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May God bless you with a great day. Love the kids.

I can't believe it has been 5 years since 9/11. I remember that day so clearly and I guess it will be one of those days that will stay with all of us. I remember watching the news in the morning - before the 2nd plane hit, we were so naive about what was happening. We were sad for the people on the plane- thinking it was a small plane, wondering how they could have steered so wrong that they crashed into a building...then we watched it as it happened, the 2nd plane 20 minutes later... I remember Dave and I still driving to work... in shock. Confused. Scared. I remember hearing about the school nearby and waiting by the radio anxiously. I remember crying and hugging my coworkers when we found out that all the children had been evacuated safely. I remember the phone lines to the East Coast being jammed. I remember the look on my friend's faces that had family back East and couldn't get through to them.
9/11 was 3 days before my wedding. I remember the girls taking me out to lunch for a bridal shower and all of us just kind of sitting there, stunned. It felt weird and wrong to be sitting at a restaurant opening presents when so much chaos and carnage was happening on the other side of America. I remember my dear friend DeAnn breaking down and telling me how sorry she was that this was happening right before I was to be wed. I remember thinking right then that maybe we should call off the wedding.

In those first days we couldn't keep our eyes of the TV. I had to see it, like I was duty bound to learn everything I could. I felt so powerless and it hurt to watch such sorrow, but I couldn't look away. Even our contributions to the Red Cross seemed like nothing. I felt like I had to memorize all the faces of the heroes that died- like I had to connect with them and greive for them as if they were my family.

But I also remember becoming more of a patriot than I ever was. I was a Navy Brat, I was raised to always have pride for our great nation, our great military, respect for our flag and all that it stood for. But 9/11 change me, made me fiercly proud and protective over America. I learned then to NEVER take this country for granted. I remember seeing those firefighters raising the flag in the mountain of rubble and crying. It was the most beautiful sight.

Happy Summer! More pictures of the sticky, juicy one at Mind of a New Mom.