I will never forget Angry Snow White.  Somewhere along the way she had snapped. Could it have been consuming one too many apples, making one too many unmade beds, serving one too many grumpy dwarves, or maybe it was taking one too many photos with tourists?  Seconds after this shot was taken, Snow took those scrubbing hands of hers and sent the girls flying forward with a shove and a sickly sweet high pitched, "Have a nice day!" They caught themselves from hitting the pavement and looked at me with large surprised and amused eyes. "Um... Mom? Snow White just pushed us!" We could have been angry, but we chose to laugh. At their young age, they were able to see the humor in the situation and know that sometimes even Snow White does not have a very nice day. At my older age, I could feel her pain from dieting on fruit, making those endless unmade beds, dealing with grumpy short people, and snapping a million photos. A girl has got to get her fun somewhere!

I saw this sign as I passed the window of a local gym today and was immediately drawn to it. I had to stop myself from running inside and demanding to meet the person that was busier than me. Instead I stood outside wondering if this person ever wakes up at 5 am to make breakfast, lunch, and pet meals. I wondered if he had ever prepared his child a ziploc of dog food while making the dog a gourmet turkey sandwich. I wondered if he had recited quadratic equations out loud in the school drop off lane while replacing dog kibble with a bag of smart food popcorn. I wondered if he had ever opened his computer bag to grab his power cord only to find out that what he was actually holding in his hand was a pair of black volleyball socks.  I wondered if he was ever ready for lunch at 8 am. That's when I decided not to go into the gym to meet this physically fit individual after all. He deserved an award or a prize of some kind, and the only thing that I had to offer him was a snack sized bag of dog food and a pair of dirty socks.

When the girls come home with the "bring in a photo" assignment, I'm toast. What the teachers don't realize is that I have thousands of photographs of the girls' childhood. Yesterday the photo request came on a particularly horrible day. My dad had a heart attack, and I couldn't keep the world from spinning or the tears from falling. I can't keep my babies from getting older. I can't keep my parents from getting older.  The tears made my screen blurry as I searched for the photo, and yet they made something else very clear to me. My passion for photography is driven by the fact that for one two hundred and fiftieth of a second, I CAN make the world stop. I stop the world so that I remember all of life's details. I remember pink tights, round tummies, giggles, stamps on hands, undies hanging out, and crooked eyebrows checking themselves out in the mirror. I know one day my daughter will understand my tears when she remembers this day.  Until then, I will continue to stop the world from spinning one photograph at a time.

 As I cleaned the house this morning with the music from Downton Abbey playing in the background, it was hard not to compare life in my log cabin to life in that glorious castle.  I play the role of Lady Edith splendidly (in addition to the role of dressing assistant, gardner, butler, social engagement coordinator, floor scrubber, chauffer, tea fetcher, mail poster, launderer, silver polisher, and animal caretaker). Bert plays the role of Earl rather well (in addition to the role of cook). It was at the moment that I tried to imagine the Earl of Grantham cooking in Ms. Patmore's kitchen that I suddenly became very tired and changed the music (and sat down for a cup of tea).