PHOTO Mania

Well, Sunday was a real milestone for us: Engagement pictures. As I recall, I insisted on negotiating with our photographer to get "free" engagement pictures. My theory was that because our wedding ceremony and reception are at the same place, and I was NOT willing to gallavant around town with Jeff before the ceremony, all of our pictures will be in the same place. It seemed boring and flat and unedgy. When we hired our photographer, the amazing Jennifer Mordini (recommendation from Mary B.N.), we ended up with the engagement pictures.

Which one of us do you think was the MOST annoyed we had to get up and do this on Sunday? Yes, me!! (The answer is almost always me. It is, after all, my blog.)

I laid my clothes out on the bed (seen above) and allowed Jeff to have access to the sacred rite of picking out my clothes. If we can survive that, we can survive anything. And I mean ANYTHING. The morning was cloudy -- almost a foggy cloudy-- and we got a voicemail from Jennifer asking us if we want to go through with it. (I am thinking people should learn how to phrase that a little more gently as we inch closer to the aisle!) It was totally nervewracking to find clothes that were not too trendy or distracting or uncomfortable or cold or hot or dorky-- I didn't want to hide my body, but I didn't want to look like Jeff's slutty fiance, either. Just so you know, what I am describing is a hard outfit to put together.

But, we did it. We got out the door and met up with Jennifer at Millenium Park, and we rocked it. Jennifer did the most brilliant thing she could have ever done. When she first met up with us, she mentioned that she will take the pictures, but the connection and love between me and Jeff is up to us to show her. She explained that she can't create that with the camera, she can only capture it. Then her brilliant stroke: "I hope you guys are more animated than the couple I shot yesterday."

What do you think I heard in that? COMPETITION! I decided right then and there that Jeff and I would be most un-self-conscious and animated couple that Jennifer or Chicago or the whole universe has ever seen. Note to anyone who wants me to do something: make it a competition. Tell me someone did it better or that I have a chance to be the best. Tap into the infinite reserve of ego and ambition inside of me. Manipulate it and I will perform like the winning pooch in Best in Show. Every single time.

Even with my maniacal drive to be the valedictorian of engagement pictures, Jeff and I had a blast. We pawed each other, played in a fountain (or two), stood on the median of Michigan Avenue and mugged for 1.5 hours all over downtown Chicago. I kissed Jeff more during that photo shoot than of all the cumulative days we have spent together. It was really fun. The bright side of my competitive nature is that once I set my mind on a task-- on WINNING a task-- I do actually become un-self-conscious. Once we got rolling I didn't spend any extra time or energy worrying if my hair looked ok or if my outfit was right. I was a little worried about how my jeans didn't really stay put and I am not excited about seeing my unmentionables in a picture down the road, but it was a really happy time because I wasn't thinking all about me. I was in the moment with Jeff and Jennifer got to capture it.

Let's hope she does better than we did when we were practicing in the kitchen before heading downtown!

These are my "come hither" eyes.

This is my healthy tongue!

Jeff's healthy and fat tongue!