Day 1: I am thankful to be switching to 3rd shift (temporarily) at work. It's already been getting hard to get stuff done while we are open. Busy, busy time of year!
Day 2: I am thankful that Daylight Savings Time is ending, and not beginning. Having an extra hour to get stuff done at work is really going to come in handy tonight.
Day 3: I am thankful for my Richie D.! Today he is 8. He's growing up so fast! He's smart, silly, & cute! I'm so proud of him! He's my favorite person in the whole world, the most important person to me, & what I am definitely most thankful for.
Day 4: I am thankful for naps. I know they are going to come in handy even more over the next couple months of working overnights!
Day 5: I am thankful for sunshine. There have been so many rainy/cloudy days, it's nice to see rays of sunlight shine through, even if just for a few minutes here & there.
Day 6: I am thankful for the Arby's employee who either messed up my order or misheard me many years ago & gave me a jamocha shake instead of vanilla.
Day 7: I am thankful for Richie's health. He had his 8 year check-up today & the doctor said he is very healthy! He has always been a pretty healthy kid, & I know what a blessing that is!
Day 8: I am thankful for pajama pants. They are so comfy!
Day 9: I am thankful for my parents. I'm lucky to have 2 parents who raised me, took care of me, & provided for me growing up.
Day 10: I am thankful for washers & dryers. It would take so long (& mucho energy) to wash all clothes by hand & then have to wait for them to dry.
Day 11: I am thankful for all of the men & women who have served in any branch of our military (past, present, & future), as well as all of those who support them. Happy Veterans Day!
Day 12: I am thankful for hoodies & sweaters. It's that time of year, for sure!
Day 13: I am thankful that the snow has pretty much all melted. I'm just not ready for it yet. Maybe in a month, like for Christmas & then it can be gone again.
Day 14: I am thankful for scarves. I have more than enough & I love wearing them once it is cold/chilly.
Day 15: I am thankful for contacts because I don't want to wear glasses (at least not all of the time).
Day 16: I am thankful for lotion, especially when the cooler months make my dry skin drier.
Day 17: I am thankful the weather has calmed down (at least somewhat). Driving to work in super high winds & rain is not my idea of a good time, lol.
Day 18: I am thankful for child logic. Today I asked Richie how he knew he was my kid. "Because your kid is awesome & I am awesome," he replied. Works for me! Guess there's no need for a DNA test.
Day 19: I am thankful that I have a motor vehicle. I can't imagine still commuting to work by bike like I used to (it's much, much, much farther).
Day 20: I am thankful for "Stairway to Heaven". It is, & always will be, one of my all-time favorites, but lately I just can't get enough, lol. I've been watching Youtube videos of Led Zeppelin & others perform it. And listening to it at home & in my car.
Day 21: I am thankful when things ship faster than they are supposed to.
Day 22: I am thankful for water. Access to fresh water to drink, the wonderful Great Lakes & their beaches, and water in general.
Day 23: I am thankful that people were driving decently when I made my way to work tonight.
Day 24: I am thankful for clear roads and visibility. 'Tis the season when that won't always be the case.
Day 25: I am thankful for grandparents. My paternal grandparents I was close to growing up, my maternal ones who helped me out when I lived in Florida, Richie's wonderful grandparents, & awesome grandparents out there in general.
Day 26: I am thankful for cell phones. Text messaging & Facebook make it a lot easier to keep in touch with friends/family across & out of the state. It allows constant access to a camera to take pics of CutieMan, & apps to help me remember stuff or cure boredom. And I hear you can make phone calls on them too.
Day 27: I am thankful for friends, those from my childhood up through college & beyond. Just wish everyone didn't live all over the place now-a-days.
Day 28: I am thankful for Thanksgiving & all of the "30 Days of Thanks" posts. While we are thankful for our blessings year-round, it's fun to read/share the things we are thankful for & have such a positive group of posts!
Day 29: I am thankful for music, in so many ways. Being in the background so it's not quiet, playing in the school band, memory association, & for just being music.
Day 30: I am thankful for Christmas time. It is one of my favorite times of year (despite it being winter), the whole caring, sharing, giving, spirit of it all. Plus the music, decorations,& all of the twinkling lights!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
12 Years
Today marks the 12th anniversary since the terrorist attacks on 9/11 back in 2001. In some ways it seems like it hasn't been all that long & in other ways, it seems like it's been much longer than that.
