Why Life is Worth Capturing

When my parents had me, they didn't pick my name simply because they liked it. In fact, they were planning on naming me Morgan (sorry to all the Morgans out there, but that name is not my cup of tea). At the last minute, after a bit of begging from my Nonna, they named me after my Auntie Diana - my dad's older sister who had passed away at the age of 25 from a rare hereditary disease called porphyria. Fast-forward 21 years and I'm glad to say I love my name - both for its meaning and just because it's sweet to my ears.

Moving on, my aunt lived in a time when it wasn't so common for people to chase around their kids with a video camera. Sure, her pictures still exist, but we don't have any videos of her. My dad, who was a teenager when his sister died, of course tries to keep his memory of her alive yet feels so frustrated that he can no longer remember her voice. He says it would be the greatest thing if someone could just find a video of her because he wants to hear her voice again. I can only imagine how that would feel - for one sound to spark years of memories.

Unfortunately, we can't bank on our brains forever - eventually we do forget even if we don't want to. And I wish that I could magically make a video of my Auntie Diana appear. It would mean so much to my Nonna, dad, and Aunt Louisa (my Auntie Diana's twin). 

And here I am in 2013. I own several cameras, a computer with a camera, and a cell phone with a camera yet I don't have enough videos of Carter. I have thousands and thousands of photos of my little boy, but not enough videos. So, I'm learning from my Auntie Diana's life and I'm going to start to vlog a little bit more often. 

I love Carter's voice, giggles, silly sayings. I love watching his mannerisms, the way he draws on his chalkboard, how he smiles from the top of the slide to make sure I'm watching. All these things I'd love to record, remember, and share with others - maybe even pass it down a few generations. 

Little pieces of myself and Kyle I wouldn't mind recording and sharing too. I can just imagine us watching old home videos and laughing at ourselves saying, "those were some good times in our twenties." Oh, the things I would do to keep Kyle's smile and the sound of his laughter fresh in my mind. 

You see, these things are so important. It's so easy to let them pass everyday feeling a little bit too sure that tomorrow will come. Don't take it for granted. Life is beautiful - it's worth living and it's worth capturing. 

I'll make sure to share our family's vlogs here on my blog. You can also find them on my YouTube channel. Check out our first "daily vlog" below.