Wet dog.

Wet Dog.

We all have seen one.

But how many times have you seen a wet dog on a raft?

Just in case you haven't --- here's one for you.

Really wet dog on a raft, enjoying the last dog daze of summer.

What's so funny?

Boy oh boy! These girls are in for a surprise! Remember the snowpocalypse that paralyzed all of Maryland this past February? That forced all of us to remain in our house with our children and gain ten lbs? You guessed it. Blizzard baby! Their mommy just announced she is having Baby Girl #3. Who is laughing now?

It's all in the details...

Someone at every wedding is in charge of the little things that make the bride smile. Details, details, details. To the kind of invitation, music, food, cake and flowers. This is just one small detail, but it is one that I will never forget. It was the bouquet of my little girl - who was a flower girl for the very first time!

Does this belong to you?

All who wander are not lost. But all who wander to Grace's oasis inevitably lose something. Shoes. Bathing suits. Coolers. Crock pots. Eyeglasses. Jewelry. T shirts. Sandals. Ice packs. Towels. Pillows. Air mattresses. Butterfly nets. An entire overnight bag. What the heck?! If any of these items belong to you, please check our lost and found box. It is getting way out of hand.

J and J

One random Friday night, my Saturday Night Fever shoes landed me at D-7, a boating dock by Micky Fin's in OC Maryland. As you can see all is calm in the background, as J and J relax on the boat. J is the godmother to J. Seconds later, they were airborne.

Ooooh aaaahhhhhh.

Two boys born from two different sets of parents. Had I not told you that, you would have never known. They have the same body type, same coloring of hair. And share the same kind of boy humor. You know what I am talking about. These two are fast friends who see each other about once a year. One lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, the other in Haverton, Pennsylvania. They are even harder to tell apart when they are upside down. Oooooh aaaaahhh... As one of their moms said, "They look like two angels, ready to kick your ass."

Always a surprise....

Looking at these girls you think "Oh how cute, how cuddly is that cute one on the right?" You think "Wow, four girls? They all seem to get along." Fast forward 7-8 years later, you think, "Gosh, how do they keep their bedrooms clean? and I wonder if there is a line for the bathroom?" A whole decade later you think, four girls... that is college tuition times 4. Add a few more years and there could even be four weddings...

There is something about when kiddies hug...

Children are generally pretty easily amused as long as they have been fed and are not at all thirsty. These brothers usually are chasing each other and throwing whatever is closest to them at each other. But it's at times like this when you know they genuinely love each other!

Sarah and Ryan

Ryan and Sara are about as cute as can be. The bride has just graduated college and is on her way to becoming an elementary school teacher. The hubby, a new army officer in training. When I think about Sarah, she makes me smile from ear to ear just because her smile is so contagious. Ryan makes me laugh because he is always smiling at Sarah.

And on their wedding day, it was all smiles. This is just the beginning of their life together. Graduation from college and officer training leads them to a life far, far, away.

They leave for Korea at the end of July where they'll spend the next few years defending our country.

And here is their bridal party cheering them on!

Brides are being kissed on the forehead all over town...

Perhaps it is because I am a big day dreamer and I like to dream big. Or that every wedding I have been to has made me cry.

One wedding had more children in it than adults and another wedding had both sets of parents bless them both at the alter in their own special way.

Oh right, that was my wedding.

In any case, it is wedding season.

Brides are being kissed on the forehead all over town...

Aww Peaches!

Did you ever have a summer that you wanted to "Do Over?" A summer that came and went and nothing really good came out of it but a series of unwanted events? Maybe it was a work thing that made it impossible for you to enjoy summer's offerings. Maybe it was someone close to you that went through a real emotional roller coaster. Maybe it was almost everyone around you that went through a real emotional roller coaster.

And no one could barely hang on.

No one.

That was us, last summer. And we are declaring a D-O- O-V-E-R! On January 1, my husband and I chanted "2008 will be great, 2008 will be great, 2008 will be great!"

So far, so good, it's been a year of fun.
And we want it to stay that way, forever and ever.

So deep into that promise, I saw our peaches blooming not too long ago and all of us, our little peach included, stopped to smell the peaches. In just those three seconds of trying to breathe in the faint scent of the blooms and it is very faint, like 2 day old citrus perfume, I remembered one day last summer when all heck seemed like it was falling on top of us, shovels of it one day, truckloads, the next:

My dear husband (who dug holes and nurtured our fruit trees with his own dad) came in with a plate of bite sized peaches. Annoyed and just plain tired of all the stuff that was happening around us that summer, I acknowledged them, but wasn't jumping up off of the couch to grab a bite.

