My City

5/365

I am not going to say very much today because I want it to be all about the pictures.  I walked in the snow again.  This time I was alone and this time it was in the city.  My city.  Well I have deemed it my city because I love it so much. But I am not selfish, I will share it.

I began my walk today with a drive.  I drove around my favorite monument {The Jefferson} a few times trying to decide if I really wanted to get out of my nice warm car and battle the chill.   There were very few tourists so I decided to park by the Martin Luther King Memorial and take in the Cherry Blossom trees. Circling the pond are the most beautiful trees.  They are the biggest attraction in the spring when their flowers are so beautiful all you want to do is pluck them off the trees and preserve them forever. {Which is against the law btw} I, however, love them when they are dormant. The nooks and crannies of the trunks, the elegant way their branches reach out for the water wanting to sweep the ice like a ballerina on the stage gracefully extending her arms. Today their branches looked like ice!  They are mesmerizing!

As I continued on my journey through the snow I passed MLK...He too is mesmerizing!  

If he doesn't inspire you to be a better person I am not sure who will!  I love to go to his memorial and read the walls.  They captivate me!

I saved my very favorite for last today!  Looking at this memorial yesterday in the snow and watching people around me looking at it with awe and wonder made me feel at peace today.  I love to stare at these men and then pray to the Lord in Thanksgiving that we have men and women who are so brave and courageous living among us.  Who love their country so much they will battle the rain to drag heavy artillery through wet rice fields or sit in army tanks in the desert missing their family so much grown men and women weep.  Putting my life beyond their own.  I am grateful, humbled and in awe of these people.  

I love living in our Nations Capital.  I see so many wonderful things everyday.  

Molly xoxo

The Snow Day

4/365

I live in a very close suburb of Washington DC.  Last night it snowed.  This means that everything was closed today, including the Federal Government.  That leads to no traffic, and busy homes full of children, pets, mommies and daddies and lots of snowmen and snowball fights.  I LOVE snow days. We stay in our jammies all day, drink hot chocolate and watch movies. Even though my children are all adults and we do not have school to miss I still like the idea of a good old fashion snow day.

My husband stayed home and worked from our kitchen table, while I worked along side him.  He took calls and I worked on pictures and portfolios.  It was quiet and lovely.  We did seem to sneak out an hour to take a long walk in the snow. 

We lived in Buffalo NY  for awhile in our marriage and we used to love our long walks in the snow. The peace and quiet of the smooth snow and the cold air biting your face as you pushed through inches of untrodden snow.  I thought our walk today would be nice but nothing like our walks in yesteryear.  First I thought it wouldn't be quite as deep, or as cold. Then I thought since I live just outside of one of the most populated cities in the country it would be full of people. {remember the city was closed for the day}  Much to my surprise it was bitter cold, the snow was deep and there was no one in sight. 

As we plowed along we talked about the walks we had taken in the 27 years we've been together. The sledding with the kids in St.Louis and Buffalo and the skiing in Tennessee and Colorado.  I came to the conclusion that even though I am from the great state of Oklahoma and I love my Heat, I am a true snow lover.  I have the fondest memories of my daddy pulling me along the ski slopes at the grand ole' age of 6 and mastering the bunny hill that same year.  My daddy loves the snow too.  He loved to ski, but most of all I think he loved riding the ski lifts with me and blowing warm air into my gloves to warm up my hands.  Or the time I needed a ride to the Doctor because my car was snowed in and here came my daddy in his four wheel drive, barreling around the corner to save the day.  He pulled up and hopped out of the truck, to come to the door to get me.  He was dressed in his shearling coat, Stetson Cowboy hat, and big snow boats.  He meant business.  Needless to say I made it to the doctor on time!  

Today our walk was lovely.  We met neighbors, dogs, and children sledding.  It was a true gift in the middle of a February Week.

Molly xoxo

Annabelle!

3/365

We have a dog. She is a Multi ~ Poo and she is quite the little terror.  We love this petite white ball of fur, but that came slowly.  Yes, puppies are cute.  But when we adopted Annabelle from the kennel she was a little messed up.  Her family had bought her to be a show dog and then she ended up not being trainable.  Call it hard headed, stubborn, or perhaps she isn't that smart. Whatever it was the family was so discouraged they took her to the local pound in Knoxville Tn. to dispose of her.  Make her someone else's problem.   On that very day I walk in and I think she is adorable so I take her. I wasn't there to get a dog, mind you, I was there buying meds for my daughter's dog.   I did not call Ed, I just grab and run...  I was getting her for me.  A toy, a soft little ball of joy that would sit on my lap and kiss and hug me all day long!  WRONG!

