I have been reading posts from my friends on Facebook remembering 9-11. I don't know that I will ever forget that day.
Glenn and I were freshly married (only 52 days) and were on our way to work. I was driving down I-84 and turned on the radio. At first, we could not understand what we were listening to, but as it became clear what had happened, we were stunned. As we were listening, the second plane descended on the second tower. Also, reports were starting to come in on the plane hitting the Pentagon and the other in Pennsylvania. And then the towers crumbled. We could hear it over the radio as it was reported. It was so hard to wrap my brain around what was happening.
After dropping Glenn off and arriving to work myself, I kept listening to the reports. My boss brought in a TV and we were able to get some of the pictures. I don't know that we got any work done that day. As the numbers started to come in of those who lost their lives that day, all I could do was cry. A few days later we attended the mass funeral at our church. The place was packed as we watched the broadcast from Salt Lake and mourned those whose lives were lost. So many people who lost their lives just because they were American's. After nine years, I still cannot understand this kind of hate, and that you can hate a person just based on where they live. I hope that my daughter never understands that kind of hate either.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Birthday Time
Hard to believe that today is another Birthday for me. Hard to believe that I am 40! So, to celebrate my 40th, I want to revisit some of my past Birthday Memories!
I have not always had good birthdays. When I was young, my father was often out of town on my birthday working. This being the case, my parents flew my Mother and myself to Spokane to be with my father for the big day for my 8th birthday. I remember being excited as this was my first plane flight, and we were flying in the banana plane! I don't know who remembers them, but there was an airline that had yellow planes with smiley faces painted on the nose. We called them banana planes. So with all this excitement leading up to the flight, it was a real bummer to be delayed and redirected for hours. We spent most of our night in an airport waiting to fly. And they flew us into Boise to get to Spokane from Portland? I still don't get the logistics of going out of our way to reach our destination. Well, at last we got there sometime in the morning, and went to the hotel to rest. We spent a few days hanging out at the hotel while Dad worked, then we all drove home in the truck. Not a real fun birthday, but memorable.
My 19th and 20th birthdays I spent in Boston. I had only been there a little over a month for my 19th, and didn't know anyone yet. The Weingartens (The family I was a Nanny for) were good to me and we had a little celebration, but still I was fairly lonely. For my 20th, my friends had planned a great party for me. It was at one of their houses in Belmont. So this meant that I needed to get from the Back Bay to Belmont to attend. I was taking the T to Cambridge and meeting a friend, then we were to travel onto Belmont via bus. Well I ended up waiting on the friend for well over an hour (There was an accident(. For those of you not familiar with waiting in subway stations, it is not a fun thing. This is also before Cell Phones, so there was no way to get into contact. Lucky for me, this was the only bad spot of the day. We went on to the party, which was also a going away party for a friend leaving on her mission. I will never forget the cake. One half said "Happy Birthday to our Favorite Teenybopper" (I was the youngest of the group, with most being 5 - 10 years older then me) and the other half said "Happy Tracting to our Favorite Bimbo". The second half caused some raised eyebrows at the bakery, and needs a little explaination. My friend Mindy was leaving on her mission (the Tracting part) and she called everyone "Bimbo's". We had to look it up once in the group to prove that it was not always a sexual insult.
When Glenn and I got married, he was bound and determined that I was going to have good birthdays. My first one married, we had only been married for 21 days. Glenn made it a great day by taking me shopping. We had received lots of gift cards and money as wedding presents. We took this and went to finish out (or try to) our wedding registry. It was great. We determined what was most important on our list, and came home with over $500 worth of house goods. It was so much fun.
Two years later, I slipped back to having a not so good birthday. On our 2nd anniversary, I had a Gal-bladder attack. It was painful for the entire day. After visiting the doctor, it was decided that I would have my Gal-bladder removed on August 12th, two days after my birthday. I went on a fat free diet until that day. I remember that Glenn got me Lemon Meringue Pies as he thought they would have less fat (and I love lemon pies). He went way over board on the pies, and we had more then enough for a week - with guests over! All went well, but I did have another attack that night. It seemed my body was not dealing with fat at all. Not too bad a birthday, but having surgery around that time is never happy, and this was the first of two that I have had on 8/12. The second was a minor procedure, but was still stressful.
So, this year for my birthday, I am spending it quietly at home with a sick baby. She is on the mend, but still cranky. So would I change it! No! As my big brother reminded me when he called to wish me happy, I have wanted to be a mom for years, so I can't complain. At least I am getting lots of cuddles and kisses from her (which of course has gotten me sick as well, but I can handle it better then her!) So, another Happy Birthday for me, and hoping that the following year is healthy and happy! With such a great Husband and Daughter, how can I miss!
