I started at Christmas. I wanted a date during the summer that we could schedule a family portrait. This is no easy feat with a family of twenty-two. We needed to work around school schedules, job schedules, vacation schedules, child custody schedules, and anything else they threw in. By mid-January I was able to call the photographer, pay the deposit and schedule the photo session.
Then I had my heart incident. As soon as I could catch my breath in the ER, I made my husband promise to have this portrait done whether I was there or not. I might have been a little crazy.
We were scheduled for sunrise on Sunday August 2 which worked around teens with summer jobs and sports. Then my daughter's best friend scheduled a wedding the night before and we had to move to evening. With lots of recontering we managed to move 22 schedules to make it work, even with the out-of-towners. And the photographer's schedule so I guess 23 people's schedules.
The day dawned and the photographer started texting. We did not have a venue large enough to put all of us indoors. The sun was shining too brightly during the day with storms forecast in the evening. We ended up moving the session up by one hour and did have heavy winds.
Luckily my photographer is magic and not only was able to get 22 people looking at the camera at the same moment with their eyes open, but they all had a pleasant expression on their faces too. She actually provided 61 finished proofs of this menagerie, but I only needed this one. She gave us separate family groups, girls vs boys, grandkids, the OGs, and more.
I am so grateful that everyone was able to show up and they all looked so nice. My anxiety was through the roof (for no reason, I get like that) and this will probably be the last time I will be able to gather them all in the same spot at one time. There are two college students in the bunch, two more rapidly approaching college and it is just getting more and more tricky to sync these schedules.
Oooh Miss Merry! It turned out so great! I can relate because we're doing the same thing. I don't have as many as you and the grands are younger so it's a little easier. However, we're dealing with a son and DIL from out of state. We had it all set up for a few weeks from now, trying to make sure everyone has clothes that go together and now we pray the weather cooperates.
ReplyDeleteYours was worth it and I'm happy for you!
This makes me so happy, what a monumental task…and you did it! You have a gorgeous family and the photo is perfect, those smiles..such a happy story. Congratulations! And the picture in the restaurant, special too. Well done you. Relax and enjoy and be well and stay awesome. xo, Virginia
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Enjoyed the backstory, loved the family photo Miss Merry! You have a beautiful family, my gosh it's big!! You & Mr. Merry have a lot to love and be proud of, thanks for sharing :^)
ReplyDeleteMiss Merry, Your SIL who got long covid is here too, I'm guessing? I really do like this big family photo, it's super special ❤️👍
DeleteYes! He is the second guy from the left.
DeleteDear Miss Merry, your photos are beautiful! I am so glad that you did this! And I hope your anxiety has lessenend...I totally understand, big events can do this to anyone! Thank you so much for sharing, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo!! Glad you could make it happen!
ReplyDeleteWow! Getting 22 people together in one place really is an achievement in itself. After all that planning and rearranging, I’m so glad it worked out. This is one of those photos that will only become more precious as the years go by. Liuba x
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo that commemorates this moment in your lives! I recently had to take a lot of old photos out of frames...there are still many left that will be stored because I can't hang anything on these walls. So I shared the plastic bags of old photos, which included some rescued from albums which were tossed rather than moved across the county! My son got a kick out of seeing them, and shared with his wife and myself some stories I didn't know about. The richness of making these remarkable notations of our lives is immeasurable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful photo! You have a lovely family. I have hopes of getting this done someday, but things are just too crazy with our kids right now-I doubt if we could find a time that everyone could be in one place!
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful family and it's amazing that you could make all the logistics and changes work to set it up.
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely fantastic -- a beautiful photo (all are wonderful) and the joy of all being together. This is just the best.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful keepsake memory. Who suggested the matching denim colors? What a good photographer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a large family you have! Beautiful photo, and nobody blinked.
ReplyDeleteThat's impressive to coordinate that many schedules! No wonder you started at Christmas!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great photo and sounds like it was a great day as well.
Miss Merry, I just came across this post and love it. I don't know how you were able to do this... getting that many people together with everyone's schedules and lives... you are magic. I would love to do this, but we are scattered all over the U.S. Can't imagine it would be possible... but you gave me hope of the possibility. Lovely pic!
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