Oh, What a Day!

I've been hearing a lot of stuff about 9/11 lately, which is only natural with it being the anniversary and all. I'd have to say that the day of the terrorist attacks is one of the most vivid memories that I have (along with my wedding day and the birth of my children). I remember where I was and what I was doing...

My husband had just left for work. He worked in Rexburg and we lived in Idaho Falls, so he had about a half hour drive ahead of him. We had one cell phone, which he kept with him (due to my paranoya of him frequently driving home late). I was watching PBS kids with Jasmine... The Big Comfy Couch, if I recall correctly. Then the phone rang. It was my husband, telling me to turn on the news (he heard about it on the radio). I flipped the channel, and I stared in shock as I saw the plane burning in the first tower. Moments later, I witnessed, with the rest of the country, the second crash. I couldn't believe that it was happening, that what I was watching was actually real. I sat glued to the tube for the next several hours. My husband made it to work, only to turn right around and come back home. His boss dismissed everyone for the day, figuring that no one would be able to get any work done. When he got home, I gave him a big hug. I was happy to have my family all together and safe.

I often wonder if our country could have prevented those attacks. Even more so, I wonder about how we, as a nation, have changed since that day. I know that thousands of people had loved ones lost on that day, and I'm sure that their lives will be forever changed. But what about all of those people (myself included) who didn't know anyone who died? I would hope that we never go back to our old, complacent ways either. I am very grateful to be a U.S. citizen, and for the freedoms and responsibilities that come with that. I am truly blessed to live in this land, and I try not to take those blessings for granted.

On another, totally non-9/11 note, I received some marvelous news today. I have a friend that I have known probably since the fifth grade or so. She and I parted ways throughout middle school and high school, mainly because our lives took different paths. She ended up hanging out with a more troublesome group of people (which she now regrets). However, a few years after I got married, she tracked me down, and we were able to miraculously rekindle that friendship. She had cleaned up her life and was happily married with a baby of her own. Well, since moving to Oregon a little over a year ago, we have occasionally emailed and called one another. It had been a while since I'd heard from her when, last week she left a few different messages on my answering machine, trying to get ahold of me. Since I was in and out of the house frequently, I emailed her back on Tuesday. ANYhoo, she finally got my email ( I sent it to the wrong address), and emailed me back. She wanted to tell me that she has been studying with the missionaries for the past year or so, and she will be baptized at the end of this month. Wow. Talk about thrilled. I didn't see that one coming. I don't know if her hubby is going to be baptized, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Even if he isn't getting baptized at this time, it would be so much better for her and her family to have the loving support and encouragement from her hubby. I am very happy for her, and I wish her the best.

Whoa, I didn't realize the time until just now. Now I need to go pick up Jasmine from the bus stop. Ta ta for now.