The Almost Not So Happiest Place on Earth

I like to believe that most people, in the very core of their spirit are good and nice. Yesterday, I almost changed my mind.

We met up with one of my life's most creative and talented geniuses, Jessica Claire, our family photographer and great friend. I love her for several reasons. (I told her all of this as we casually strolled Disneyland yesterday.)
1. She is comfortable in her own skin, which makes someone so beautifully confidant. I love this quality about her. It makes me want to be with her all the time because she is so refreshingly comfortable with who she is.
2. She is always willing to help other people without thinking of herself. Last year she shot 3 weddings for free! To me, that's just, well, stupid, ;)(Jess, you better be laughing right now.) but, she is much more selfless than I.
3. She is gorgeous. even though her clothes don't always match.(Jess, you should be laughing at that too.) BUT I LOVE THAT ABOUT HER TOO! She chooses things that someone else wouldn't select and really, truly, makes them work. She is a walking fashion plate.
4. She loves color. In all aspects of her life. Her fashion sense, her career, her personality, everything. She loves color for the sake of color. When I see bright things, I think of her. She is a bright light in this world.
5. She is honest, but it never hurts your feelings. You know how you can sometimes make a suggestion and it is shot down and you feel like you are dumb and can't do anything right? She shoots ideas down all the time, but you still feel loved. How does she do that? It's magical.
6. She is totally accepting and tolerant of all people and interests. I especially appreciate her feelings on faith and religion. She is totally open minded and accepting. This, I love.
7. She is genuinely good and nice.
That's why when we thought she had lost her new iphone at Disneyland yesterday, I felt sick. One, that it had been lost during our shoot and two, how was I going to get the money to help her buy a new one.:)

After we rode the tea cups for the third time (I don't recommend that to anyone. Those of you who have been following know my tolerance for such action. I went on the ride under no Dramamine influence. You can imagine the rumble I was feeling.) we decided we needed a little rest. We stopped on a bench nearby. Gunnar and I made a break for the bathroom and J and Jess rested and check-out the pictures. After, we decided to take a ride on the Jungle Cruise. (Umm, the current theme of play at our house, see post below, required said ride.) We were 2 seconds into the ride and Jess realizes her new, expensive, pimped-out iphone is missing. A MISSING PHONE AT DISNEYLAND!! What are the chances that we would be able to find it? I felt like throwing up. (I literally did, but I am using this figuratively now too.) The Jungle Cruise went on for 6 years. It felt like an eternity, with the seconds ticking by like oozing molasses. The only one oblivious to the pending tragedy was Gunnar, who finally decided to do some smiling. (He was difficult at the beginning of the shoot. That's another thing I love about Jess, she was so good to remind me to let him do his thing, that it was ok if he wasn't always smiling. Thanks for the perspective, Jess.) Before docking we had created a plan: Jaren would go back to the bench, and Jess, Smalls (Gunnar), and I would go to City Hall(lost and found) to see if someone, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, had turned in this precious piece of equipment. (In her profession her cell phone really is vital.) While we were walking there Jess and I were talking about the chances of it having really been turned in. I told her that hopefully the most morally conscious person had found it and that he/she was teaching his/her children a significant lesson on integrity by turning it in. The other voice in my head thought, yea right, you are at Disneyland, every type of person comes here, and it's an IPHONE, only one of the hottest items on the market right now. If the phone had been stolen it would have been safe to say that Disneyland is definatly not the happiest place on earth!
THE PHONE WAS TURNED IN! There are good and honest people in this world. I knew it all along. ;) Here's a shout-out to the person that turned in the phone. That was really nice of you; thanks for proving that honesty and integrity still exists.
Our shoot was fun and Jessica, of course, got some outstanding shots and memories of our family. I am so thankful for her patience, talent, perspective, and friendship.

The following pictures are being posted on this blog courtesy of the ever so generous Jessica Claire, see what I mean? She is so stinkin' nice.

Here's some highlights from before we almost lost the phone:

Downtown Disney is perfect right now for some holiday shots!!
Gunnar was enchanted by almost every store. What a good little shopper; I have trained him well.

Poor Jaren. Lucky Gunnar.

He was playing with a canon. Of course he was smiling. See yesterday's post.

Have I ever told anyone that I took modeling classes in the 7th grade? I did. No lie.

Hello little puppy. That's your mom in the background mentally pucking her brains out.

Disneyland: The Un-Fun Zone.

Check out more pictures at jess's site.