BEAR LAKE.

In June!

We scrambled to get to real land.

When we finished the hike we saw some older ladies starting the trail.

One had a walker.

Mom said, with just this eloquence,

"I'm wet! Turn back. I'm wet!"

There is always falling with us.

This is at Fripp this year.

We were trying to watch the sunset when McDaniel hopped on the beachcomber bike I was riding. For some reason she didn't have the momentum to make it up a tiny little bridge and came back down it backwards and crashed in a pretty fascinating tangled up way.

I am looking like a prune face. 

Ellie is dancing in the background. 

Mom is just laughing. 

Dad seems to be the only one truly trying to help McDaniel up.

It was quite a scene.

More to come…