Yesterday was quite the day!  For those of you who don’t know, I returned to work yesterday for the first time since taking off 3 months maternity leave.  Most certainly this presented me with a mixture of emotions (the tears came the night before).  There was, in the forefront, an overwhelming sense of sadness because I was no longer going to be able to spend the entire day with my babies; no more story time on Tuesdays, no more trips to the Knoxville beach on Thursdays, no more coffee break with Anthony’s grandmother on any day of the week, no more mid-day market square farmer’s market trips…ugh~  But, knowing this day was coming, and I have to work and earn a paycheck, there was a sense of relief that we were embarking upon getting back into the normal, everyday routine of Norris-family life.  I was also really looking forward to my photo session I had scheduled for after work!  This was going to be fun!  An old middle school/high school friend of mine had contacted me asking me to do some family pictures and, of course, I was thrilled!  Suz and her hubby are the best!  Super funny and super laid back.  Their son, Max, is just the perfect combination of the two of them.  I was pretty sure this evening was going to be a blast, no real stress because it’s with friends, right?!  Eh, maybe not.

In my mind, I had mapped out exactly the locations I wanted to take them (an old Methodist church, an old school-house, an abandoned building, an underpass, and then on to an open field with plenty of beautiful weed-flowers).  We made it to our second location when I asked Max to jump off this (literally) two-foot tall loading dock.  “I’m gonna get a running start so I can jump real high!”  “Ok Max, that sounds awesome!”  Jump.  Slide on gravel.  Fall to his knees.  Stitches in the ER.  No.  Joke!  Can I tell you, with the emotions from the night before, dreading leaving my children to now hurting someone else’s child (thankfully a friend’s child) I was done!  I mean, seriously, who does this happen to?  Certainly no “professional photographer” I’ve ever spoken to.

In their attempts to pull me out of my own self-pity, Rick (Max’s dad) is texting back and forth with me.  Rick:  Next photo shoot, want me to bring a billy club or a harpoon?  Me:  Real stitches?  Rick:  Yeah.  You should have followed us here and kept taking pictures.  Will he look weird in knee and arm pads and a helmet for our next photo shoot?  He just passed out from the pain and is writhing on the floor.  He keeps yelling, “spare me from this turmoil and anguish.”  But he’ll be fine.

Rick, Suz, and Max – I am truly sorry, but I have a GREAT idea for when we reschedule…picture it, chinese sky lanterns… Oh yeah!!!

PS.  I nailed the shot of Max jumping!!!