About the Photos

I can't believe I've neglected to post anything about our photo shoot a couple of weeks ago.

Actually, I do know why I didn't mention it. I'll get to that in a minute.

First, the photos.

A while back, I was poking around CraigsList and saw an ad looking for gay and lesbian couples to pose for black and white photographs, in exchange for free prints of the photos.

Ever since I started my journey to gastric bypass surgery, I've been talking about getting some "real" photos taken of us when I reached my goal weight, but we'd not done it yet.

Of course, we could go to Sears or something, but I'd really rather have them taken by someone who's not going to try to pose us like we're sisters. We were considering a lesbian photographer that we know of in CapitalCity, but were waiting til we felt like we could afford that kind of an extravagance.

When I saw this ad, I figured it was a perfect opportunity for us, so I contacted the photographer and set it all up.

It turns out that she's planning to study photography in college and is applying for a scholarship for gay and lesbian themed art.

Her entries included photos of us, photos of a gay male couple and a collage including some of each.

(Good luck!!!)

We met her at a park in CaptialCity, since she lives about an hour from there, in a different direction. It was a beautiful day (back when it was Spring - before it became Winter again) and we spent about an hour walking around the park and posing in a variety of locations, then treated her to lunch.

Shrike says it was a little wierd, but I thought it was fun - kind of like being movie stars!

She sent us proofs a few days later and we're trying to decide which ones we'd like prints of. There are a lot of really good ones.

Now, the reason I didn't mention it before . . . .

I knew that if I talked about the photo shoot, I'd feel obligated to talk about the other thing that happened that day, and I was too upset about it.

Don't worry, it wasn't anything truly awful, but still quite upsetting.

On the way there, we stopped at a gas station to use the restroom, and I took off my rings to wash my hands, putting them in my pocket.

When we got to the park, I put my hands in my pockets, felt my college ring in there and said, "Wow! I'm glad I put them in my pocket, and not on the sink!"

I reached back into my pocket to get my wedding and engagement rings (taped together because they've not been resized since my weightloss) - and the pocket was empty.

I assume that when I pulled my keys out of the pocket at some point, the rings went flying. We were hoping it had happened there at the park (I'd put the keys in, taken them back out, put them back in) but we looked all around the car and didn't find them.

When we finished with the photos, we went back to the gas station, but they weren't there either. I left my phone number and a description with the clerk and placed a "lost and found" ad on the CapitalCity CraigsList, but it's been more than two weeks and I've heard nothing.

The only bright side of the whole thing is that Shrike took it really well and was more worried about comforting me than being mad at me.

I guess that we'll replace them someday, but it just won't be the same.