a picture is worth a thousand words...and a thousand dollars.

as i get older, my opinion on a few things has changed.

one of those is spending money.

in high school and college, spending money on lower quality things (mostly clothes) but getting more of them was ideal. now, spending more money but not having as many sounds so much better. that may simply be a result of the fact that cheap (read: junior's section) just doesn't look good on me anymore.

in the same vein, i think there are a few things in life worth spending a decent amount of money on.

one of those is photography for life's greatest events. my wedding photographer was one of the most important costs of my wedding because, while my wedding dress is in my closet, my flowers have long since died and most of my guests couldn't tell you whether the music was live or recorded, the pictures from the event are still on my coffee table as well as on the walls in more than one home. once your wedding is over, it's over. forever. you can't go back to it. and, in theory, there won't be another one. the photos are very important. spend the money.

well, your first child is only a newborn once. so when your mother-in-law offers to pay the sitting fee for an incredible four-session package at a really fabulous photographer - do it! sure, you'll have to travel to san angelo to have them made, and you'll have to pay excessively for the prints. but how many times is your first child a newborn?

once.

our appointment to see the proofs of ellie's first session in "a baby story" is tomorrow in san angelo. she and i are flying there to hang out for a couple days and check out the photos. landon can't come so the photographers posted a slideshow of the photos online so he could pick some favorites before i go to make the final decision.

can i just say, i would pay $5,000 for these photos. they are a-ma-zing. i can't get over it.

go here to see them.

and get your child's photos taken at great expectations in san angelo.

(clicking that link will take you to a page that requires you to download a plug-in to see the slideshow. it's OK. do it. and if you have a mac, it won't work. i'm sorry.)