Did you know 2024 year is an important year for the D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival?

It is the last year before major sea wall renovations force the park service to take down over one hundred and fifty trees. Don’t worry. Trees will be re-planted. This legitimately needs to be done due to flooding on one side of the Tidal Basin.

It isn’t the entire Tidal Basin that is flooding. It’s just the area on one side of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which I will show you further down in the post.

I wanted to go down there and see it before it becomes a construction zone.

The official dates for the National Cherry Blossom Festival are March 20-April 14, 2004.

My husband, Alan, and I braved the city to check it out on March 19th, and it was definitely peak bloom already. Nature was out there showing off, and people were everywhere.

If it was that crowded on a weekday, in the middle of the day, you know the weekends are much worse. I highly recommend not going in the middle of a Saturday or Sunday, even on foot. If you can find a time to go during the week, or early in the morning, I would highly recommend it.

I sprung the idea of going to see the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin on Alan very last minute. He works in the city, so I figured we could metro over.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, I forgot to put my military I.D. card back into my purse, so I could not drive on to the military base where Alan works. Instead, I had to pick him up at the gate. Then we drove down to park in the busiest, closest parking lot.

We did have to wait in a long line of cars. But hey, we got a great space!

Our space was so good, I got this photo from right by our car. We parked near the paddle boats. I think the paddle boats may have been open for business when we left, but no one was riding them. It was too cold for that.

I have lived in the D.C. area off and on over the past fifteen years, and somehow I have never taken a ride on those paddle boats. Add that to my bucket list of things I would like to do.

These trees are so majestic. There are many other places you can find them in the D.C. area. For one, Arlington National Cemetery has many of these, and it is much easier to find a parking space over there.

Last year I got to drive though them, as I drove our family into town for their visit. That was not enough for me this year. I wanted to get down there and walk among them, out in the crisp, cold, happy air.

Alan and I went just the two of us since the kids were in school. Besides, they would only complain if we made them go.

We had the best time just walking around, taking photos, and enjoying being out in the sun.

I’m extra proud of this particular photo of the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument. There is so much to take in here. Primarily you have the statue surrounded by beautiful trees. And didn’t they do an outstanding job on this particular monument?

Then you notice all the people in the picture. The D.C. Tidal Basin feels like a giant Instagram station while the trees are blooming. Everywhere you look everybody, and I do mean every last person, is stopping and taking photos. That’s why it is so hard to get down the sidewalk. There are beaten dirt paths by the sidewalks because of all the stopping.

But in this photo, there is so much more going on. There is a girl with a scooter. Ha! There’s a couple embracing in front of the water feature in the background. Then, of course, there are people posing and walking around.

I feel like that photo shows the whole point of festivals and taking part in exciting tourist attractions.

Getting outside and seeing the sights is so good for us. Look how it bonds people and promotes joy.

While we were by the MLK Jr. Memorial, two young women stopped me to take their picture. Now that’s normal, but bless their hearts, they didn’t even have their cameras with them. They asked if I could use my phone to take a photo and text it to them. Of course, I was happy to do so.

People often ask me to do things like that. I think I am a very non-threatening looking person to ask things. I think that also means I don’t have resting *witch* face, so hey, that’s good.

The funny thing is that I often get asked for directions, and if you know me, then you know that is hilarious. Talk about the blind leading the blind.

This is a good view of how the blooming cherry trees encircle the Tidal Basin, with so many famous Washington D.C. sights in the background.

When you get near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, on the opposite side of the basin from the paddle boats or the MLKJ Memorial, you begin to see the flooded area. It floods twice a day, though it wasn’t flooded when we walked by. You could still see all the dirt and erosion from where it floods so often.

This Stumpy mascot tree is standing beside the tree the District has nicknamed “Stumpy.” It has come to symbolize the flooded area. The flooding has stunted this tree’s growth enough that it is obvious.

I forgot to take a good photo of this famous little tree, but you can find it here. That link also has the news release about the flooding. The sea wall project will not be finished until 2027.

You can see the park ranger giving a news brief on the plans for the sea wall to correct the flooding problem.

The basin is flooding over the sidewalk and past all of this grass, affecting many of the cherry trees and re-routing foot traffic.

You see a lot of people in suits and ties in D.C. I always wonder if maybe they work for Congress, but I never know. I could walk past a famous political pundit, newsperson, or Congress person, or U.S. Senator, and I’d never know it. D.C. is a city I dearly love, but I cannot keep up with all the politics.

I’ll leave you with this blast from the past. This is Alan and me by the cherry blossoms in 2013. That’s eleven years ago now.

I look extremely younger. I think I stressed out too much during those eleven years.

