9-11 Always Remember

It seems that most of us feel the need to recount what we were doing "that day".  I remember growing up listening to my parents describe what they were doing when President Kennedy was shot & my grandparents retell what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was bombed.  Most of us recognize the need to vividly remember the pain & devastation of "that day".

I have the most horrid memory (except for silly little trivial things that serve no purpose), but I do recall some parts of that day.  I was teaching 5th grade at the time and remember my aunt calling me on my classroom phone, which I rarely ever received calls on.  Not being able to leave my kids unattended, it was awhile before I could piece the whole thing together.  I remember a sense of denial then shock and then fear.  I am sure we all wondered at some point who was going to be next.  It was awhile before I was able to send my kids off to P.E. and stand in the teacher's lounge and watch in horror at the videos.  It was so difficult to teach anything the rest of the day.  Many of the children left early as their parents rushed to the school to take them home.  I don't really remember what I did for the rest of the day, but I think I will forever remember the feeling of terror and devastation.

We are fighters & survivors, though and we rallied around the flag and showed the terrorists that Americans don't break so easily.  However bruised and battered, we always seem to band together and derive strength from such tragedies.  I suppose that is what remembering does for us, gives us hope & strength that others before us have fought the good fight and survived.

Thanks and God bless you to all who gave their lives and loved ones.  Your pain and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Lake Love

Recently my parents purchased a small place on a lake.  The whole family was in on the decision to make the purchase with our list of pros and cons.  It's a place that needs a lot of work, but it does have a small 2-bedroom trailer and an old boat dock.  Once purchased my wonderful hard working hubby & father start discussing all the possibilities for the place.  Then a few weeks ago we decide that Labor Day should be a lake labor weekend.  So, my hard working hubby & father took last week off and set out to get the place ready for the family.  Now, not to be left out, my hard working mother had been spending weeks making the trailer nice and clean and homey, and boy was it.

By Friday it was still messy and a little rough (no water except in the lake and even that is lower than it's been in 20 years), but I took the kids out there to start our weekend.  I must say that I am so glad we did!!  We all had the best time & I remember why I love the lake so much.  I have such warm memories of spending weekends & holidays at my grandparents lake place and now we are making those memories for my kiddos.  And boy howdy did they play!!!  No TV and they went nuts playing and being creative.  They had their first ever baths in the lake and thought it was pretty neat.  Looking forward to many more great times to come!!  Thanks Mamere & Grandaddy!

The trailer pre-work weekend. 

The lot pre-work weekend.

The dock pre-work weekend.

View from the dock pre-work weekend.

The source of the carnage (not Julia).

The property after Scott tore it all up.  All this should be covered by water.

Getting ready for our morning paddle boat ride.  Thanks for the paddle boat Grandaddy!!

There's my hard workin hubby.  Isn't he cute??

View from the paddle boat.

Waiting on a paddle boat ride.  Aren't they sweet??