Wedding Albums

     While un-decorating yesterday I had to climb up to reach to take some things down. While I was up there I took down my wedding album. You know those great big books all us married people have. We spent a whole bunch of money on this great book of pictures for our special day. How often do you really take it down or drag it out to look at? Seriously? Probably not even once a year. There was so much dust on mine. I'm sure it hasn't been moved since I placed it there, on the top of my huge bookcase in the living room, since that room became the living room, about 3 years ago.
     Now I don't think any of us are going to forget our wedding day. These pictures in these albums won't necessarily bring up other memories of the day as say candids might. Which is why I have two albums. One was all the professional shots. The other is all the candids everyone took at the reception with the cameras on their tables. It's those pictures that when I look at I remember the stories, either first hand or how it was told to me after asking about the photo. It was my wedding after all and there was plenty going on that I missed.
    I'm not thrilled with how I look in my wedding album. That, I'm sure, keeps me from looking at it more. I was heavier then than I am now. Sure only about 25lbs heavier by now. But a few years ago it was 55. Just knowing that fact annoys me. I want to get back there. Seeing me even heavier does not help the self image much you know. But I flipped through the pages of my book a bit and thought how I'd have to take it down when the kids were home from school next time. They'd surely get a kick out of seeing it. As I write that I'm not sure Emily or Jake have ever seen it at all. The boys of course were there for it but who knows what and how they remember it.
     My album also reminds me of before I ever even had it made. In recognition of my upcoming nuptuals the women I worked with at the library thought it'b be fun if they all brought in their own albums. I'm not even sure who came up with the idea, but it was a great one! It caught on like wildfire. For a good few weeks in the spring of 2001 the library break room was covered in wedding albums. We did try to keep them away from the table and anyone eating. We had so much fun trying to figure out whose album was whose. Many were 20 or more years old. Boy can people change. Although some were easily figured out others were quite hard. The styles of dress and hair were just so much fun to see from the different times. And the types of wedding. Whether formal or informal eveyone still had an album of pictures. How could you not? I'll never forget how much fun it was looking at everyone elses' albums. I liked it and remembered it often enough that I'd hoped to try to get them to do it again this year for my 10th wedding anniversary. Guess I won't be getting that chance.
     I keep my album in it's box up high and safe. I don't want it to be wrecked or ruined. Maybe once there really are no more babies in this house on an almost daily basis it'll come out for show more often. Or at least be moved to a more accessible place for more possible viewings. It was a good happy day. No matter what size my dress was. One that shouldn't be tucked neatly away in a box in the corner of a room. Marriage certainly isn't. Why should the wedding, what started it all, be. Besides remembering that perfect day (how you got to where you are with that person there beside you) may help you on those not so perfect days.