25 days

This is me. The one who takes the pictures and writes the words. This is me--un-touched and slightly exhausted on day 25 of my 29 (consecutive) days without Alex. You can see the hole where my nose was once pierced and the freckles that salsa over my cheeks samba across my nose. My hair is brassy and could use a trim. I point out these "flaws" so one reading this doesn't mistakenly think that I think I look hot in this photo. I think I look real in this photo (dry lips and all, even though I strategically left out my graying roots...haha!).

I turned the camera on myself because I wondered how the kids feel with my lens inches from their eyebrows and hovering around unsuspecting corners to capture that thing we call "life." I also realize that when you are the picture-taker there are rarely photos taken of you (especially one where you, the picture-taker, approves the lighting, composition, etc.). My 37 and a-half birthday is on Monday (the day Alex gets home!), so when I'm older and totally gray and more freckled and chapped, the little guys can look back on this picture and think that I wasn't always that old...I used to be just marginally old.