Smile Or Else...

After a year and 3 months of being married, we finally put together our wedding album last night.

As I was flipping through the pages, I noticed something...

(this would be me and my good lookin' guy)

(my granny, my mom, and me)

(my sister, Jessica, me and my brother, Cory)

In the majority of the pictures...I have the biggest smile of the group. And yes, at first you would think it's because it is my wedding day. And I'm sure that had some influence. But pictures from any occasion, generally speaking, more of my teeth are showing than anyone else's. Then I thought, maybe people weren't as happy as me, or they just didn't like smiling for pictures.

But then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I used to be one of them. I used to smile with my mouth closed or barely open. Not because I wasn't happy, but because that's the way I smiled. That is, until I came face to face with a reason to change...

When I was young, maybe six or so, we were getting some family photos taken. The photographer, who was a large, forceful woman, put us where we were supposed to be. Then she told us to smile. I smiled. A big smile. But my mouth was shut. I was pretty proud of my smile, but she wasn't having it. She told me to smile with my teeth, or else.

Or else she would give me a big kiss and she had just eaten a tuna fish sandwich on her lunch break.

From that moment on I've shown as much teeth as I think is humanly possible in a smile, without looking like a complete fool.

So now I can stop thinking everyone else is unhappy, and remember that I'm just scarred. : )