This week has been a staycation. I’ve left the train behind for a week, and spent some well deserved time on my own. The oven has never been cleaner or the lamp shades brighter. I have been hunting through the garage for some elusive fabric, only to come up with this, our empty wedding album. With the random acts of cleaning out of the way, I was finally in the right frame of mind to fill the album.

The length of time since out wedding is embarrassing, not because of a child’s birth date or any such scandal, but because it took me 6 ½ years to put the photos in an album.

The photos were all taken by my sister in law as our wedding present. They were on film. This is almost positively retro cool now. I am even more impressed that there is no manipulation, cropping or such. She’s certainly talented.

It has been a lovely series of afternoons putting photos in order, remembering friends I haven’t seen in a long time and reminiscing about a very full and wonderful day. Especially dear to me are the photos of relatives who have passed away, including my mother in law, who died suddenly just weeks before little E was born.

Every year, in the month before our anniversary, I have vowed to finally get the photos in an album. Each year I was foiled by lack of time, lack of album or just that it felt like a chore.

I’m pleased that the time was right. It certainly wasn’t a chore. I’ve poured my self some big cups of tea, gazed in awe at how young we all look and finished the album. Now it’s time to tie a big silver ribbon on it and surprise the rest of the family.