News about...well, me.

Here is the basic history of my smile:

As a kid, I always had a goofy grin with that big gap in my teeth (I'm about 3 or 4 here).

As I got older (I'm about 14 in this picture), I started to become more and more embarrassed to smile in pictures. Here is a rare picture of me smiling with my gappy teeth. You can barely see them because my lips are pursed so tight over them trying not to show them.
I did everything I could to hide my smile. I even covered my mouth when I laughed (age 15).
After I got braces during my freshman year of high school, I still didn't smile that much until the gap started to close enough that I felt comfortable showing off my teeth.
Something I noticed while looking through my pictures is that after I got my braces off, every picture of me had a big cheesy, toothy grin. I was sooooo happy with my beautiful teeth. I even got compliments on my smile and my teeth quite frequently from total strangers. It's no surprise that the second half of high school and all through college, I was totally confident in myself. A great smile does so much for a person. This picture was taken the day after Jeremy and I decided to get married.
This was taken on our honeymoon. A perfect smile. I want that again.
This is my smile now. SAD! The gap is not as big, but it is there and my confidence around others is not what it used to be.

So, in case you don't read facebook, or have talked to me lately...I'm getting braces--again! When Jeremy and I were first married, I had some dental work done and consequently, my retainer didn't fit well anymore. So, I stopped wearing it. Over the last 5 years, the gap between my two front teeth that made me super self-conscious as a teenager has slowly creeped open again (not nearly as bad as it once was--I used to be able to stick my pinky finger between my teeth). However, it is a cause for some social anxiety for me, so I am getting it fixed again. We have orthodontic coverage, so the cost is fairly low, and since it is such an easy fix this time around, I only have to wear them for about 4 months just on the first 6 or 8 teeth on the top. And yes, if you are wondering, they will be the metal brackets that the teens wear. It was way cheaper and quicker that way and I'm not too proud to wear them. Heck I did it before. So, anyway, if you're lucky and you get to see us this summer, you'll see me and my metal mouth.