The Shinn Digs

Well, it came and went … my 37th birthday. Holy Crap! When did that happen? 37 sounds so … OLD!!! Ridiculously old, really. I don’t feel 37. I don’t act 37. Most people tell me I don’t look 37. But, upon close examination of my birth certificate and social security card, I am, in fact, 37. I suppose it’s time to do a bit of reflecting on how a 37 year old should feel, act, and look …

First of all, I go through this phase every once in a while … G will laugh … am I mature enough? Friday (note … this was the the day before my 37th birthday) I went to Costco with Rebecca and Brita to get food for dinner that night (I hosted the Westmont Women’s soccer team before they left for Africa on Saturday) and some last minute items they needed for their Africa trip. As we finished our shopping spree and I was returning the cart to the appropriate place in the parking lot, I did it … I jumped on the cart and rode it down the parking lot. Do 37 year olds do this? Probably not, but I was only 36 that day, so I guess it was OK. But I did wonder about it as I did it.

Or how about this … for my birthday, G and Jen treated me to a movie. We saw The Barnyard. That’s right … an animation movie about talking animals. I laughed out loud many times. Do 37 year olds do this?

Or, the best example yet … Thursday night I was looking at Calamity’s sister’s MySpace account … she has some sweet pictures taken while jumping on the bed … they’re in mid air, and they are posing, making it look like they are floating in the air. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, and instantly began thinking of how to re-create those photos for myself! I carefully considered all the beds in the house … Kirsten, April and I all have brand new beds, and Rebecca’s is seriously unstable, so they were all ruled out. Then my mind began thinking outside the box (it does happen occaisionally!) The swimming pool! I could put the camera on my tripod beside the pool, and put it on the timer. This will require many practice attempts, and probably the action mode (so it takes 3 photos instantly), but I have nothing better to do on this, the day after my birthday. So, this is my plan … Do 37 year olds do this?

Probably not … but, as I’ve realized for many years now, I’m not normal. I’m simply not. For some reason there is a bit of Peter Pan in me … I’ll never grow up. I’ll probably never "act my age." I don’t even really want to, though there are times I think it’s not a bad idea.  I’ll post some pics of my pool side immature behavior at the end of the day … til then, wait in anticipation, laughing at the thought of my day ahead … the day after my 37th birthday!

The Results:

Let me first say … I can do better than this. This was my first attempt, but I think I can do alot better. Perhaps some stretching, and possibly holding back on the chips for a week or so, and I’ll be able to attempt some more difficult poses. However, for our first day, these will do! The camera battery ran out before J-Rob got an attempt, so we’ll work on another photo shoot later in the week!

All photographs courtesy of Genevieve Wilkinson Swim Posing Photography.