Monday, February 16, 2009

A Valentine Photo Essay



















Hope you had a nice weekend too!

15 comments:

Megan said...

Jayne, you have such a beautiful life. I just adore this blog of yours. I wanted to tell you something I remember--I smile when I think of it and I think maybe you will too.

When I was in Jr. High I went to see a play at BYU. I don't remember anything about it really except that Jed Wells was in it and during one scene something burned down (his apartment building?) and he stood there crying (somebody died?) Anyway, it touched my 7th grade heart and I vowed that I would marry that Jed Wells. I informed my mother of this (she added it to the list of boys I vowed to marry). Fast forward to the 10th grade. I was in Coach Cusick's Health Class with none other than JED WELLS (Jayne Clark was in there too--that's you). I thought I would die I was so nervous. I stared at JED for the first few weeks trying to calculate how I could break the ice and let him know of our destiny. And then Mr. Cusick remade the seating chart--putting me next to Jed. Fate. And Jed looked at me and spoke "Is Mr. Williams your dad?" "Yes," I squeaked. "Cool. Well, would you mind trading places with Jayne?" "Um, sure." I said kind of stunned, disappointed, but still elated that Jed had spoken to me--and thought it was cool that I was my father's daughter.

Anyway, as I watched you move your stuff to sit by him and I saw the way you looked at each other I realized that you guys were made for each other. That was the end of my crush. It was replaced with respect for the something that you two had (and still have). And it made me happy to find this blog and see that it was a good thing I gave up my seat in Health class. I like to think that somehow I helped. :-)

Heather said...

Wow your pictures are amazing! No words needed!

Lisa said...

LOVE THE PICTURES AND YOUR BLOG FRIEND.

HUGS FROM MAINE

Teachinfourth said...

J, I love these shots. It's good to capture moments such as these to look back on when children become adults.

Thanks,

J

megan said...

The behind-the-snowy-bush photos brought back many a memory. I loved that when I was little too.

P.S. Jed was really good in Rags. Can't really blame Megs for falling for him. Funny story.

megan said...

P.P.S. Maybe she didn't mean Rags. Because that is a musical...not a play, and the timing doesn't seem right to me. Hmm... Well whatever it was, I am sure he was good in it. Laughing...

J Wells said...

megs and jayne,

forgive me for eaves-dropping and butting into your conversation, but i do check this blog pretty regularly... this was the nicest treat to find on a cold morning in a fluorescent cubicle while i'm so filled with loathing for my job.

you want to know something funny? i remember that morning. i remember asking the nice little girl next to me to trade places with jayne, and i was always so grateful that she (you) would do that for us. cusick tried to separate us only that once and you were instrumental in thwarting his designs. it sort of makes me sad, in a way, because that's a classic scene that has played out a hundred times in a hundred coming-of-age movies and tv shows and i'm just sad that i was the thug in the letterman jacket that grunted his wish to be with someone else. i take comfort in the fact that i never wore a letterman jacket and that jayne was always worth the effort (so many of the girls in those movies aren't).

but you should feel cool that you are your dad's daughter. i never had anything but a mountain of respect for your dad and i loved his class. we were at odds occasionally because i was a 15-year-old naif, more hungry for the attention of the girls in the class than i was for his. i believe that men like that (well, teachers in general) will be blessed in heaven because they battled through life, giving their best to unruly students like me.

anyway, thanks for the pick-me-up, even if it was just in a note intended for my wife.

ps. it was rags, megan, and i can't believe you'd remember that. and the thing about the burning scene (that megs mentioned) was that in rehearsals they insisted that we were going to be far enough from the audience that our actions needed to be big and our facial expressions didn't matter. but when we got on the stage and i could actually see faces that were only feet away from mine, i thought if i didn't squeeze out a few tears i'd ruin it for someone. so you don't know how gratifying it is to hear, 15 years later, that those efforts paid off.

and another funny thing, i remember seeing mr. williams in the audience that fateful night. i was alarmed and flattered, because i think we were in the middle of a rough patch and i couldn't believe he'd come to the show in spite of my being such a brat. he was very gracious when he saw me next at school. he even pulled me out into the hall to congratulate me rather than embarrassing me in front of the class. i thought he was going to chew me out for something, instead he was very complimentary. you'll have to thank him for me.

Megan said...

Oh and another thing, Jayne. I was going to say this back on that other post about Katie's crazy Atticus. Katie is incredible--I was there when she made that awesome senior ball dress by combining different elements of 4 patterns. But you, you... you wrote the column J is for Fashion. I couldn't wait to read those every month when the pape came out. And when I found that we both owned the same green sweater from Express with the stripes across it I knew that I was cool. If only when I wore that sweater.

ali said...

I remember once in college I went to a play and saw jed stomping around in sexy short boy scout khakis and my heart skipped a beat and I felt myself falling in love, then I remembered that he was my best pals husband and I had to stop myself from falling for him for his heart belonged to jayne and I didn't stand a chance stealing him away.

That jed...so highly desired by all.

love this post. love that awesome snow tunnel. and I love your beautiful house. can't wait to kick my feet up by that fireplace!

Kellianne said...

Great pictures! You're children are so adorable!

Anonymous said...

ali, you old devil. i told jayne once that maybe we shouldn't spend any more time with you. i always got a strange vibe, like you were trying to break us up. and here i thought it was because you were in love with jayne and not matt, but you didn't know how to tell him.

poor matt.

jayne wells said...

Oh my gosh, these comments have made my day. It is 4:26 and I'm finally getting back to writing after a quick glance this morning (thank-you rented Alvin and the Chipmunks).

Anyway, Megs, I have been smiling all day about your first comment. I feel so bad we made you move! But how kind of you to let us silly seniors (who should've finished that health class years before) endure it together! I also thought it was nice of you to remember J is for fashion. Funny to read back on those, some of them are so bad! And was it the green sweater with a couple of stripes across it? Awesome. Remember Express? I'm so glad you wrote!
Oh and I did so love your dad too.

Also, Ali, who could resist such shorts on Jed? And remember Jed always took pictures of you when he needed someone pretty? Yeah, this is starting to get weird!

Oh, and by the way, everyone falls in love with Jed. Seriously. Someone once told me that there was a girl in high school that had pictures of him that she'd prop up on her desk in her math class. Never found out who that was, but that was just the beginning. Sister missionaries and other young women in Italy fell in love with Jed. People even fall in love with him today, almost nine years into marriage! (Maybe more people saw him in those shorts than I thought!) But he always sticks with me cause he can't find ANYONE who looks as good in a ski mask!

Jason and Shannon Salmon said...

Cute picturs of you kids. we need to get together sometime!!

Megan said...

well, for a blog stalker, I sure have commented a lot today. But I had to send my dad what Jed had written about him, and here's what the ol' guy wrote back:

"Megs,

Thanks for forwarding that. It’s nice to hear those things. Jed, by the way, was not a brat in my class. It never ceases to amaze me how many people think they were rude or obnoxious or bratty in my classes when I don’t remember them that way at all. I suppose what they suddenly realize after they’ve grown up is that they were once immature. Adolescence makes everyone do weird embarrassing things, but since I taught 9th graders for 25 years, that came with the territory. I have nothing but fond memories of Jed. He not only was in my 9th grade English, but he also did “Field Studies” with us. Anyone with a dad named Gawain has got to be cool and deserves a seat at the roundtable.

Dad"

So there, Jed Wells. Mr. Williams adored you. Along with the rest of the world.

And Jayne, Parley looks great in a ski mask, but I guess he gets that from you.

And now I'm going to shut up.

Anonymous said...

thanks, megs. now i can die.