Husband: You gotta try this.
Me: Yeah, Ok.
Husband: No. Really, you gotta try this.
Me: Alright. (Could I get more excited?)

Husband coming closer with plate of bite sized pieces, me not even having to get up off of the couch. OK, this might work.

I took a bite.

And I was a bit confused. He could see it in my face.
I took another bite and my eyes lit up --- so did his.
I devoured another and another, but not much more because it was all three of us sharing one peach.

That was the sweetest, juiciest, tastiest peach I have ever had in my entire life, and this year is a big birthday year, so I have had my share. It was even sweeter knowing that it came from one of our trees. It is April now, and it will be three months until we can taste another peach, but it will sure be worth the wait.

Tenacity and Perseverance

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. We've all heard this sentence before. We've all said it to ourselves before in hopes that saying it would in fact make us try, try again. Harder the next time. Better the next time. More gumption. More gusto!

I met this young man at a health summit in East Baltimore where a group of local funders and corporations gathered together to address childhood obesity. About 600 people attended visiting booths that were set up with information and programs to help get your child to

"Eat Right and Get Moving!"

I followed this young man around for most of the day. Maybe it was his cool and collected demeanor. His captivating smile. The way his eyes twinkled when he heard his favorite jam. He even let me follow him around with my camera. I got him eating an apple. I got him on the dance floor. I even got him shopping in a pretend corner store.

But what got me that day was watching him try his very first attempt at rock climbing. And watching him try his second attempt at rock climbing. And watching him try his third attempt... you get the picture.

Every single time and always with a please, even up there he would remember his manners. He would say, "Please, please someone help get me down" or "Please, I want to turn around" or "Can someone get me, please?" The rock climbing instructor always made sure he got a few more feet up on the rocks before rescuing him.

He would come down, shake his head, get out of gear and wait in line for his next turn.

I went inside and continued on with my shoot. 102 pictures later, I ventured back outside and asked the instructor, what number he was on. "This is #12," he said, "and this time he is going to make it, so God help me."

About a third of the way up, the young man looked down and said,"Please, please, I can't do it, someone get me." I offered my two cents. "Just one more foot. You can do this." He did just that.

About halfway up, he looked down and with fear in his eyes he said, "Please, someone, I need to turn around. This time it was a crowd of people cheering him on, "Grab the next one, lift up your legs. Climb!"

And he did just that.

Before you know it, he reached the top of the rocks. All eleven attempts before he never made it this far. All eleven attempts, he could only see the bell, and not be close enough to ring it.

This time, it was different. He got to the top and rang that bell so hard and so many times.

He did it, he really did it!

You should have seen the smile on his face that time. You thought he was captivating before wait until you see him smiling after knowing what he had just accomplished. If at first you don't succeed, damn it,

you just need to do it again.

We could all learn a little something from this little guy.

I sure did.

A Really Cool Neighbor!

Have you ever had a neighbor that you couldn't wait to see? One that you were always on the lookout for? The kind that makes you want to hold your breath the first 10 seconds you lay your eyes on them? And then when you're breathing again you realize you are breathing in absolute silence?

We are one of two people we know that lives next door to a chicken coop, the other ones being the other neighbors that live on the other side of the chicken coop. It just doesn't seem possible in these fast-jet-setting-days. The world continues to spin while we try as hard as we can to slow things down and enjoy things a bit. It was a promise we made to our little girl.

Mom and baby walk down the hill, spot the dandelions and come across some budding tulips. A few more steps further, we see fully bloomed tulips that bathe in all of the sun's glory. They are the lucky ones or are they?

There it is.

He is so beautiful.

This rooster lets us get close to him and his flock of ladyfriends which surprises me more than our two year old. Apparently, the rooster is not a "One Woman Kind of Guy!"

I continue to like him anyway.

He fans his one wing up in the air and guides his flock to a nearby bush. In a matter of seconds, he fans his other wing and shuffles the feathers of his body. He looks three times the size he was when we first met up with him. Ooooh, I've read about this, he is getting all too territorial now.

Note to self:

[Make sure daughter is within arms reach!]

Oh my, am I going to have to pull one of my moves on him? Show him my ankles while pushing little girl out of harm's way?

Second note to self:

[Grab cell phone --- make sure it is on!]

My daughter and I watch him as he returns to normal size. He looks behind at us and then back to the ladies. He picks up some sort of feed off the ground and chucks it to the nearest bird. I see. It is meal time.

