the 1st annual hypothetical awards ceremony

hypothetically speaking, if i were to host an awards ceremony for the fantastic clients i work with each week, i know exactly how the evening would progress.  i would start off the night with a bang by leading with humor (that's what all good hosts do, right?).  i imagine i would share about how when i was in moultrie shooting with some of the SWEETEST friends ever, i was preparing an early morning breakfast in the lobby of my hotel before alicia's session when a precious 120-something-year-old gentleman came up behind me and whisper-yelled, "honey, i think you've got a problem."

there aren't many statements that can illicit feelings of terror like that one can.  especially when said 120-something-year-old clearly hadn't remembered to put his hearing aid in that morning, so the whole lobby heard his concern and turned their attention my direction.  he followed with a gentle tug on something behind my back which turned out to be the $12.99 ross tag that was hanging off of my new dress.  (i've heard it said that nothing conveys, "i'm an amazing photographer" like clothes that were bought for a price ending in 99¢.) 

after the self-deprecating humor of the evening, i would move on to something a little more dramatic.  i would tell the audience of how on our way back to birmingham at the end of the weekend, i decided that i really wanted to squeeze a little science lesson into the trip (i am a homeschooling momma, after all), so i pulled off on the side of the highway, grabbed my camera out of the trunk of the van, and tossed my little people into a cotton field for some hands-on learning.

we hung out for a bit chatting about growing cotton, harvesting cotton, and making clothes with cotton, but we were on a schedule to get josh back in time for his class at church so we had to quickly load everybody up and jump back on the road.

"oh no!"  
"AAGGHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
"stop! stop!" 

i, in all my brilliance, had opened the trunk to take out my camera...but forgot to close the trunk when we left.  that's right, all sorts of luggage and photography stuff went flying out of the car and onto the highway.  when i looked in my rearview mirror and saw a black bag curiously the same size as my camera bag lying face-down and dirty 50 yards back, i almost passed out.  really.  thankfully, come to find out, it was only my toiletry bag.

my makeup will never be the same.

but then, of course, i would get to the part of the night that everyone came for -- the awards.  i haven't thought out my hypothetical awards ceremony much beyond this point, but i can tell you this one thing...

the award for the jolliest baby would certainly go to THOMAS!



(time for a commercial break...so sorry.  but don't worry, i'll be back with lots more of our winner very, very soon.)