Oh, How Time Flies

When Ted and I were in high school and had our senior pictures taken, we had a 20 minute appointment, and that was it. Now it's a TWO HOUR appointment!

This coming Saturday Alex will have his senior portraits taken. Yes, they now refer to them as portraits. Joey had this done almost 4 years ago, and I was surprised at how different things were. Obviously I had totally put it all out of my mind after the fact, because now I'm just really amazed at how serious of an issue this is.

We're to arrive 15 minutes early to get all the paperwork completed, even though we already received a couple of pages in the mail to fill out ahead of time. We'll also have to select the "special effects" backgrounds that we would like to use. Alex will need to arrive wearing his first outfit, so they can immediately get started after the paperwork is completed. Yes, that was his FIRST outfit...the first of FIVE.

When I made the appointment, I was also asked if he would be bringing any props along with him. Alex had told me that he wants some shots with the guitars, so we will be bringing along a total of 6 or 7 guitars. And that is exactly why Ted is going along too. I know nothing guitars. Nor do I want to be the one hauling all these guitar cases into the studio. It will be enough for me to handle the garment bag.

Which brings up another thing...FIVE OUTFITS??? We have two figured out for sure. We're definitely going with a formal look, with the black suit that he got for his cousin Kelly's wedding two years ago. Thank goodness it still fits and looks nice on him! I just dropped it off at the cleaners this morning, so it will be in good shape. He tried it on a couple of weeks ago and I was really quite surprised that it fit as well as it did. Of course I better knock on wood, because Saturday is still five days away, and he could still grow a few inches.

Another "look" he wants is the jeans/guitar shirt to go with his guitars. He's a huge AC/DC fan and has at least 10 t-shirts with either them or some other guitarist or just guitars on the front. He needs to decide which one he'll be wearing, so that I can make sure that it looks okay...no stains or wrinkles. But heck, that's the style these days, so who would even notice??

I told him he needs some kind of a sweater to wear with khaki pants. He seems to think that he has all the time in the world to pick something out, but he doesn't. He went to the mall about a week ago, looking for a sweater and they still didn't have them out. The ONE time that I want them to get their fall/winter stuff out early....they DON'T. Maybe this week something will be out. Otherwise, he may have to dig through his winter clothes to see if he can find one from last year.

And that leaves two outfits yet to named.

He was always so picky about his clothes. He went through about a 6 or 7 year time when he refused to wear jeans, and didn't even own a pair that fit. He had to have certain shirts too, in certain colors, along with specific shoes AND only certain kinds of socks. The entire family referred to him as "Mr. GQ" for quite a long time.

He's relaxed a little on his clothes, thank goodness. But all winter long, it's hoodies, with the "right" t-shirt underneath. That's right folks...the "right" shirt that NO ONE WILL SEE. Thank goodness he's been working the past few summers and can contribute to his clothing collection a little.

Anyway, I can remember having my senior pictures taken like it was yesterday. I also recall that my parents paid somewhere around $100 for what they ordered. We paid around $800 for Joey's, and I have a strong suspicion that Alex's will be closer to $900.

Now don't get me wrong. We were extremely pleased with Joey's pictures, and I'm sure we will be with Alex's too. If it takes two hours, five outfits, and $800-$900 to get those wonderful shots, then that's okay. For that kind of money, we can go all day long if necessary!

That's okay though...we've been blessed with good kids and are thankful for that. Senior pictures, excuse me, senior portraits, and all the other things that go along with being a senior in high school only come around once in a lifetime, so it's all worth it.

But I may need to be reminded of that by the time the graduation party rolls around next May!