Expert Yogi
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| Being able to see the photos ignites memories that have slipped into the dark recesses of my mind. I am haunted by what has recently been revealed about my family. Perhaps there are clues in the images if I look hard enough.
I fear it will also hurt, maybe even break me, to see those images. Is it a documentation of betrayal and lies or are there kernels of the "real" family there to discover, too?
But I can’t see the photos. Maybe ever again. My brother moved away without a word. Before I knew this, I contacted a company that specializes in scanning photos and film. Just to scan the pages of the photo albums, not each photo, would be nearly $15,000. I knew it would be expensive, but that’s a deal breaker plus size prom dresses for me. It doesn’t include scanning the film or negatives either.
I’m trying to let go of this need to reconnect with my past. I have a very few photos from my childhood. Maybe that’s enough. I can’t fix what’s broken in my family. I have to let go.
Then, a few months ago, my nephew came over. We were going out for dinner, but first he had to bring something into the house for me from my brother. He gave me two HUGE cardboard boxes that contained plastic shoe boxes. Inside each shoe box were a handful of paper envelopes. Inside each envelope were film negatives. ALL the negatives from ALL of the photo albums were in those big boxes. At first, my heart sank. What would I do with negatives? Thankfully after a quick check, they appeared to be in good shape, but how could I ever see the images again?
The boxes sat in my dining brautjungfernkleider room until a few days ago. I knew I couldn’t afford to have the negatives scanned. It would be just as costly to do so, when in truth, I wouldn’t even want every negative scanned because there were plenty of images that were under or over exposed, or just not great photos. The best were printed out and used in the albums, but I have no idea which negatives should be scanned.
Sam and I rented two storage spaces. One was for the contents of his mom’s apartment and one was for our things. We were just about to take the boxes to the storeroom when I had an idea. I have a scanner, but it’s only for paper-or so I thought. I wondered if I could scan the negatives. I figured I’d try before we sealed the boxes and put them away.
I chose a shoe box marked 1966. Inside the first envelope, marked November 1966, were holiday portraits of my dance shoes family. I couldn’t see much detail but the negatives were large, 120mm. Some were color and some black and white. I opened the lid of the scanner and discovered there was a board on the inside cover. I removed it to reveal a second light source. That way the scanner could scan a negative. I was so excited I couldn’t move fast enough to give it a try.
Today’s beautiful wedding is one for the books. Have you ever heard of a surprise wedding? Imagine being a bride-to-be getting ready for a night out at a fancy charity gala complete with celebrities, professional photographers, and gorgeous attire. When you arrive at said event it turns out to actually be your wedding! Fully planned and ready to go.
We can’t even imagine all of the creative planning and deception that went into planning Andrew and Yuliia’s big day but we know it was homecoming dresses a flurry of precise timing, some serious cover ups, and attempts to keep her from googling the fake charity event. Not only did they have to convince the bride to wear a full length wedding-esque gown to the event but they also had to coordinate professional makeup, hair, and nails for the big day. They must have done a great job though since Yuliia did not know it was her wedding day until she stepped out of the car. Whew! What a challenge that must have been.
During the intimate ceremony with family and friends in attendance, the couple incorporated Ukrainian traditions as a nod to the bride’s culture. The couple participated in a tying of the cloth, called a Rushnyk. It is a ritual cloth embroidered with symbols and cryptograms of the ancient world. This particular one was given to Yuliia by her friends at her “girls party” before leaving Ukraine. Following the ceremony guests dined at long tables decked out in velvet mauve linens with with the floral runner centerpiece of our dreams. The abundance of pink and purple flowers has us swooning! After dinner they danced the night away and sailed off in a pretty cool yellow convertible to cap the night. Thank you to Awesomesauce Photography for sharing this romantic surprise home wedding with us today! |
exploring the city for consignment
