I'm being responsible...

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It's 60 degrees outside and I'm sitting inside on the couch studying for my Life and Health Agent exam, which is Monday afternoon.
And further making me restless is knowing that Kevin is outside hiking, having a good time in the warmth and sunshine. He was sweet enough to offer to stay and help me study (and he really would have). But I've never known how to have someone help me study. And it does help me focus better with him not being here.
So here's to me being responsible.
(But I'm smiling because I can hear my neighbor singing to her two-year old "Singing in the Rain" and the two-year old is singing back her own version of it. That's right, start them off with show tunes young and they will grow to love them!)

I'm happiest when...

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I'm happiest when I take the time to read my scriptures, even when I think I won't get anything out of them.

I'm happiest when I say meaningful prayers and spend the time thinking about and thanking the Lord for my innumerable blessings.

I'm happiest when I'm driving to the temple, holding my husband's hand as we drive.

I'm happiest when I listen to all 8 hours of General Conference and then study each talk later when the transcripts are printed.

I'm happiest when I remember my Savior loves me and has suffered every pain and affliction so that my burdens can be lightened, my pains can be lessened, and my happiness can be deeper.


I'm a busy person and often times I think I will be happier if I just go to bed without reading my scriptures. Or that I can't possibly sit still long enough to listen to every talk from General Conference. But when I take the time to be still and let the Lord take control of my life a peace comes over me that I can never achieve by myself. I have seen the Lord's hand readily in my life recently and pray that as I continue to sacrifice MY will and obey HIS will that he will be able to mold me into a better Me. A happier me. A more peaceful me.

Where's Waldo....

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....or as the case may be, Where's Molly been?

I realize that I have not posted since my trip to Paris, which was over two  months ago - and this week two very kind considerate bloggers took the time out of their own hectic lives to inquire if I was still alive:  Alyce and Catherine thank you so much for checking on me.

Let's see if I can give a brief summary of these past several weeks:

I finally arrived home from France about 9:00PM on a Sunday night - and had to report back to school the following Friday at 8:30AM.  I barely had time to recover from jet lag when I had to jump into lesson plans and literary analysis.  For a variety of reasons - not the least of which include the economy and the necessity for the school to move for the third time in six years - our enrollment dropped about 30 percent.  This created quite a bit of anxiety for me as I am paid by the student, not by the class.  However, all has worked itself out financially, so no worries.

My goal this year is to complete most of my school work AT school - so that when I come home I am free to pursue personal interests.  So far, I have been able to keep this promise.  Well, at least as far as doing school work only at school.  For some reason when I come home I have had little energy or interest in anything else but sitting on the couch.  I have not picked up a book for pleasure reading since last spring - which is very unlike me and quite frankly, not conducive to the reputation of a book blogger.  So I have chosen to hibernate and not post or read blogs as I felt rather unworthy of that privilege.

Brynn at Pumpkin Patch
October 15, 2011

I wonder if perhaps my stressful spring - Mom's passing, the birth of my granddaughter, the high school graduation of my youngest, and the planning of my trip to Paris - finally caught up with me.  Not only did it zap my energy and desires, but I think it also lowered my immunity.  I rarely get sick, but  I have had the same cold for the past two weeks:  not sick enough to prevent me from teaching, but enough to keep me from doing anything else.

BUT...the weather is cooler now in Kansas City and the promise of a frost this week gives hope to those who suffer from allergies and cold-like symptoms.  The fall colors and thoughts of holiday preparations always puts me in a great mood, and the start of NaNoWriMo in just two weeks has put a new spring in my step and desire in my heart.  I plan to write a memoir of my Parisian trip - the thirty year wait for the adventure of a lifetime.  And as luck would have it, Dave Fox is offering an online workshop on travel writing in January - which is perfect timing to help me revise this very rough draft.

While I have still not picked up a book for pleasure - I hope to do that soon.  I truly missed participating in Carl's RIP challenge and the Dewey Fall Read-athon, but there is always next year.  I have wanted to write for the Weekend Cooking segment, but quite frankly I have had nothing to contribute.  This cooler weather, however, has sparked a new interest in cooking and an adventurous desire to find new recipes to test.  Since Trader Joe's just recently opened in Kansas City, I am anxious to sample many of their tasty treats.

