Remember When

We were out all day yesterday shooting Josh and Stefanie's wedding, and at the end of our time with them they invited us to leave the cameras and just come and join the celebration at the reception. We brought a camera anyway, because seeing a beautiful moment and not capturing it would be somehow like a sin to me, and I'd be kicking myself for a week if I didn't bring it. Me at a reception without a camera is just unnatural. :)
So Kari and Abby and her friend were sitting at the table, and Abby was excited as a 6-year-old girl could possibly be because there were pink cupcakes, M&M's and Hershey Kisses just sitting out on the tables in endless supply, and of course, she thought the fountain of punch was the best ever "kid-wine" she'd ever tasted.
"It just goes on and on forever!" she beamed.
Then she proceeded to make everyone at the table, and also the bride, a pink bracelet out of ribbon, all before hitting the dance floor.

I was all wrapped up with taking pictures, having fun in my own way. But I only brought 1 camera and no bag, no gear, no nothing, so when my flash died I was forced to pry it from my hands and just relax like everyone else at the party.

The first thing I did was go cut-in and dance with my daughter. We had 2 dances and then the DJ announced that he wanted to have everyone out on the dancefloor who was married. Alan Jackson's song, Remember When, began to play.
I told my little girl we'd better go sit this one out and make room for the couples, but instead she ran straight at me and literally locked her arms around my legs. She stepped up on my feet with her little toes and looked straight up at me.

"Honey, this dance is just for the married people, silly."
She just smiled, "Well we're married."
I laughed, "That's silly. How can I be married to you? You're my Peanut and Mommy is already married to me? Who would Mommy be married to then?"
"She can just be married to Logan!"
So she kept on hugging me and she told me how much she loved me for another minute, slow dancing on top of my feet in a full embrace. I told her that there was one thing I was sure of, whoever she decided to grow up and marry had better be a heck of a better man than me.
She got very upset at that, and wrinkled her face into a scowl and said, "Noooo Daddy! The only man I'm going to marry will have the last name Elliott, and the first name Daniel, and he'll have a studio."

I had no camera, and if those batteries in that flash hadn't died, I probably would have just kept on shooting and missed that gift. There's no glorious image to post proudly on the blog. Just a memory that I'll take with me. I wrote it here, just to read now and then, and remember when...