Modern Day Shoe Box

I guess you would consider this to be the modern day equivalent to finding an old shoe box in a closet stuffed with past photos of yourself. An old external hard drive that I thought I had lost, and/or was dead... but I indeed stumbled upon it and was able to get it mounted and I'm glad that I did. They aren't 80's pre teen me showing off my ill sweat suit and sideways hat, but some go back 7 years, and it feels like forever ago.  Like...

Rachel surprised me in early 2007 with a trip to Pittsburg so we could go to the Warhol Museum.

How about a kiss, later that year, at her Bridal Shower. (yes I crashed the party with flowers)

A video while we were in France on our Honeymoon.  (excuse my curse at the end, I wasn't a dad yet)

Glad that I have this photo again to remind me of the best meal that I have ever had in my life (Giverny, France)

This old gem (sorry, only could find this edited version)...

Pictures we took of the first time we saw our house...

There are a ton of oldies and goodies on here, but the most important of all were... OUR WEDDING PHOTOS!!! My wife would have KILLED me if I lost them. 

I think in the year since my Daughter was born I have taken more photos than the 33 years before that. I'm glad that I didn't lose this portion of our lives, it was great to open up that drive and re-explore those times again. 

Archives

Adeline will be six months old this week, and boy is the "it goes by so fast" statement that I've heard so many times is ringing so true. At least the one hundred or more folders full of pictures on my computer are there when I feel that I'm losing time... and as I type I'm pausing in between sentences to look back. I'm not getting too much further than the 10/17/10 and 10/18/10 folders. These are the first 24 hours of us and Adeline. In the very room that I am sitting right now is where Rach and I saw her for the first time, I see photos of the pool with Rachel calmly wading staring at me with more Love than I have ever felt as I take her photo. Candles light up some photos of rachel and I as children.

Photos of Rachel in the middle of "rushes" looking more beautiful than ever, and the definition of strength and peacefulness. The birthing pool in this photo shows that it was in the corner where our French chair is now. A photo timestamped at 11:55pm shows our midwife hovered over us (I am now in the pool sitting behind Rachel holding her). Which was only minutes before this picture was taken...

And that photo was taken about 10 seconds before I turned into a crying mess (in a happy way, obviously). The feeling that I had that day hasn't faded, Rachel and Addy are my everyday joy and happiness, and that last sentence was written about 2 seconds before I once again had tears of love.
And it just my be because I saw this photo again.