The DUST - or as I like
to refer to it:  the black
scarf of death

For those who followed my Paris journal, I finally resolved my camera's pesky dust problem, and I am anxious to take it out and capture some of the vivid fall leaves before they all wither and drop to the ground.  I have also signed up for Susannah Conway's online course, Photo Mediations, which lasts through the first week of December - perfect timing to help me capture the fun of family holiday celebrations.

So  yes....I am still here and am slowly making my way out of hibernation and acclimating myself again to the activities that give me great pleasure.  I shall be visiting blogs again soon and look forward to reconnecting with many of my online friends.  I have missed you all.

It's Good to be Back!

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I simply cannot tell you how right it feels to be blogging again --- and your kind and encouraging comments yesterday confirmed that decision.  THANK YOU!

I gave a lot of thought to reinventing "my" blog --- starting from scratch with a new domain, new name, new focus.  But in the end I decided that this blog is truly a reflection of me.   Three years ago my primary focus in life, outside family of course, was teaching and reading.  Period.  I was a two dimensional character.  But over these past three years I have not so much reinvented myself as I have discovered new aspects of me.   The butterfly is still the caterpillar - just in a different state.  I am still Molly, but in a new (and hopefully improved) way.  This blog will reflect that inner transformation.

So I decided to give the blog a new look - a facelift, so to speak.  I had maintained the same blog design for nearly two years and it signaled to me the bookishness of my personality.  I thought it might be best to change the outer design to signal to others that this blog is different - the same, but different.  I even changed my profile picture - from the one taken nearly seven years ago to one that I took myself on Halloween.  I have recently cut my hair from shoulder length to chin length --- and my costume that day was an authentic French beret.  Not really a costume, but more an inner connection with my Parisian love affair and desire to revisit that city on a regular basis.  It is not the most flattering picture that I have ever taken, but it is significant.

I currently have many posts ideas rambling around in my head - but I have promised myself that I will not stress posting every day - or even on a more modified schedule.  I will post when I have the time - and the material.  And I will thoroughly enjoy every minute of it!

Happy December to you all.

A Photo Assignment - third time's a charm?

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I have spent a large part of this long weekend practicing photography.  Yes, I finally got my head out of the books, took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (Sunday = 55 degrees; Monday = 67 degrees!), and went for a photo shoot.

The assignment was to really spend time on one subject and photograph that subject from a varieties of different angles, perspective, etc.  The first time I read the lesson, I interpreted "subject" in a broad sense. I decided that I would go to the local arboretum and photograph nature.  While there was little floral vegetation, there were some variety of plant life and tranquil spots by the water.  I took 242 pictures, of which I am willing to share three.  Not great odds, but I did learn quite a bit about light and how the angle of the sun in relation to the subject can dramatically alter the mood of the picture.  I learned to use my exposure compensation to help overcome my ineptitude of proper manual settings.


This is actually one of the first photos I took.  I liked the way the sun provided the warm glow to these cat's tails.  I had hoped to have the rocks a bit less in focus, so that the cat's tails would truly stand out, but my camera lens did not stop down far enough.  
I experimented for quite some time with this subject, and in a couple of pictures I focused on just one of the stalks, but I thought this group of three made for a more cohesive shot.
This picture allowed me to play with depth of field a bit more.  As I study it, however, I wish there was more of a contrast between the subject and the background.  Oh well, I am definitely still learning.




After spending quite some time trying to take a picture of the rope bridge (to no avail) I looked behind me and noticed these benches next to the water.  I thought it might be fun to take a picture of this spot in the middle of winter - and then return in six months and see how the tree has filled out and the grass has greened up.
While I don't think this is a spectacular photo (and I am sure many of you with far better composition techniques could give me a few pointers), I do like the idea that it could inspire a story.  Who might walk into this setting and sit down by the water?  A romantic couple?  A lonely teen?  A young mother with her newborn?

After this shoot I came home and read some of the message boards for the class.  Apparently same subject meant, literally, the same subject.  If I wanted to photograph flowers, then the same flower from a variety of perspectives, angles, etc.  Of course, this makes more sense:  if I am truly going to develop my eye for the beauty around me, I need to slow down and really see the beauty up close, far away, underneath, overhead, etc.  

Occasionally Jude has to show
Feeny who's boss.

