Photo-tography.

I once knew someone who called it that. Funny now I can't remember who but in all the wedding photos I've drowned in these last few days, I've been thinking lots about pictures.

Yes - we got our photos back. Anyone who is my friend on FB saw them, "liked" them, and has since moved on with their life. I, on the other hand, have been logging on incessantly so I can see who liked them & continue struggling to decide if I have fallen in love with any in particular yet.

See, here's the thing: our photo-tographer did an awesome job. She took 700+ photos in 8 hours and got them edited and on a disk for me, in my hands in about a month, and left for the hospital to give birth to her first child - a sweet little girl named Layla.

I, on the other hand, can't get over the silly little fact that I got married under the Big Top. Yes, I took a huge risk in saying "outdoor wedding". I took an even larger risk saying "December". But we were prayerful. Actually, to the point of pleading. Then, two days before the big day, I called our rental company and booked a tent because it was too late to book a real venue with our plans of dance floors and music and adult beverages.

Ladies, don't be like me. I was adamant God would bless us with beautiful weather. He absolutely blessed us a million other ways that day (and many days since) but if you're planning outdoor, have a back-up you love just as much. It's worth the money.

I'm also struggling with the whole "you absolutely do NOT look pregnant in your dress!" argument I keep getting from my mom (thanks, Mom) and my bridesmaids (who are legally bound to tell me I looked pretty). Fortunately, my HUSBAND will be honest with me and while he refuses to use the term "pregnant", he will admit the way the dress lies in some shots isn't the most flattering. Thank you, darling husband, for affirming me. Glad I worked as hard as I did, ran as much as I did, and lost the weight to still look preggo.

The thing about photos is they're meant to preserve a moment - a day - a part of life that is sometimes more difficult for us to recall down the road. I had dreams of the perfect, beautiful wedding photo where I look like I'm glowing, Calvin is smiling at me, and we're under a canopy of white lights, standing on a dance floor with a breeze in my curls and music in my memory.

Until we decide to renew our vows, that photo doesn't exist anywhere but in my mind. And when that happens, I'll likely be 25lbs heavier (due to imminent child-bearing - so I really will legitimately look pregnant in my dress), 25 years older, and 25 years happily married to my best friend.

Which is really what matters most at the end of the day, right? Our wedding day was truly wonderful - we laughed, I cried, and the memory of the rain pouring down on that tent when Calvin spoke his vows to me will be a memory I cherish always because my mom, again, in her infinite wisdom, told me rain on your wedding day isn't only a blessing, but it's the teardrops from heaven - tears from all the people who loved us and couldn't be there with us (thanks, Mom).

Photo-tography. A way to capture a second - a look - and keep a timeline of God's plans for us. Many beautiful moments were captured that day... Moments I didn't recall until I saw the photos. They're a reminder that life isn't always perfect, things never go as I plan, and God always has a better choice than I do.