September 11th, 2001. I was living in Florida at the time. On that particular day, I had gotten up early to go shopping with two my aunts. We had stopped by Walmart first, & then headed to the mall. While at the mall, we heard that planes had hit the Twin Towers. It seemed unreal. When I got home, I watched the reports on tv. It was all over every station and even on the radio. It didn't seem real. When they showed the planes hitting the towers & the towers collapsing, the clouds of smoke/debris that barreled down the streets... it seemed more like movie footage, from a disaster film.
In March of 2004, I spent my spring break in New York City. On my last day there, I walked to the southern end of Manhattan to Battery Park. It was a sunny but windy day. The water was rather choppy. I didn't have time to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. I did use the coin-operated binoculars to look across the water though. On my way back to the hotel to pick up my bags before heading to the bus station, I came across this...
Curious, I walked closer & quickly realized where I was. I had unintentionally come across the World Trade Center. I walked around to the main entrance.
I spent quite a bit of time there, just looking around. At the time, there wasn't a whole lot to see. It had been 2.5 years since the towers were hit & subsequently fell. All that was there were holes & construction.
Today I got to thinking about all that has changed, for me personally, in the past 12 years.
A month after 9/11, I finally bothered to get my driver's license. The day after that, I boarded a bus to move back to Michigan (I already had plans to do so for a while, but nothing set in stone until about a week or so before I left). I stayed at my grandma's before moving to Mt. Pleasant the following summer to live with friends from high school.
In the fall of 2003, I finally started college, after taking 3 years off after high school.
November 2005, Richie was born. 13.5 months later, I graduated (2006) with my Associate of Arts degree in psychology from MMCC.
We moved to the west side of the state at the end of the summer in 2007 & I transferred to GVSU. 2 years later, in the spring of 2009, I graduated from GVSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
And while those are only a few major events, there were plenty of other major & minor events mixed in there as well. All of Richie's milestones... first tooth, first step, first word, starting various levels of school, etc. Events with friends & family. Meeting new people, having new experiences, learning new things. Losing special people. Life in general.
I'm very blessed that I have been able to experience all of these things. Because of this day 12 years ago, a lot of people can't/won't. I'm very blessed that I was able to go to college & move around. I am so very blessed that I have a smart , beautiful & most importantly, healthy, son. I have a wonderful family & awesome friends. And I live in a great country (despite its flaws).
September 11th, 2001. I was living in Florida at the time. On that particular day, I had gotten up early to go shopping with two my aunts. We had stopped by Walmart first, & then headed to the mall. While at the mall, we heard that planes had hit the Twin Towers. It seemed unreal. When I got home, I watched the reports on tv. It was all over every station and even on the radio. It didn't seem real. When they showed the planes hitting the towers & the towers collapsing, the clouds of smoke/debris that barreled down the streets... it seemed more like movie footage, from a disaster film.
In March of 2004, I spent my spring break in New York City. On my last day there, I walked to the southern end of Manhattan to Battery Park. It was a sunny but windy day. The water was rather choppy. I didn't have time to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. I did use the coin-operated binoculars to look across the water though. On my way back to the hotel to pick up my bags before heading to the bus station, I came across this...
Curious, I walked closer & quickly realized where I was. I had unintentionally come across the World Trade Center. I walked around to the main entrance.
I spent quite a bit of time there, just looking around. At the time, there wasn't a whole lot to see. It had been 2.5 years since the towers were hit & subsequently fell. All that was there were holes & construction.
Today I got to thinking about all that has changed, for me personally, in the past 12 years.
A month after 9/11, I finally bothered to get my driver's license. The day after that, I boarded a bus to move back to Michigan (I already had plans to do so for a while, but nothing set in stone until about a week or so before I left). I stayed at my grandma's before moving to Mt. Pleasant the following summer to live with friends from high school.
In the fall of 2003, I finally started college, after taking 3 years off after high school.
November 2005, Richie was born. 13.5 months later, I graduated (2006) with my Associate of Arts degree in psychology from MMCC.
We moved to the west side of the state at the end of the summer in 2007 & I transferred to GVSU. 2 years later, in the spring of 2009, I graduated from GVSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
And while those are only a few major events, there were plenty of other major & minor events mixed in there as well. All of Richie's milestones... first tooth, first step, first word, starting various levels of school, etc. Events with friends & family. Meeting new people, having new experiences, learning new things. Losing special people. Life in general.
I'm very blessed that I have been able to experience all of these things. Because of this day 12 years ago, a lot of people can't/won't. I'm very blessed that I was able to go to college & move around. I am so very blessed that I have a smart , beautiful & most importantly, healthy, son. I have a wonderful family & awesome friends. And I live in a great country (despite its flaws).
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