I have not always had good birthdays. When I was young, my father was often out of town on my birthday working. This being the case, my parents flew my Mother and myself to Spokane to be with my father for the big day for my 8th birthday. I remember being excited as this was my first plane flight, and we were flying in the banana plane! I don't know who remembers them, but there was an airline that had yellow planes with smiley faces painted on the nose. We called them banana planes. So with all this excitement leading up to the flight, it was a real bummer to be delayed and redirected for hours. We spent most of our night in an airport waiting to fly. And they flew us into Boise to get to Spokane from Portland? I still don't get the logistics of going out of our way to reach our destination. Well, at last we got there sometime in the morning, and went to the hotel to rest. We spent a few days hanging out at the hotel while Dad worked, then we all drove home in the truck. Not a real fun birthday, but memorable.
My 19th and 20th birthdays I spent in Boston. I had only been there a little over a month for my 19th, and didn't know anyone yet. The Weingartens (The family I was a Nanny for) were good to me and we had a little celebration, but still I was fairly lonely. For my 20th, my friends had planned a great party for me. It was at one of their houses in Belmont. So this meant that I needed to get from the Back Bay to Belmont to attend. I was taking the T to Cambridge and meeting a friend, then we were to travel onto Belmont via bus. Well I ended up waiting on the friend for well over an hour (There was an accident(. For those of you not familiar with waiting in subway stations, it is not a fun thing. This is also before Cell Phones, so there was no way to get into contact. Lucky for me, this was the only bad spot of the day. We went on to the party, which was also a going away party for a friend leaving on her mission. I will never forget the cake. One half said "Happy Birthday to our Favorite Teenybopper" (I was the youngest of the group, with most being 5 - 10 years older then me) and the other half said "Happy Tracting to our Favorite Bimbo". The second half caused some raised eyebrows at the bakery, and needs a little explaination. My friend Mindy was leaving on her mission (the Tracting part) and she called everyone "Bimbo's". We had to look it up once in the group to prove that it was not always a sexual insult.
When Glenn and I got married, he was bound and determined that I was going to have good birthdays. My first one married, we had only been married for 21 days. Glenn made it a great day by taking me shopping. We had received lots of gift cards and money as wedding presents. We took this and went to finish out (or try to) our wedding registry. It was great. We determined what was most important on our list, and came home with over $500 worth of house goods. It was so much fun.
Two years later, I slipped back to having a not so good birthday. On our 2nd anniversary, I had a Gal-bladder attack. It was painful for the entire day. After visiting the doctor, it was decided that I would have my Gal-bladder removed on August 12th, two days after my birthday. I went on a fat free diet until that day. I remember that Glenn got me Lemon Meringue Pies as he thought they would have less fat (and I love lemon pies). He went way over board on the pies, and we had more then enough for a week - with guests over! All went well, but I did have another attack that night. It seemed my body was not dealing with fat at all. Not too bad a birthday, but having surgery around that time is never happy, and this was the first of two that I have had on 8/12. The second was a minor procedure, but was still stressful.
So, this year for my birthday, I am spending it quietly at home with a sick baby. She is on the mend, but still cranky. So would I change it! No! As my big brother reminded me when he called to wish me happy, I have wanted to be a mom for years, so I can't complain. At least I am getting lots of cuddles and kisses from her (which of course has gotten me sick as well, but I can handle it better then her!) So, another Happy Birthday for me, and hoping that the following year is healthy and happy! With such a great Husband and Daughter, how can I miss!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Spring & Summer Fun
Okay, so I have been very bad, and not been blogging at all. I need to repent, and be a better blogger. So to do a quick recap of our Spring and Summer:
April highlights: Rain, Rain and more Rain. We did manage to hit the Zoo once, but mostly we stayed home where it was dry. Of course, we did continue with our Swimming lessons where we were all wet, but that was planned. Emma also got sick for a few weeks, so we were down for a while.
May highlights: More Rain. We had a very wet Spring here in Oregon. Wettest on on history is what I hear. Even with the rain, we did manage to make it to the Zoo again, and visit the new black bears. We celebrated Mothers Day and had fun with the Family at home.
June highlights: Even more Rain. We were anxious for some summer weather. We visited the zoo once more, and spent some time in Parks introducing Emma to swings, which she loves! We celebrated Father's Day with my side of the family with a Family BBQ at Joe and Meredith's. Glenn got a Tie from them, and a book from me.
July highlights: Camping at Fort Stevens with my extended Cantrell family where we had more (you guessed it) Rain. Emma had fun playing in the sandy dirt and crawling around the RV. We also discovered that she had broken in 3 new teeth (her Molars). A week after we returned, Emma decided it was finally time to walk, and she is now on the go all the time if we let her. My cousin Bethany and her kids visited from AZ. So did Glenn's Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris, along with their son Brian. We got together with both groups. It was good to see them all. Emma and I visited the Zoo once more, this time with Bethany, Katy and kids. Also, we joined OMSI and saw the Einstein exhibit. We also introduced Emma to the Discovery Space there, which she LOVED. I can not stress enough, this is a great place to take a young child. They will have hours of fun.
So, here we are in August. Looking back over our Spring and early Summer, maybe I have not blogged because we really didn't do much. What can I say, we are just homebodies! :)
April highlights: Rain, Rain and more Rain. We did manage to hit the Zoo once, but mostly we stayed home where it was dry. Of course, we did continue with our Swimming lessons where we were all wet, but that was planned. Emma also got sick for a few weeks, so we were down for a while.
