Reasons to Smile 3.3

Wandering around in D.C.: The city of Frederick is only about an hour outside our nation's capitol, but Mark and I have only driven into the city one time since moving here. So yesterday morning (after a good, healthy dose of sleeping in) we decided to bundle up and head for the big white city on the river. The great thing about DC: you can wander around, meandering in and out of the museums and monuments all day long and not spend a dime except on your metro pass and your lunch.

Standing there in the museums, looking at these iconic and priceless items--the Hope Diamond, Julia Child's kitchen, Michelangelo's David-Apollo, or Rembrandt's Portrait of a Gentleman--it astounds me that all this is made available, for free, for the public. The front doors are unbarred and wide open to you. Well, admittedly there is that grumpy old security guard with the wand he pokes around in your purse or camera bag...but otherwise those doors are pretty much unbarred and wide open to you.

So for this week, that was my reason to smile: chilly March weekends, exploring with my husband. Strolling along with my hat pulled low and my scarf pulled high, coffee in hand, I couldn't help but smile. 

8 Reasons to Smile

Wolf Rock trail at Catoctin Mtn. 

Can you believe its already the eighth week of the year? How are we already through two months (well, almost)? Weren't we just celebrating the new year, hallooing and hollering and banging pots and pans together? Making resolutions, wishlists, and plans?

My resolution to document an item/person/place/idea a week that makes me smile has fallen a bit short. So far...I've managed two weeks of it. But rather than constantly attempting to back track and play catch-up... I decided to just proceed from here. At some point, you just have to concede a mild defeat and press onward. 

And understand... it's not that that I couldn't find anything to smile about for six weeks. Its that I was too busy smiling to take time sharing. So here you go. Week eight.

Reason to smile #8: long walks in a quiet wood

Yesterday, Mark and I decided to take advantage of a lazy, calm Saturday. No alarms, no pressing plans. We decided to rest until the bird-chatter forced us out of bed and do whatever we felt like during the day. The day's activity turned out to be a unanimous vote: let's take a hike. It ended up being slightly more adventurous than we anticipated... to my dismay and Mark's joy I'm sure.  The recent, repeated snowfalls had washed away a portion of the trail. So the leisurely hike turned into a mountaineering trek instead--as we found ourselves marching straight up the mountainside to reach the ridgeline.

 But even though my hamstrings, glutes, and lungs were screaming in pain the whole time... I found myself grinning like a fool. There's just something utterly peaceful about being surrounded by the bare quiet trees and rustling underbrush. Sometimes as if the leaves below are whispering and muttering, telling a story to the listening trees above. And if you're quiet enough--you might catch a snippet of their tale. 

2/52 Reasons to Smile ...and Then Some

no. 1

no. 2 

no. 3

So I know you remember my resolution--just a few weeks ago--to take a picture a week of something that makes me smile. If you don't remember, just look here. I started out a week behind and then fell behind even further when two weeks went by and I found myself lying in bed Sunday night, realizing that another week had come and gone without my taking the camera out once. Oops.

I'm making up for it, though. Three pictures in one post. And surely that will catch me up. I know, I know its cheating to do three in one... but...its my blog and if I spin the correct tale for these photos, you'll agree with me that its worth it.

Now for the question you're undoubtedly asking yourself: why am I looking at pictures of Amp and Abi's couch? Well, allow me to explain.

I love this couch. Plain and simple. Yes, I am blogging about my couch. And why? Believe it or not, this couch is a relatively important part of my day. Every day starts there, with a cup of coffee and my latest read. Curled up on the right side, embraced by the curve of the back cushion and arm. A reproduction of an Edwardian style, the couch's arms curve inward, so that when two people sit on the couch, they face each other, easing the flow of conversation. My early mornings (thankfully) don't consist of sitting and talking with people. (Believe it or not, I'm not a morning person. Please don't talk to me when I first wake up--at least not til I've had a cup of coffee. You know what I mean?) Instead, every morning, I wake up earlier than I need to in order to give myself about 30 minutes to sip my coffee, read, and enjoy the milky light of a pale morning sun.

That's why my couch is one of my reasons to smile and why I'm bothering to share it with you. Because this couch represents a few moments of quietness and coziness-- and those are few and far between for all of us, so why not stake a claim to a few moments for yourself? Even if its just ten minutes, a few moments for just you can go along way in starting you off on the right foot or to refuel you later.

What makes you smile everyday? 

Reasons to Smile, 1/52

To be fair, this blog project idea originated over at Sometimes Sweet with Danielle's adorable portraits of her son's busy little life. However, when she challenged her readers to join in on the project--sharing a photo a week of anything, be it their home, their child, their partner, or even themselves--I thought it would be fun to join in.

A weekly photography project would not only give me an excuse to use this fantastic new camera Mark got me for Christmas but would also give me a goal: a reason to write every week, a theme--not simply to fall back on but rather to form my other post ideas around. Anyway, it beats rattling around in the creative bits of my brain trying to come up with an original post. A picture and a thought seems simple enough. Right? ...Right?

Originally, I thought I'd take a photo of Mark a week--because we all know I love talking, writing, and mooning about that fellow. But then reality tapped on my shoulder--Mark hates having his picture taken. Sense settled in and I realized as soon as I started that project, I would end--out of pity for his forced smiles. After the barrage of engagement, wedding, and honeymoon (not to mention holiday) photos... I think poor Amp has more than met his quota in picture taking.

So instead, I decided to base my weekly photo project around thankfulness. Or, reasons to smile as I've put it in this post's title. Of course, this past November, I hopped on the give-thanks-once-a-day bandwagon. That daily goal taught me something invaluable--that finding something to be happy and thankful for once a day goes a long way in making your day always seem better. Continuing that trend into the new year seemed a good way to go.

So, once a week, I'll be sharing a photo and a little anecdote on something for which I am thankful, something that has been making me smile. Of course, one of the weeks will probably consist of two photos, due to my somewhat belated start.

And what do we have for week one? The obvious. My husband Amp. Who makes me smile every single day with his simple, quiet ways. One kiss on the cheek, one smile, one look over the top rim of his glasses. Small things that make my heart skip and my face beam. Without fail. Sometimes even in the midst of the most heated fusses.

What makes you smile everyday?