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.

The glorious blooms that abound on my street, in my neighborhood, and the whole way to the Burger King drive thru window wave to me with joy. They remind me that the sun is still rising every morning. There is no new thing under the sun. The world has seen worse. God is still in heaven, and we will get through this too. If the earth is breaking out into such harmonious song, as seen in these pictures, then obviously the fat lady ain’t quite sung yet.

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:27

I emailed a few friends with cameras and asked for photographs of spring wherever they are currently. Then I went on Facebook and begged a few spring pictures off of people in my newsfeed. These range from my own back yard to Amman, Jordan. Most of them are in the U.S. because I have never lived overseas. All of these photos, with the exception of the Europe ones (2018-19), were all taken in spring 2020, right in the middle of the world-wide shutdown. And you don’t have to click “NEXT” a thousand times to see them all either because you know I would never do that to you. Enjoy!

My friend Kristin sent me these gorgeous European photos. These first two are from flower shops in Amsterdam.

The picture of the yellow fields is from the village where my friend Kristin lives in in Germany. There is lots of farming in that area, and these are rapeseed flowers that they press to make rapeseed oil.

My friend Laura sent this photo from where she lives in Jordan. She said that the scene above is spring in Jordan in the tiny window when there is actual green to be seen before the sun fries all the grass once temperatures pass the 90s. Sheep are grazing everywhere while there is fresh grass! By the end of May this will all be brown.

Some of you may be wondering how I got pictures of Utah. Remember Jennings? She’s my college days friend who is a flight attendant. Well, airline travel is drastically reduced, but she does still get to work some days. Jennings went to Utah this past week and shared a few photos with us.

People of all ages are passing time outside this year instead of at shopping centers and restaurants. These young folks in the photo are all my cousins. I think we are all getting more time than usual in nature. Aren’t you glad it is spring and not winter?

Spring 2020 is no ordinary season. This is my friend Kristina who, like many people across the country, has been busy at home creating masks. Kristina has made tons of these and delivered them to community and hospital personnel. Her designs are cute too!

Look at all these super cute masks, and here I still haven’t managed to make myself one or find one, so I just don’t go anywhere. I really need to order one of these. I am not crafty, friends. Alan made one out of a bandana which he wore to buy our groceries, but I just haven’t left my car.

I thought the photo above was a fun way to end the post. Kelly’s family staged this so perfectly. In a spring where we are all tied to our electronic devices, I hope you all get a chance to go soak in all that spring has to offer. You know, when it isn’t raining. Of course, you could also be like my son Daniel and go out and play in the rain.

Thank you to all of my photographers!

Kristin Voudouris, Laura Childs, Megan Riley, Olivia Burley, Laura Sheldon, Jennings Rhodes, Amber Townsend, Dave Zimmerman, Kristina Tucker, Alyson Mims, Helena Booth, Katie Hedges, Amy McAmis, Sadie Waters, Stacie Harris, Amy Wilson, and Kelly Divito. Some of these I literally saw their photo in my Facebook feed and asked them if I could pretty please have their pictures. Haha! They were kind enough to share.

The post 60 Triumphant Photos of Spring Around the World in 2020 appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Remember last Easter, when I was about 7 months pregnant and I totally forgot to prepare for Easter?  I joked that I had fallen very short of the “golden Baptist standard of Easter Sunday.” Well, boo-yah!!!  Look who planned ahead this year!!!!!

Are those MATCHING outfits???  Why,yes, they are!  We’ve come a long way, baby. (For a refresher on last Easter, just click here.)

(ahem…..that is a joke. Easter is not about clothing, of course….sometimes it may feel like it IS, but I can assure you that it isn’t. It’s about Jesus rising from the grave, conquering death, and making Heaven attainable for ALL of us.)

This was a refreshingly beautiful, happy Easter–the whole week was great! My parents visited, the sun is shining again, flowers are blooming, and JD is drinking from bottles AND sippy cups.  Life is looking up.

We even quizzed the kids to make sure they knew that Easter is about Jesus’s resurrection, NOT about bunny rabbits.  They passed with flying colors.  It’s always good to get to feel like, “Hey, we’re doing okay!!” even for just a little while!

The only downside to Easter is having to get everyone dressed up, and that’s not really a down side.  It’s just a lot of work.  I spared myself the AGONY that used to come when I made the boys wear ties.

