Life in Pictures.

I take a lot of pictures. For example, currently on Facebook I have 161 ALBUMS. Each album has at least 60 pictures, but most of my albums are nearing the 200 limit. And, in addition, there are over 2,600 pictures tagged of me. This is not a brag fest. I have a point…

Sometimes people will make comments about the fact that I have too many pictures, or so many pictures, or “holy-crap-you-have-a-sh*t-ton-of-pictures.” People will comment that I should just sit back and relax instead of trying to document whatever event I’m experiencing through pictures.

I say no.

Not only do I just love the art of photography and the whole notion of “pictures really CAN be worth 1000 words,” I take pictures now because prior to the age of 17, I didn’t really take very many. And it’s getting hard to remember.

[I’m about to get just a wee personal.]

Most of you reading this know that my mom died when I was 17. I was a senior in high school, she was 55 years old. Yesterday I spent close to 3 hours going through old photo albums that I found trying to remember. The fact is, although this was 8 years ago, there’s a part of me that feels like I’m starting to forget things… the little things. Sure, I remember big events, overarching themes, and large characteristics of her, but I’m forgetting her laugh and her smile, and the little times spent together.

I have very few regrets in life. In fact, I don’t really believe in “regrets” – I believe in “things not done.” The one thing I could possibly classify as a regret would be this: In all of my pictures from age BIRTH to 17, I have very, very, VERY few photos of my mom and me in my teenage years. Such a simple thing, yet I never captured any of those moments. What I would do for a picture of my mom and me the night we went to the N*SYNC concert and she crimped her hair and wore pleather pants. Sure the pictures are “in my head,” but for me, it isn’t the same.

Today is my mom’s birthday. She would have been 63. She loved Diet Coke in a giant 44oz. jug (like mother like daughter), sugar free Dole Popsicles,  Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, and chocolate cake. Oh, she also loved those fruit and yogurt parfaits from McDonalds. I can’t tell you how many times I had to go get her one of those at like 3AM because she needed it right then and there.

She also loved pictures. She never wanted to forget anything. She remembered everything. And well, like mother like daughter, I want to remember everything. So I’m going to keep taking a ton of pictures.

So, in honor of the “coolest mom who ever lived’s” birthday, I finally scanned some of the greats.

It’s okay to miss those we have loved and lost – as long as we remember.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Word.