At the shelter her name was Lilly.  I changed it because our last dog was named Lilly and it just didn't fit.  I named her Annabelle Lee after the Edgar Allen Poe poem.  I thought she needed a strong name that would let her know she is my greatest love.  I cared for her, walked her, tried to snuggle with her. But alas, Annabelle hated me.  She loved my husband, and my son, but she hated me.  I do not use this term lightly.  It was undeniable hate. 

I was patient and kind.  Loving and true.  I continued to try to teach her and train her. Walk her and bathe her.  She continued to Hate me.  My husband wasn't very kean on the idea of having a dog at this time so he was not a great help.  He liked her, don't get me wrong, but there was no love for this dog.  She was beautiful!  We all knew that, and could see that.  People would stop and comment on her and tell us we had the most beautiful dog they had ever seen.  That is when we would promptly tell them she was naughty.   We began calling her naughty dog, naughty puppy..anything with naughty.  When she pottied in the house, "NAUGHTY DOG", when she would run away when you called her "NAUGHTY DOG", When she ate pairs and pairs of underwear "VERY VERY NAUGHTY DOG."  

But through all of this, while my family was getting frustrated and at the end of their rope, I stayed true.  I was there.  

Annabelle has been with us for 4 years.  And she is, after much work and undying love, MY dog. She loves no one more than she loves me.  She is the most faithful and loving creature and I am so lucky to have her by my side.  As I continue to blog I will begin to tell stories of Annabelle and our adventures.  She loves the car, the boat, every family member {which she knows by name} but most of all, and most importantly she loves me!   {oh and she is trainable and VERY VERY smart!} 

I'm So Lucky

Molly xoxo

Chocolate!

2/365 

Happy Valentines Day!  I actually took this picture yesterday knowing that I might be too busy today to take any pictures.  I am glad I was thinking ahead, because yes the day has gotten away from me and I was not shooting!  

I love chocolate.  My 2 daughters love chocolate.  We are kinda chocolate snobs if you will. Well, I'm not, or I wasn't, until they started reading the ingredients to me.  I was horrified at some of the things that went into some of my favorites.  I will spare you the gory details and just let you know that now I really only eat those crazy expensive chocolate bars you find at the specialty stores. Which, of course, limits my consumption because they are so ridiculously expensive.

I LOVE Hershey kisses.  They are little drops of heaven.  So delicious when they melt in your mouth and cover your tongue with joy!  This year Karlie {daughter #1} read the ingredients and YIKES I was eating things I couldn't pronounce.  That is a huge no~no in my book.  So I vowed then and there not to eat them this year.  I bought them for my husband, I told myself.  Okay, just one....or two...I just can't help myself! I took the picture on the manual setting with no flash.  My girlfriend who inspired me to do this 365 challenge said just play around with the settings and you will become fabulous!  {She doesn't realize I'm already fabulous!  HA}  I played and I set it and I flashed it and I worked with it...I just loved the manual setting picture the best!  

Have a wonderful Valentines night with your special someone!  And don't forget today you can eat chocolate!  

Molly xoxo

The Red Door

Today is the first day I will take on this adventure.  Everyday, as I live my life, I see many things.  I am always taking in my surroundings.  I relish in the fact that we are immersed in color, and objects that have so much meaning.  I am privileged to live in a community that is deep in culture and heritage, history and treasures.  I plan to carry my camera everyday.  I would like to show off what I see. The things that make me the person that I am.  My eyes are filled with light and it illuminates my soul. I want to become a better photographer along the way.  Constantly working on my craft and my art to make it captivating.  I will blog this adventure.  Some days will be so boring I will put myself to sleep as I type, and others so full of adventure that my life will jump off the page, dancing, whirling like leaves in the wind.

I am not a writer.  I am a mother.  I am a daughter, sister, wife and friend. A strong independent woman who just so happens to have stayed home to raise my children. I am a tree.  I am the base of this family and my branches and twigs reach toward the sky.

Today I begin with a Door.  A RED door.  It is what I saw while driving my daughter home today.  It is what I saw while I gave independence and life to my daughter today.  It is what I saw in the town that gives my daughter so much joy and adventure.  It is the perfect day to open this door and see what I see in 365 days.

 Molly  xoxo