Last weekend, my nephew, Jacob, married his lovely fiancé, Melissa, which meant the Zielske clan got to scrub up and make themselves look presentable.
I appreciate many of my 15-year-old's qualities: she is thoughtful, empathic, kind, creative, whip smart and independent. She also likes having her picture taken.
She also has really good hair.
One thing is for certain: this young woman will never lack for a proper collection of photos from her life.
Another thing? She never really hit that awkward teen phase like I did.
But I really did feel pretty in that purple angora sweater. Sigh.
Now speaking of people getting all cleaned up, this leaves us with Cole. At nearly 12, he is less thrilled with the idea of a nice photograph for posterity's sake.
Let's try again, buddy. Just hold still... there! Got it!
Note to self: next time, if you want results, bust out the cold hard cash.

