May highlights: More Rain. We had a very wet Spring here in Oregon. Wettest on on history is what I hear. Even with the rain, we did manage to make it to the Zoo again, and visit the new black bears. We celebrated Mothers Day and had fun with the Family at home.
June highlights: Even more Rain. We were anxious for some summer weather. We visited the zoo once more, and spent some time in Parks introducing Emma to swings, which she loves! We celebrated Father's Day with my side of the family with a Family BBQ at Joe and Meredith's. Glenn got a Tie from them, and a book from me.
July highlights: Camping at Fort Stevens with my extended Cantrell family where we had more (you guessed it) Rain. Emma had fun playing in the sandy dirt and crawling around the RV. We also discovered that she had broken in 3 new teeth (her Molars). A week after we returned, Emma decided it was finally time to walk, and she is now on the go all the time if we let her. My cousin Bethany and her kids visited from AZ. So did Glenn's Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris, along with their son Brian. We got together with both groups. It was good to see them all. Emma and I visited the Zoo once more, this time with Bethany, Katy and kids. Also, we joined OMSI and saw the Einstein exhibit. We also introduced Emma to the Discovery Space there, which she LOVED. I can not stress enough, this is a great place to take a young child. They will have hours of fun.
So, here we are in August. Looking back over our Spring and early Summer, maybe I have not blogged because we really didn't do much. What can I say, we are just homebodies! :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Swim Lessons
For the past month, Emma and I have been taking Angelfish Lessons at the Hillsboro Aquatic Center. Today was our last lesson for this round, but we had so much fun, that we have signed up for next month too. Every Monday and Wednesday morning, we get in our suits, and step in the water to learn how to play together there.Looking back over the past several weeks, Emma has learned lots. We have learned to float and kick on our tummy with the use of the pool noodle, chase a ball around the pool while on our tummy (with Mommy's help of course), to do sit dives off the side of the pool into Mommy's arms, and lots of songs and games to play together. Of course, we have also learned to go under water. This is not Emma's favorite activity, she is not fond of it. In fact, today, as soon as we sat her on the wall for her sit dive, she started clinging to me because she knew what was coming next. In fact, as I started counting 1..2..3 before blowing in her face to prepare her to go under, she started holding her breath.
Today as our last class, we also went down the big purple slide. All us Mommies were worried about this, but most the kids liked it. I think it helped that we held them out of the water at the bottom, and they did not go under. The worst part of it was the life jackets they had to wear. They were not very comfortable for the smaller and younger kids in the class. Emma is about in the middle, and it is still a little overwhelming for her.
We will miss our swim classes next week, and look forward to March 29th, when we can start again!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Zoo Times
It is official. I am now a member of the Oregon Zoo. Glenn took half the day off today, and we took Emma to the zoo. While we were there, we purchased a single plus membership. This allows me to get into the zoo and bring a guest with me. Emma is free until she is three, so Glenn will be my guest sometimes, and when he is at work, I can take a friend with me. And if they have young kids under 3, even better.
So we started our adventure at the Zoo by heading down to the Predators of the Serengeti. This is the exhibit that opened up last September. We were there just a week before it opened, and have not been back since. It is good to have lions back in our zoo, and they are beautiful. Emma still doesn't get the zoo, but she does enjoy moving along in her stroller. In fact, whenever we stopped, she would complain. To her, the stroller is meant to be moving at all times!
When in the exhibit, we let her out to crawl for a few minutes. She found a little two year old girl to chase and play with, and scare by roaring at. Her parents laughed and said that she was the same way when Emma's age. Emma loves to have other children around. I really need to find a weekly play group for her this summer. I am going to have to ask around to see if anyone else is interested in getting together.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Teeth, teeth & More teeth
This month has been one for growing teeth. We started January with Emma having only two (the two bottom ones). As of today, she has seven. Three broke through in two days. Number six was a few days later, and now number seven came in yesterday. Poor Emma has not always been sleeping well with all these sore gums and teeth breaking through, but she sure has learned how to use them quickly. Just this afternoon, she decided to bite my big toe! How do you teach your 10 month old not to bite you?
I am hoping that the teeth growing slows down a bit now, but her poor gums are still swollen on top, and she is not allowing me to brush her teeth and gums right now. Overall I think we have all been lucky with the teeth growing. Emma has not been in too much pain and has mostly still been happy. And I have not been up all night with her (but she sure is restless in her sleep these days). Only one night did she wake up twice, and the second time seemed to be a bad dream. Of course I am thinking the dream was due to the sore gums.
I am hoping that the teeth growing slows down a bit now, but her poor gums are still swollen on top, and she is not allowing me to brush her teeth and gums right now. Overall I think we have all been lucky with the teeth growing. Emma has not been in too much pain and has mostly still been happy. And I have not been up all night with her (but she sure is restless in her sleep these days). Only one night did she wake up twice, and the second time seemed to be a bad dream. Of course I am thinking the dream was due to the sore gums.
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