The tie, which offended Caleb to the point of tears, had already been removed for his picture.

Oh, the sweetness and cuteness–I love it!!!  But you have no idea the crying and carrying on that we endured to get Caleb into that shirt and tie, which he shed as quickly as possible.

I am an older, battle worn, and more sensible woman these days.  This year there were no tears. Now they wear this polo shirts.

ah, another Easter, another baby for us to cuddle….I will never grow tired of babies.  If I had handled the whole delivery, sleepless nights, and stress thing better, I would keep having them.  As it is, I’m just excited to tend to the ones I already have.  I figure I can spend my whole life rocking babies in the church nursery.

Don’t you love rocking babies??  Daniel is three, and sometimes I still rock him to sleep–or at least to the point of drowsiness–just so that we can both enjoy it.

Even the Easter Bunny scored big this year.  She–yes, our bunny is a female–decided to focus more on toys that fit in the basket and less on candy.  It was a serious hit.  The boys said it was their “best basket ever”.  I steered clear of the dollar store toys this year and got toys that I knew they wanted.

Big thank you to my mom for taking these photos for us!  I was pleased as punch to have proof that I actually remembered to buy Easter outfits this year.

I filled his eggs with Gerber Puffs.  Also!  I witnessed the BEST idea at church.  I saw a mom put her baby’s bib on backwards for feeding time.  *Mind blown*  How have I had four babies and never thought to do this????  That way the food did not stain the cute bib!!!  I’ve been copying this idea ever since.  Front side of bib out for drool time.  Backwards for feeding!!  Love it!

Another great idea we didn’t figure out until #4:  You don’t need a baby bath chair, once they graduate from the infant tub.  You need a large, non stick mat for the tub, like you use for old people that are fall risks!  JD never slips around, and we don’t have to struggle with a bath chair.  Genius.

We had such a blessed weekend, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed having my parents here.  Pictures from our DC adventure to come soon!

Sunday night we all slept like babies:

Happy Easter and Happy Spring, ya’ll!!!

The post Easter: The Golden Baptist Standard appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

New York in the fall has nothing on DC in the spring!

Ah, Spring, that glorious time of year when I want to wear short sleeves, but I can’t find them.  My nose is stuffy, my eyes itch, and yet for some reason I feel wholly and ridiculously happy.  I want to hug the spring this year–every zyrtec requiring moment of it is pulling me out of the dark-ish zone I’ve been inhabiting for too long to admit!

This spring break started out seriously dull.  The kids were having a blast:  playing with their friends all day, no homework, no school.  “Everything is awesome.  Everything is great.”

Meanwhile, I was drowning in babies, diapers, bottles, breast milk pumping, dishes, cooking, laundry mountains, toys everywhere, and worst of all:  cleaning up under the high chair.  grrrrrrrrr-oss!!!  No matter how hard I work all day, I never put a dent in the work load, and I wasn’t taking the time to just have fun with the boys.

Enter Tuesday.  There’s something about knowing that your mom and dad are on their way to your house that just puts you in a better mood.  Phew!!!  Plus, I suddenly stumbled upon a revelation.

I was praying, something like, “Oh God, how will I ever do all of this? I am so tired.”

When suddenly He reminded me of my New Year’s Resolution:  Chill.

Oh yeah!

I’d forgotten about that.  My revelation:  if I keep making lists of 20 things to do each day, and not even including the morning chores and baby feedings on the to-do list, I will never get past ‘overwhelmed.’  I don’t want to live overwhelmed!

Why is it that I have to keep learning these same lessons over and over again?  Isn’t that the definition of a fool?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  the to do list should have the 6 most important things to do that day.  I am going back to that.  My list looked something like this for Wednesday:

1. Get everyone ready for the day. (an accomplishment in itself)

2. Dishes

3. Laundry:  Just do your best.  ; )

4. Feed everyone:  three meals, 2 snacks

5. Target trip

6. De-clutter for 1 hour.

Now this is a list I can handle!!  In addition to giving myself attainable goals, I also set myself up for success by taking my prescribed medication:  iron with vitamin C.  These aren’t intellectual breakthroughs, but when you’re going through a time in life that is just difficult, for one reason or another, clinging back on to these simple truths means a lot.

God has set my feet back on the rock.  This song is in my head!!!

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