My grandparents were married 49 happy years. When they were originally wed they had a small little ceremony - if you can call it that - and lived the rest of their lives relentlessly caring for one another. My pap was the backbone of our family, my nana the heart.
Nana was excited to have a 50th year anniversary and her ideas were slowly turning into a vow renewal. She wanted a party and flowers and pictures - that was my job. I knew they deserved something special and as a Disney lover I knew their story reminded me of another - the story of the married couple from Up!
If you haven't seen the movie, to sum it up, two young children meet at the beginning of the movie and become friends over their love for adventure. They make plans to travel to South America like their adventurer idol. As they get older, they get married, buy a house, ultimately try for a child but cannot have any, and live out their days still happily in love, doing everything together (this is the part that rings most like my grandparents) and setting their sights on their original adventure of traveling to Paradise Falls. The theme was perfect. I wanted to do an Up! Photoshoot with my grandparents for their anniversary - balloons, antique camera, suit cases, Adventure Book, and all.
This was meant to be a love story.
Unfortunately, the pictures never happened and neither did my grandparents' anniversary. My pap, our family's backbone, passed away unexpectedly before their 50th anniversary was able to arrive and we have all been left heartbroken. And I couldn't help but be disappointed that we missed the chance to have their special photoshoot.
But as my sons' birthdays (both born in August) crept up, I couldn't stop thinking about the Up! theme. I was still pulled to the idea and I decided we would do it with my sons instead. (Shout out to another wonderful photographer, Amanda Naylor who did this theme with a little guy years ago - that's what inspired me to keep this idea alive!) Although it wasn't the love story I had originally imagined, it would still be a tribute to a man we love and miss greatly.
Greyson and Paxton LOVED doing this photoshoot. Paxton loved "being like pap" by walking with his mini walker and Greyson was excited to wear Pap's hat and look through their Adventure Book that held pictures of them with their great grand parents. My boys laughed and played and had a wonderful time. And honestly, can you handle how cute they are as little men?! My husband and I couldn't stop laughing!
Although I edited these images awhile ago it's taken some time to actually write about it. My heart aches every day for my nana who is trying to relearn how to live her life. My heart breaks often missing my pap when I need his advice or hugs or even someone to make fun of my love for Leonardo DiCaprio and the holes in my jeans. They never tell you when someone dies, that everyone who loved them dies a little, too. But in seeing these pictures, I see a legacy that a wonderful man left behind - including 2 beautiful great grandsons that were ecstatic to honor his memory.
So although this wasn't quite the love story I had in my mind with this photoshoot - it's still a love story. The love the boys have for each other during this photoshoot (and always) was a love that has been taugt and passed down for generations. It's proof that love never dies, it lives on in all of us. This one - and everything - is for you, Pap.
