How We Got The Picture: 'Choose to be happy': Overcoming weather, COVID-19 to celebrate a centenarian

Now that 2020 is behind us, I think that we all can agree things were a bit different this past year. All of our lives changed in many ways during the pandemic that is still taking its toll.

The way we cover assignments and the things that we covered as a staff changed immensely, too.

Gone were most or almost all high school sports. Gone were the festivals and carnivals that dotted the suburbs.

Social distancing and creative ways to celebrate life's milestones quickly rose to the front. From birthday car parades, parking lot gatherings to lawn front weddings, virtually everyone was affected in some way.

I was asked to cover a birthday celebration for lady turning 100, and I wasn't sure how that was going to go down. At that point in the year almost no visitors were being allowed into nursing homes, and this would be no different.

When I arrived at Village at Victory Lakes senior community in Lindenhurst, it was cold and drizzling. I saw a handful of people walking with birthday balloons and followed them as they went around to the back.

The care givers had brought Catherine Ori, who had joined the centenarian club that day, to one of the giant patio windows. Ori's family gathered around the window and slight overhang, which offered a bit of relief from the steady mist.

I was excited to see the huge window and Ori's family gathered there, but now I had to figure out how to make an image and a video that allowed our readers to see both the group and the birthday girl.

My largest concern was all of the crazy reflections that the window also provided. After a bit of finagling and many frames, I was confident I had a few images that would work.

Two hundred twenty-three was the number of frames I shot that day. I think that we used three images online with a short video as well.

It was nice to see so many happy faces, but what I also remember is what Ori's family said was her favorite saying.

"Life is what you make of it, and every day, I choose to be happy."