We back away and let them eat.
But yet, we still can't take our eyes away.

Perfect Butterfly Fairy

I have only come across her a few fleeting moments at other past gatherings. Always very well mannered and properly dressed with hair accessories in just the right places. Today, she is a butterfly fairy. Fleeting and flying throughout the backyard, swinging on the swings, sliding down the slide. She flew down the neighbor's slide too and managed to get in a round of kick ball.

Imagine that.

Happily, with much satisfaction, she settles into a book. The party still going on around her. I see her patiently flipping through, page after page. This butterfly fairy reads for a good twenty minutes. An incredible feat for a butterfly fairy at a birthday party with lots of other children and activities to fill your dreams.

I wonder who she will be the next time I see her?

Sick Day

My morning was filled with over-the-kitchen-counter-whatever-I-could-get-my hands-on medicine that would help my sneezy, achy, itchy, swollen, and sore throat. A previous prescribed decongestant helped me sleep most of the morning away, 9:30-4:04 p.m. ---not such a bad gig for the mom of the house. But I swear: Good Lord! It felt like 10 minutes!

Restless and very achy still, I managed to wrestle my way out of the covers, and almost dump myself out of bed. Eyes very closed. Ouch, that hard wood floor stings, it's icy cold for this time of the year. I finally make it to the hallway and find the walls that will guide me to the second set of very cushiony carpety (I am sure that is not even a word) steps that lead into the kitchen.

Eyes still closed.

I find the step railing that will help lead me to a nice hot bowl of soup. I wonder if perhaps there is one waiting for me? Wouldn't that be nice? He does that sometimes and it makes me smile E-V-E-R-Y time. This time, I don't smell anything. Maybe for dinner, I keep my fingers crossed. I wish I may, I wish I might... find a nice bowl of hot steamy soup.

In mid-step, I scratch my eyes open and find this:












...two pairs of shoes at the bottom of the steps.

It looks like they had a fun day out side. They must have come inside, kicked off their shoes at the same time, and magically placed them on our rug. I couldn't resist. Sick, clammy, sweaty, and all --- my hands manage to grab the camera.

They are tired and waiting for momma in the adjoining family room with "big-happy-I-missed-you, wished-you-could-have-played-with-us-outside" smiles.

Where's the soup?!

Is this for real?

Just recently, I went to visit my parents in their 55+ gated community in Florida. I drove all around the nooks and crannies of their appropriate little villages and didn't see one blade of grass out of place.

All of the palm trees stood just right; facing the south. The Hawaiian Red Ti plants shined a bold pinkish maroon when catching the last rays of light at 7:30 p.m.

I thought to myself: "Is this for
real?"

Even at one of the three swimming pools, (that's right, I said T-H-R-E-E) where I brought our little one, there were couples sunning in their plastic lounge chairs --- all facing the south wearing their perfect golden bronzed skin. The kind of bronzed skin only achievable to those living south of Seminole county.

There were even children present playing and splashing as if they were in the library. There was a wind breaker made of glass where you could catch a glimpse of the egrets in the pond, but also blocked the sometimes chilly wind on a low 70 degrees day.

I thought to myself: "Is this for
real?"

On the drive back from the pool, I noticed the remnants of trash day. All of the yellow plastic rectangular recycling bins stood just right facing the south--- all leaning on their longest left side. Each and every one of them on the same sides, on the same side of the street the entire way down to my parents. Only two miles, mind you.

I thought to myself: "Is this for
real?"

I entered their house through the connecting kitchen door from the garage. My father makes me park his car exactly 18 inches from the front of the car (so he can walk freely from the door to his tools) and 18 inches from the back of the car (so there is no doubt whatsoever that the garage door, even faulty sensored capable garage doors, won't smash into the back of his fairly new Toyota). Every time I park I am supposed to look to my right and park the car exactly so the last right inch of the "Oh my, Oh my!" overhead handle on the passenger side sits right in between these two brackets from the wall shelves.

I thought to myself: "Is he for real?"

Entered into the kitchen and I noticed this orchid sitting on their counter. I see it every time I get to wash the dishes. I look at it and look at it and say to myself, "After all 42 years (that I know of and have seen) of real live plants of all shapes and sizes, my parents finally decided to do the artificial thing. Surprisingly, this orchid looks real."

My mother walks by, sees me washing the
dishes, and says, "Isn't it just beautiful? There is a flea market in Mount Dora where you can get these plants sometimes two for $15.00."