Living Life: To Click or Not to Click?

Brooke, 2, & Kinley, 4 (almost 5!)

The only photo I took on Thanksgiving Day was of Brent's first-ever smoked turkey. And I took it with my cell phone, so it wasn't all that great. Let me clarify: The photo wasn't great. It was the best turkey we've ever had, but I still didn't get my good camera out of the case.

Instead of clicking the camera shutter, I read a dozen library books - literally - to two little girls. I read some of them two or three times. (Who knew Bill Peet's Encore for Eleanor would be such a hit? I read every word for Kinley.  Brooke and I developed our own shortened version, which she then "read" the same way every time.)

I helped Kinley figure out how to make paper crowns out of coloring book pages. (You have to improvise at Uncle Brent's. We were lucky he had tape.)

Instead of searching for bargains on Black Friday in Topeka, I read some more. We also colored with sparkle glue that mommies like to leave in the craft box but Grandmas are willing to make a mess with. I also played with dollies and helped a girl become a princess.

I may have sworn off heels, but I can help a girl who thinks they are a necessity when wearing a fancy purple princess dress.

As it turns out, princesses are also interested in photography.

 

Even though Brooke kept pushing the button trying to connect the camera to wi-fi, she managed to take more shots than I did on Friday. (Don't tell her that I deleted the majority of them.)

I took some photos of Kinley and Brooke on the porch of their house before we went off on our big adventure - seeing "Finding Dory" at the discount movie theater.

Brooke only lasted half-way through before we sent out an SOS to Mommy to come and pick her up. As she told Jill, "It was dark in there." It was good while the popcorn lasted.

I didn't swear off the camera all together. I took a few photos at the K-State game. We don't often get the flags on our end of the football field, but I was ready this week to line up the flags with the K-State image in reverse on the football field.

I recorded the celebration after Bill Snyder's 200th win, and my favorite photo was this one that showed two of the quarterbacks at the end of the line as the team worked its way around the stadium, greeting fans.

But I only took 35 photos the whole weekend. It's not unusual for me to take twice that number (or more) on a family-filled weekend.

I saw a cartoon in which one character complained to the other, "I hate how people take pictures instead of just enjoying the view. Documenting your life distracts you from living it." (I'm not going to show the actual cartoon because there is some unnecessary bad language.)

The other character says, "Trying to take a picture makes me pay more attention to it. Some of my best adventures are built around trying to photograph something."

I have a little bit of both those people in me. Sometimes, it's more important to read those books or make a mess with glitter glue.

And sometimes it's important to capture a moment - whether it's sisters hugging on the front porch or a beautiful start to a new day. 

I think there's room for both. Who says I can't have a split personality?