Senior pictures

I can honestly say that the day we got your senior pictures taken was one of the sweetest days of my life (and I don't mean sweet as cool, but sweet as the true meaning of sweet). I took the day off of work and the morning was a little more stressful than I would have liked because I didn't leave enough time before the appointment to iron all of your clothes, so I was speed-ironing. We had such a pile of clothes for you to wear. We had your suit, varsity jacket, khakis, the blue V-neck, that gray and blue button-down shirt, khaki shorts, pink shorts, white t-shirt with the blue bandana design on the sleeves and the pocket and the blue-checked shirt.
  I don't remember what time the appointment was, but I think it was early in the day, maybe before lunch. When we got there, we talked to Mark Bak, who is super-nice, and got a look at all of his cool backgrounds, props, etc. We started with your yearbook photo and went from there. Next I think was the graffiti wall (where you wrote your name on the wall next to Ethan's name) and then the blue backdrop with the button-down shirt. After that was the varsity jacket shots which were cool with you spinning the ball on your finger.
   For the outdoor shots, I don't remember if we went into his office to talk about it, but we decided on the barn behind his studio just for something different than the typical Mill Pond park shots. You were so agreeable on everything-you really didn't mind how it went. That is the part I remember most-even with choosing the poses, etc. you really didn't care and went with whatever I wanted, not because you were mad and just giving in-because you really were fine with whatever.
   At the end, we went outside and tried the idea that Uncle Dave suggested of you standing with a water polo ball as water was being thrown on you. I think the assistant to Mark was his son and he had the bucket of water and was trying to throw it on you as you were standing there as if you were defiant to the water. The shot didn't work out as planned but it sure was cool trying it.
   This experience came to mind because yesterday Dad and Grandma Elsie stopped by Bak Photography so Dad could show Grandma where to come to order another 5 x 7 that she wanted of you (even though when I placed the original order she said she didn't care what poses she got, so she got the same two that I ordered for Grandma Joonie). Mark took them for a little tour of the studio and showed them the graffiti wall where you wrote your name, etc. When Grandma asked to order a picture, he wouldn't let her pay for it. He did the same thing when Aunt Becky wanted a 5 x 7 of you as well. Dad then ordered some 4 x 6 's of a few shots of you. I was a little annoyed by this, because I didn't want anyone taking advantage of Mark's generosity (he already printed a TON of wallet sizes of you in various poses of you for your funeral at no charge) and I was annoyed that Dad had yet another day off from work to tool around and do "Hayden stuff".
   Although it is not a contest, I then realized how happy I was to be there with you at the actual time of the pictures instead of after the fact yesterday. Even though we couldn't afford all of the pictures we wanted at the time and had to pick and choose and order it in "stages", I definitely got the better end of that deal going through that with you when we you were here instead of after you were gone. Thank you for that day, my dear sweet son!