Day 9

Squeak enjoys a cookie with sprinkles at
the craft fair.

Sunday
9.11.16

People: Today was filled with family, friends, and neighbors! It was the grand trifecta!

Places/Activities: This was a packed day. Today we attended our local craft festival with the kids. The babies enjoyed looking around at everything, and Squeak had fun jumping in the bounce house and playing games in the kid zone. It was kinda crazy because two moms at the festival recognized me as someone they had run into within this last year. One I had met at Costco when the babies were about 2 months old. We connected because she was also pushing twins around. We exchanged numbers, said we would meet up to walk at some point, but then never did. Needless to say, we reconnected and will be meeting up to walk the local trail soon! The other woman and I met early this summer when we were all at South Mountain Creamery together taking a tour of the dairy, petting baby cows, and sampling ice cream. Through small conversation we learned that we lived about a block from each other and her daughter is the same age as my oldest. So after meeting again this afternoon we left with the promise of a playdate for our girls in the near future!

This afternoon we attended a fundraiser crab feast for a friend's daughter who will be traveling to China this summer. My dad and stepmom came to watch all of the kids for us. Even though they live an hour away, they are always so willing to help us out when they can, and we are so grateful for their love and their help. The kids are quite attached to them as well. One of Puff's first words was "Papa." You couldn't find a more excited or proud grandfather than when she called him by his name for the first time. While I didn't eat many steamed crabs at the feast, I did enjoy getting out and spending some time with D and her friends. It's not often when we can go out just as adults, so when it happens we really enjoy it.

Puff and Mr. Kitty having a heart to heart.

Yes, books again!

Big comfy reclining seats at the movies!

A couple of weeks ago, one of my Facebook friends posted that the movie The Labyrinth would be rereleased for a two day event at select movie theaters. I learned that my neighbors were interested in going and they invited me to join them (what can I say, we have some really cool neighbors). I have such fond memories of that movie. It was an 80's staple for me and my friends. I think we must have watched it during about 50% of the sleepover parties I had at my house. I loved the movie so much that I wished my parents had named me Sarah and wanted to have a son named Toby when I grew up. I obviously ended up changing my mind when I got older, but the movie did have a big impact on me! I was also completely shocked to learn that the movie theater was completely remodeled and all of the seats were leather and reclined!! What a surprise! Thankfully I didn't fall asleep (recliner + darkness = sleep) and enjoyed watching the movie.

Good Deeds: Today while at the crab feast, I played a spin the wheel type game. I put two dollars down on number 5 (my favorite number) and the wheel landed on a 1, 2, 3. The dealer gave me two dollars plus my two dollars back. I questioned him about the money because I wasn't sure how I would have won. He said he made a mistake, so I gave him the money back. He looked at me as though surprised, and then responded with a genuine, "thank you."

Chores: Just a load of laundry today out of necessity, but we try not to do chores on Sunday's!

Reading: I'm about half way through the book, Becoming Maria by Sonia Manzano. It's an autobiography about Sonia's life. In case the name doesn't ring a bell, Sonia is the actor who played Maria in Sesame Street for several decades. She recently retired last year, but was one of my favorite characters on the show when I watched as a kid. It's so sad to read about how difficult her childhood was growing up in the Bronx. I'm anxious to see how she lands a spot on the show.


Random Thoughts: Today's thoughts aren't so random…today is the 15 year anniversary of 9-11. Fifteen years ago, I was still living at home and had recently interviewed for a job at the library. I had been anxiously hovering around the phone in hopes that I would hear something soon. That morning the phone rang, but when I answered it was my Aunt Irma on the phone who quickly said, "Are you watching the news?" I responded with a "no." She immediately followed up with, "Turn on the tv." I ran to the television and sat in shock over what I was seeing. I don't think any of us who lived to see the event happen in person or on live tv will ever forget it. My first thought was "what a horrible accident." My second thought was to pray for the people who were trapped inside that plane and in that tower. And then I saw the second plane hit and knew that this wasn't an accident.

Almost every year since I've been teaching high school students, I take my tv students to the Newseum in DC. Every student who attends the trip always comments about the 9-11 gallery. It's there that you can see the radio antenna which once stood at the top of the north tower. They also have a very powerful tribute video to the journalists who covered this horrific event in history, and to the ones that lost their lives while doing so. It makes me wonder how I'll approach the subject with my children. How do you teach your child that even though they have been surrounded by love their entire life, that soon they will experience hatred? How do you explain that it will make them want to feel hate in return, but they will have to stay strong in order to fight that feeling and to show compassion to others who dislike and hate us? As humans we try and make sense of what we see, hear, feel… But sometimes there isn't an answer and there is no making sense of a situation. We sometimes group people into categories. Categories of color, race, religion, gender, etc. I've often wondered why we feel a need to do this, but when I think about every application or questionnaire I've completed, most of these questions are on there. The government wants to know. They think it's important. But we need to retrain our brains to understand that it's people who are important (coincidentally this is also the motto where I work). And people are more than what we can learn from a questionnaire. Learning about a person's religion, their family, their culture…. those are all privileges. A privilege you earn through love and understanding. I pray there is never another event such as 9-11, and that we continue to honor and remember those who died and those who lost loved ones on that dreadful day. May peace be with all of us.