Reflecting

Today it has been 10 years since our country was attacked by terrorists.  It doesn't feel like it has been 10 years, I remember it like it was yesterday.

Lynn was in CA on business.  I was driving my then 14 year old son to the high school and listening to the radio... KSL... like I do every morning.  They had just gotten word that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  My husband had just been there a week or two before, staying at the Marriott Hotel right by there.  Later they had to tear down that Marriot because it was so badly damaged from the fall of the Twin Towers.

I remember thinking that it must have been a small plane, probably with engine troubles... simply an accident.  Then, the radio announcers said, there was more breaking news... a 2nd plane had just hit the other tower.  I knew right then... this was no accident!  I began to cry.  What did this mean for our country?  What did this mean for us?  Someone was attacking our dear country!

I was shaken!  Should I send my children to school?  I wanted to gather all my loved ones around me.  I wanted to keep them all safe.  I went ahead and took my son to school and as I returned to our home, I was making a  plan on what I would do, if it looked like whoever was attacking, was attacking across the country.  I would retrieve my son.  I would not send the other kids to school, I would locate Lynn and make a plan to get him home to Utah.

When I reached home, I called my husband's cell phone... no answer.  Did he know we were under attack?  CA was an hour behind us in time, so it was only about 6:40am there where he was.  Was he still asleep not realizing that the world was falling apart that day?  I left a message to turn on the TV and to call me ASAP.  He didn't call for about an hour.  He had not gotten my message (no surprise there... he wasn't very good at checking messages).  He had gone to the local Ernst and Young office across the street for his scheduled meeting, but there was a sign on the door that the office was closed.  "That's weird," he thought, "that they would call us out here for a meeting and then close the office!"  Then a security guard told him what had happened, so he went back to the hotel and asked for his room back, and then he called me.  It had been about an hour since I had called him.  I told him to turn on the TV, updated him on all I knew from news reports, and told him that all planes were grounded and that he would not be flying home.  It was a good thing that he had gotten his room back, because all the hotels filled up quickly.  We decided that we would leave the kids in school until more information became available.

While I was waiting for Lynn to call me back, I had also called my parents (I woke them up) and my sister.  They were all in shock, like I was... like the whole country was... like the whole world was!

I felt like a zombie the rest of the day.  I was in the "zone".  I watched the TV all day and night.  I worried that I was traumatizing my little 4 year old, watching the horrific events all day... but I couldn't stop.  I watched as the second tower was hit, as the first tower fell, as the Pentagon was hit, as the 2nd tower fell, as Flight 93 crashed in PA... I cried... and I watched in horror.  I saw things falling out of the tower before it collapsed, never dreaming that they were people jumping.  Thank heavens it didn't compute... that would have sent me over the edge.  And I watched it over and over, and over again... I just couldn't stop... when would it end?  And then it hit me... the horror of it would never end.  We were living in a big piece of history.

The next day, as I was taking son #2 to the high school, I was stopped at the intersection at 6th Ave. & B Street, just as the neighborhood firetruck went up the street.  A large flag of the United States of America was blowing out behind it.  I got all emotional and tears fell... again.

Lynn ended up driving home from CA the next day with a friend he had run into and 2 others.  The friend had a rental car.  That was also a blessing, since all the rental cars were soon sold out, by people trying to get home to their families.  Lynn's car was still at our local airport in short term parking, and when he retrieved it they still charged him.  Even though the whole world had stopped for awhile, apparently airport parking still kept charging.  Oh the irony.

Three years later when we went to Europe to pick up Son #1 from his LDS mission, I had a great time, but I remember telling my husband I was going to kiss the ground when I got back in the USA.  There is no place like it!  It is a wonderful place to live!

Wedding Plans

As my #1 daughter (by age not fav) is nearing her wedding, I'm getting just a little anxious.  So much to do, so little time.  We were just about to finalize with the caterer, when we were invited by our reception facility to an Open House with a new caterer they are working with.  So do we wait until the end of next week to make a decission or just go with the other?  The Open House is having a tasting of their fare.  Could be better than what we're looking at, but I'd feel better if we had a decission under our belt and a contract with someone and not spending a fortune.  My husband would be happy, too, about not spending a fortune.

Dress fitting tonight!  Exciting!  She'll make a beautiful bride!  Hope the seamstress got it right.  I'm a little worried, since the first lady we worked with retired just after our first fitting.  This gal kind-of jumped in mid-stream.  She seemed nice, but nice doesn't always mean good at measuring.  Daughter #1 has a nice long body.  (Wish I did, too!)

Invitations...  ahhhhhh... pulling hair out!  Will look lovely, but need time to work on them.  Need to have them done by next week and ready to mail.  We may be a little late getting them out.  Scary!

But when all is said and done... the temple is the really important part.  The rest is just for fun.  The couple are in love.  They are both really cute with each other and I think it will be like the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program is every year... it will surprise us and all work out ok in the end... with lots of prayers!

Hooked on Decorating Blogs

Today I found a bunch of new (to me) decorating blogs.  I'm hooked!!  Got some great ideas from some fantastic ladies!  House of Turquise is one of my favorites!  Wish I had found some of these before I finished decorating my old house.  I need a new house to work on as soon as I get the current one I'm working on finished... and some money to do it.

My creativity sometimes needs to be rebooted and looking at decorating magazines, visitng the Parade of Homes, and these blogs lights a fire under me!  Todays blogs makes me want to visit the DI and buy some paint!

Will anyone notice?

A nice productive morning... tub cleaned (uhggg... hard work), dishes done (while watching some of the morning shows), and beds made.  Sometimes it just feels so good to see the house get a little cleaner!  Will anyone notice?!

Fun conversations

Tonight I had the joy of being with the girls... my girls... my daughters, my daughter-in-laws, and a few friends of my youngest daughter.  We talked, we laughed, and we learned more about each other's lives.  We ate sushi and watched Julie and Julia.  It was just the kind-of quiet little evening that I enjoy the most.  And I'm wondering... why don't we have more of those?

Warm doggies...

Is there anything better than a warm dog asleep on your feet?  Okay, maybe a few things, but it is one of the things I enjoy about having a dog in the house.

My dog is a Mommy's Boy.  Wherever Mom is, that's where he is.  It's a little hard sometimes to blow-dry your hair with a dog laying on your feet, which he often does while I get ready in the morning, but I like how he likes to be there by me.  I read somewhere that that is their way of getting you to stay put... to lay on your feet.  Yeah, my poor dog.  I am constantly moving about the house.  First upstairs, then down, then back upstairs, from the laundry to the bedroom, from the bedroom to the kitchen, outside to remove the garbage, back inside to fix some breakfast... "ahhhh, mom, stay put!"  The poor guy just gets settled and I move again.  So, for a moment, I'll stay at the computer and let him have a rest.

Time Limits

I am always constrained by time limits.  My heart desires to dwell and improve and well... basically do EVERYTHING!  I start a project and it just seems like the time flies.  Take today for instance...  PTA meeting this morning had so much to cover and 3 guests and we just couldn't get it all in in 1 hour... not even the hour and 15 min that it usually takes us... it was a full 2 hours today!  Yikes!  I hate to take everyone's precious time, but when you've got to come to a consensus on things that are fast approaching, what do you do?

Yesterday, I started cleaning out the backporch and was so disappointed to ave to stop, because I had to get to the next event with kids.  I'm sure tonight will be the same.. so much going on. 

Even now I must stop, because I have a hair appointment.  Can't I just finish one project before I have to move on to the next?