Four Years is Awkward Photos.

Today, Mike and I have been married four years.

Three weeks from today, our baby turns a year old.

Unlike Gabe turning a year old (oh, where did the time goooo?), it feels like it has been far longer than four years ago that I married Mike. I am unsure if that’s a good or bad thing. Heh.

It’s crazy to think how different I am than the me of fours years ago. In fact, we both are such different people then we were four years ago, but thankfully we’ve changed in a lot of the same ways.

Enough ruminating. Let me share some photos with you.

You see, four years ago, I wasn’t much of a wedding planner (still don’t really like planning parties and events. I like the idea, but the execution gives me hives). I didn’t really care much about any of the decisions, so we ended up going with a photographer who was as sweet as could be, but that we chose because his services were half-off in the Entertainment Book.

I didn’t really know a good photo from a bad one, and didn’t much care about my wedding photos, so we picked him blindly. (Lesson #1 in business: You do not want to be the one people are choosing because you’re the cheapest. Because they won’t be choosing you because of your talent and work.) Since I was cheap, we also opted out of getting the digital copies of our photos (for a staggering seventy-five dollars. Oh, Ashley-of-four-years-ago.)

So! Lucky you, I scanned some of the awkwardness to show you. But, don’t worry, I saved many, many good ones to share with you in future years. Like one with Mike on a tractor. Because, duh. Tractors = Mike, right? Every August eleventh shall be Awkward eleventh from now on.

Behold, some gems:

My low-key (lazy) ways meant I didn’t care about engagement photos. So my mom booked an appointment for us a JC Penny. Oh, yes. It the prom-photo-sitting-down. 

The reception was a five-hour dance party (the only thing I really cared about), and I don’t think I left the dance floor once. Okay, maybe once. I danced with cousins, I danced with former babysitting charges, I danced with aunts, I danced with uncles, I danced with sisters, I danced with friends. I ended the night dancing to “SexyBack” by JT, naturally.

Just look at my face in this photo, though. Ai. Now that is bringing sexy back.  (I wore my aunt’s dress, which happily fit me like a glove and needed no tailoring!)

Not so much awkward as it is an homage to my lovely little ring which is no more. (Note: I was such a low-key/lazy bride I didn’t even polish my nails.) (Our wedding bands are made from recycled gold. And we even purchased the offered carbon-offsets because we’re yuppie hippies like that.)

I saved the best for last. I don’t even have words.

(Actually, I do. Of course: I was wearing Mike’s coat because I was cold. And he thought *this* would make a good photo that he could submit to photography magazines. It’s more likely to be making me giggle over how much Mike looks like he hates his life here. Smiling for the camera, what a good sport.)

Thanks for being such a fun guy, Mike. (Not a mushroom. Har har.) (Our His favorite joke.)

Here’s to many more awkward photos!