Ok -- so round two.  We were encouraged to find a subject that evokes an emotional response from us - something that we find inspirational.  Well, for me, that would be my dogs.  So I went out to the backyard for about thirty minutes and took another 211 pictures (isn't it wonderful that we don't have to pay for the developing of film in this day and age?!).  I tried to focus my attention on the newest member of the canine family, but it was impossible not to include the other three in this photo shoot.  There was lots of sniffing......running....rough-housing.


In hindsight, this was not a great subject choice.  Yes, they inspire me and bring me great joy. Yes, they are my most photographed subject by a margin of about 3:1 --- but to try for a variety of angles and perspectives is impossible.  If I tried to sit on the ground, they were on top of me.  If I tried to crouch in their face, they would attempt to lick the lens.  It was definitely a humorous shoot, but not terribly productive for this assignment.





I did however find a couple of photos that are worth sharing....and again, I did learn a valuable lesson even if it wasn't the focus of this particular assignment.  I learned that when photographing nature, I like to use Aperture Priority, as I prefer the control over depth of field.  But when shooting dogs, particularly six month old puppies, Shutter Priority is the way to go.  I set the shutter speed at 1/250 and the ISO to 200 (it was partially shaded), and I let the camera adjust the aperture accordingly.

So, I am wondering if perhaps I should try this assignment one more time.  I am thinking of perhaps trying to photograph my nook - filled with shelves of books (my next favorite pastime to my dogs).  Or perhaps I could photograph my car (now that would provide all kinds of angles for different perspectives) - or maybe my morning cup of coffee?  I don't know....apparently developing my creative eye is going to take a bit longer than most.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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It starts with this on the front door for him to find when he gets home from work.

I requested that we not do anything for Valentine's day because K already does so many sweet things for me. I don't believe that one day should mean so much and then we forget the important gestures the rest of the year. And I'm not a fan of gifts. I much prefer words, hugs, and acts of service, all of which I am given a life-time supply of daily.
But I couldn't help myself after getting an idea from a friend's blog. There is now an entire pack of heart-shaped sticky notes on the walls of our house.

It also worked out nicely that K went to work at 6:30 pm on the night of the 13th and will come home at 7:15 am on the morning of the 14th. It gave me the two+ hours I needed to put this together.

My entire valentine surprise cost me about $3.50. But took a lot of time, effort, and thought - which are the kind of gifts I prefer anyway.


I should have bought another pack. 150 sticky notes wasn't nearly enough to tell him everything I love about him.

I also saved my list because I think it would be a fun tradition to start. And to see how things change over the years and what will become important then. I know he'll always do things that make it so easy to love him, but I know that as our lives change, the stuff that means the most to me will change. But we'll change and grow together. (That's one of the sticky notes...)

Someone at Denny's must have synesthesia!

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Synesthesia is "a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway."
I have synesthesia, which I'm guessing comes from my brain trying to make up for my anosmia (lack of sense of smell...) and my husband thinks it's hysterical. For example, I don't like the taste of Bing cherries because they're too purpley-roundy. I prefer "low-pitched" flavors such as bacon and spinach over "high-pitched" flavors such as sugar and apple juice.
The number 7 is a chartreuse, weak-willed male that is bullied by a corpulent, over-confident royal purple number 8. Number 3 is pink and associated with the letter K. 2 is a pure, primary blue. 22 is a pretty sky-blue that is graceful and everything a woman should be. 222 is a little heavy set but she still retains some of her natural graces.
There are also hand-motions and sounds that go along with tastes. I once tasted a green smoothie and picked out the flavors: there was a "juuupe" (hand motion swiping just below my waist; deep voice) flavor that must be spinach. Then another "jupe!" (hand motion rounding over my head, high pitched, almost squeaky voice) flavor that could only be lime. Then a final "tst!" (fingers jabbing suddenly forward to make a point) flavor that was most likely ginger.
As the definition above states, these cross-sensory perceptions are totally involuntary. I never make them up consciously, they just come to me when I'm struggling to describe something. They also never change. 7 has always been and will always be chartreuse. But when I use these senses to describe another sensation, it makes sense to me.
However, I just saw a Denny's commercial that made me realize how my seemingly obviously connected sensory descriptions must seem like absolute nonsense (or worse, intentionally made up!) to other people.
What do you think?