Going to see the cherry blossoms is always worth doing to me. I just love a day out in Washington, D.C. It is by far my favorite city. The next few years will be marked by construction, as they fix up the sea wall. If you get a chance, go see it this year!

Check out these other Washington D.C. posts:

The Best Things to Do in Washington, D.C.

Touring the National Mall with Little Kids

The post Last Chance to See the Cherry Blossoms in D.C. Before Major Tidal Basin Reconstruction appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Welcome to summer in northeast Maryland! I have lived in Maryland a grand total of 3 months now. Wow, huh? Such a long time. And what is the first thing we do when we move to a new place?

Unpack boxes!!!

And what is the 2nd thing we do???

Explore the new place!!

I have barely put a chip into my goals of exploring our new state. I haven’t even made it to the actual Chesapeake Bay yet! Don’t worry. I will, and when I do, there will be even more photos.

But for today, we have the lovely, serene side of Maryland. I used to think of this area as a traffic-locked I-95 metropolis, and some of it is, but there is so much more to this lovely state than just the urban areas.

In fact, to get to our new house from the interstate, you have to drive pass three different farms, complete with cows and fields of corn, making for the happiest most peaceful of drives. So today I give you photos of the wilderness side of northeast Maryland, your own drive through the almost-countryside.

In 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, yielding him proprietary rights to a region east of the Potomac River in exchange for a share of the income derived from the land.

History Channel website, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-settlement-of-maryland

Did you know?

Maryland is named after Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of King Charles I, of England.

Cecilius Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore, wanted to establish Maryland as a community of Roman Catholics, fleeing persecution in England. Therefore, in 1634, a carefully selected group of Catholics and Protestants landed on St. Clement’s Island, via the Ark and the Dove.

I don’t know about you, but now I want to visit St. Clement’s Island. I’ll check into it, and we’ll save that for a future post. Apparently, it is a state park now.

The Puritans

As more Puritans arrived in the mid-1600s, conflict rose up between Marylanders over religious liberty. Even in the colonies, Roman Catholics were still under persecution. 1649 brought the Toleration Act, to protect everyone, but the Puritans took over the colony in 1654 causing a short lived, all out Civil War, resulting in Lord Baltimore losing his rights over the colony.

The Calvert family did eventually regain control of Maryland, but persecution of Catholics continued into the 1800s. During the 19th century, more Catholics arrived and religious protections were put in place.

I refer to this post as “northeast Maryland” because it’s only 15 photos, and there is so much more to explore. All of Maryland has this very green and beautiful feel, once you get outside the city, but there are so many other things to explore here. Maybe next time we can go to Antietam or the bay!

I hope you enjoyed the photos and the quick mini-history lesson. This will be the first of many in this series over the next year. As a newbie up here there is an endless list of places in which to go adventuring!

“The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can.”

J.R.R. Tolkien

The post 15 Beautiful, Serene Photos of Northeast Maryland appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

And today is New Year’s Eve. Time to pick a goal, a resolution, a plan!!! Or as my adorable little boys say, “It’s time for our New Year’s revolution!” That makes me smile every time.

I may not have daughters, but I have adorable nieces.

So did you set goals? I have goals in mind, but this year I’m focusing more on this word: persistence.

For me, that’s about persisting in what I know is the right thing to do, even when I’m not seeing immediate results. I’m often guilty of throwing in the towel when results aren’t as big and quick as I want them to be. I get bored with a thing and move on to another. That’s not a highly productive way to live.

Fishing takes persistence too. The boys enjoyed fishing this Christmas, but they didn’t catch anything this time.

I want to be more persistent:

-With Bible reading and prayer

I have found this to be most effective when done in the morning, and mornings are rough when you are raising children. One thing I am working on is getting up earlier to get this done before the morning rush, but when I fail to get up early, Bible time has to move to 8am, and that’s okay. Late is better than not at all.

-As a wife

The hardest part for me sometimes is just being “nice.” Bahhhh. Niceness. But niceness is extremely important in a marriage, in any relationship. I want to be right more than I want to be nice. I actually need to stop being so persistent about being right!

-As a mom

The hardest part for me is sticking with a plan. I’ll assign chores, and I’ll make sure everyone’s dong their assigned chores for about a week, and then I start to slide, especially about the “kitchen helper” chore. They need to do it. It’s good for them. I need to persist in making sure they are there to help me with dinner and not be lazy by doing it myself.

Yes, sometimes simply doing it yourself is actually the lazy way out. Training a tot to do a job is much more work than just handling it for them.

I need persistence with discipline too. It’s such a drag, but the kids are so much more pleasant to be around when you do it consistently instead of hit and miss.

