picture this

"Let's get drunk and hang pictures," I said to Alex last night. I was joking (sort of) but over the years Alex and I have realized that hanging pictures is something we can't do with each other...but we can't do it without each other. I'm the neurotic one. The one who makes the bed every morning and straightens pillows on the sofa. Alex is the one who leaves cabinet doors open and the television on when he leaves the room.

When it comes to hanging pictures, however, our roles are reversed. He gets out the level and the measuring tape while I grab a hammer and nail and eyeball it. I think this Freaky Friday personality switch puts us both on edge, and we end up bickering about how ridiculous the other one is acting. At some point in our lives we found ourselves tipsy while hanging pictures and realized that was the therapy we needed to get through it.

For the past few weeks, I've been plotting a photo wall for the tiny hallway leading from the kitchen to the girls' bedroom. Last night I was ready to put up the stack of pictures that's been sitting on the dining room floor, so after dinner and margaritas it was time to get to work. My idea, as I explained it to Alex, is to "let the photo wall grow organically." Yes--I used those words (Alex chuckled). I don't want it to feel too contrived or thought out. (This is coming from the girl who took three hours to arrange a book shelf.)