-As a blogger

There should be a schedule. Posts should come out like clock work instead of so very mixed bag. I know there should be a schedule. I can’t promise a schedule, but I will make one. I can’t promise to stick to it, because I am a scatter-brained, free-spirited mom of four.

-As a writer

I’m hoping to enroll JD in part-time pre-school a couple of days per week. This will help me get more writing done, and I can start going to the dentist again.

-With my health

I’m using a Fitbit Charge II to help me get into better patterns this year, and I’m loving it.

-With my house

I’m good about getting dinner cooked each night, and Alan has now taken over the laundry. That goes a long way. However, I need to be more persistent about spending an hour or two  each day cleaning house. Yes, in our phase of life it requires that.

So who’s ready for 2017? What would you like to accomplish this year? Do you have a word? Our pastor gave us a list on Christmas day of words we could pick from. It was a helpful list. I lost that list, and I can’t remember them all. Persistence was on there. I think it had several fruits of the spirit, so I will do my best to re-construct the list:

Words to Focus on for 2017:

faith

hope

love

faith

persistence

joy

peace

goodness

self-control

kindness

Happy New Year’s! I hope it’s a happy one! I’d love to hear about your goals.

Did you blog about your goals? Link up below. We’d love to read it!

The post Persistence: My Word for 2017 appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Check back tomorrow! I’m planning to upload photos of 17 mile drive, a scenic route that hugs the coast from Pacific Grove to Carmel! Or maybe I’ll do the seal pup photos next…

The post 42 Beautiful Photos of Monterey, California appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

I love Thanksgiving. Today I am thanking my Heavenly Father for all the blessings he has bestowed upon us this year–this wild and crazy year! 2014 was EXCITING. It has been a challenge, full of change, and full of learning.

And I am thankful for it.

I am thankful that I have the kind of husband that helps coach everything my boys are involved in. Thank you, Alan!

Caleb, driving Grandaddy’s scooter, pulling the ‘train’.

I’m thankful my dad is such a FUN Granddaddy. Having a scooter hasn’t slowed him down at all. As Caleb would say, “Granddaddy, you’re just as crazy as ever,” as Caleb grins from ear to ear.

thankful for puddles

 thankful for drawing

thankful for snow angels–and so thankful we got to live in a place where you get to make them!!  Thank you, Lord!

 thankful for this

thankful for my label maker and pretty jewelry

 thankful for handed-down matching outfits

thankful for family watermelon nights

thankful that I took the time to get organized

  So thankful I got to share D.C. with all four of my children!

thankful for consignment sales

thankful for oodles and oodles of toys

and baby smiles

thankful for Caleb

thankful for that weekend we got to spend with Alan’s grandparents while we weaned JD

so thankful for the people that cut the boys’ hair

thankful for snowboarding

 and bowling

 thankful for cupcakes

thankful for the friends of my children

thankful for Joshua and for his victories

thankful for Nonna and for baby bottles

for Easter baskets

thankful for my mom and dad

 thankful for first times

 for brothers

 for Dan and for stickers

 for Radio Flyer wagons and azaleas

Thankful for Mother’s Day and for four sweet little boys

for backyard sports in the spring

and for friends

thankful for fun in the sun

and for wrestling

and moving companies, so we don’t have to pack our                                                                                                  own junk

and photo albums

 thankful for Alabama football  for family

for that amazing road trip I got to take with my husband

for Alan

for getting to see all of this

for beautiful sunsets

for our 3rd honeymoon and for my parents watching the boys for us to do this

 for DaddyO and his fashion

for relatives and crazy game nights

cousins

thankful for getting to home school

I love going to Point Lobos State Park. You are always guaranteed to find sea lions.

for the ability to laugh at myself for calling all those seals sea lions–Yes, those are actually seals.

and so is he

Not him. That’s an otter.

 thankful for Point Lobos

thankful for getting to watch herds of actual sea lions and whales, with Alan, Joshua, and Caleb

Wow!

thankful for silly times

 thankful for kayaking with the love of my life– I have never appreciated Alan as much as I have this year. I love you, Alan! Thank you so much for your support!

thankful to live in California, even if just for a little while

But isn’t everything really just for a little while?

My DaddyO lets me have fun.

thankful for J.D. and for getting to share their childhood

thankful that this is my life

thankful for my blog, and more importantly, all of the people that read it. Thank you for reading my blog!!!

I’m thankful that God in Heaven listened to the questions of a little girl, just 4 years old, when she asked, “But who is this God?” I’m thankful that he sent me the people I needed to meet, kept me from harm, led my whole family to know Him, and always loved me in spite of all of the horrible things that I have done. I’m thankful that he taught me of His love.

1 John Chapter 4

⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

What are you thankful for today?

Thank you!

The post Thankfulness in Photos appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.