thirteen years later 9/11/2014

Thirteen years later.
Where were you on September 11, 2001? or September 11, 2012?

Both of those days stay in my memory. The first date was when life in America changed. 19 radical islamists hijacked four planes and planned to fly them into buildings in New York and Washington DC.

I had two of my children at this point. I was taking EMT class and had begun my volunteer service the previous summer. My children and I were at my Mom’s house in Maryland. We were going to drive my grand mom and aunt to Reagan National Airport in Washington DC to see them off (they were returning to Ecuador).
I remember thinking what a gorgeous day. The sky was a clear and vibrant blue. Since we were always looking for adventures and new learning experiences, my plan was to take the kids and stay at the airport. The lesson of the day was going to be about transportation in the air.
We were going to see the relatives off, watch some planes take off, watch the ground crews do their work, discuss the jobs in the airport and why they were all important. We were going to lunch with mom. I thought it would be an excellent day to watch the planes with the sky being so clear. Maybe we would stop at Lady Byrd Johnson memorial park. This is a small park with a statue. This park rims the Potomac River and faces the city of Washington DC.

We were having coffee and preparing to load up the car when I got a call from my husband. He said ominously,”Have you seen the news? I don’t think you should go to the airport.” I thought he was joking then I heard something I had not heard in my husband’s voice. There was a serious tone that made me turn on the TV.

I turned the TV on just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center Building.
I said a plane just hit a building. What am I looking at? He answered that it was the World Trade Center. My husband is a constant joker. he is always teasing me. I had not heard such a seriousness in his voice ever as I did that day.

Silence.

At that moment everything changed.

I thought about what the future will hold. I wondered if there were more planes coming. I wondered if Grand mom and Auntie would ever get home. I wondered about so many things including the future of my son and daughter.

Fear and anger set in. I was new in the ems/fire service but I understood a lot about what the 343 from the FDNY were thinking, feeling, and pushing through. I understood that many were thinking about their families and friends at home and focusing on their duty to serve. And as people came running out of buildings , the brave men and women of the FDNY, Police, and port authority were running into danger and many to their deaths.

I called my station but 76 volunteers had beat me to it. They had already manned all units and duty vehicles. There was nowhere for me to ride so i stayed at home with my family.
I left my moms and went home and tried to do regular things with the kids. They were confused because we did not go to the airport or any transportation place that day. We went home and I had the radio on and at times would look a the images on the television.

My daughter who was tuned into me, knew something was wrong. I tried to explain to her on a four year old level what had occurred. She looked at me and asked why are these bad men doing this? and “Will the people on the planes go to Heaven?”. So we baked some cookies and watched a video of Blues Clues.

Now many years later I have three teenagers who know what happened on that day in September through reading, watching specials, and talking about it. They are more aware of current events because of it. When we study history the theme of not repeating history is discussed constantly. My oldest is now in a public high school and is amazed at the lack of informed students in her graduating class. However, she is not is surprised as she has experienced first hand the attempt a t indoctrination by liberal leaning teachers.

In tenth grade some days she would come home in tears because she was so frustrated with her US History teacher who was basically rewriting history in the classroom. I was very close to calling the school and complaining but she reminded me that if she was going to make it in school she will have to pick her battles and know that she is right. The downside is her fellow students are misinformed.

When the attack of Benghazi occurred there was silence in the classroom.

Finally today, because of two American Journalists Foley and Sotloff were beheaded on video, people are finally waking up.
People finally see the damage that this President has done. We are in this situation with ISIS and other radical islamists because we have become so afraid to be called islamaphobes that we have lat our guard down.
This president has shown himself to be weak and feckless.
I miss the confidence and humility of President Bush(43).
Today I am remembering all those who bravely fought from that day on 9/11/2001 to now: firefighters, police, EMTs, soldiers, and families of those who have passed in this time period.

Let us not let these losses be in vain.
I am hopeful that the American people are not fooled by the American media that insists on paining a certain narrative and supporting weak leaders.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

The beach and red kool aid dyed hair

Summer is here. I know this because I have already made two round trips to the beach. We live in Maryland but we like the Delaware beaches a little better. We have a place to stay in Delaware. Julia went to the beach with some of her home schooled senior friends. The family rented a cute little beach cottage and the girls had the upstairs to themselves: cozy bedrooms, a living area, and a beautiful little porch overlooking the shore.

We stopped at the boardwalk( it is tiny) on the way home. There is something so calming and therapeutic about the beach for me.

I am not a fan of the sand in all the crevices and behind my ears. However, I take it because I love the ocean waters, the sun and even the cloudy rainy days as long as I am at the beach. I don’t get to go the the shore very often. I hope o to make it at least once a summer.
When I was younger and childless, I would go with friends at least four or five times a summer for day trips.

Now the kids are getting to an age where they travel much more easily.

The two days that I was their ( drop off Sunday and pick up Wednesday) were picture perfect with a beautiful breeze coming off the water, cooling us off.

A few days later Pamela said she wanted to dye her hair. We did this last year with Kool aid… We did it again and we had some success with cherry flavor( or red dye!)

It is the time of year for exploring fun adventures and reading for fun. It is a time for relaxing or roller blading before the sun gets too hot! It is a time to find the most innovative and inexpensive way to stay cool. This usually involves, water gun fight or hose battles followed by popsicles.

Recycled crate is now a nesting box!

One day in February we went to the mall and parked near the big box store. As we were walking in, I saw a discarded fruit crate. It was definitely  a misfit. The wood was a little broken and the wire that held it together was cheap. I knew I could use it in the garden. As we walked past it, I whispered to the girls , “If that thing is still there when we come out to the car, grab it!….Please”

The girls(ages 11, 14, and 16) all rolled their eyes. I think they looked at each other as if to say “no way not me!!”

It was cold and there were mounds of grey snow piled up so when we walked out, I did not see it immediately. I was disappointed and the girls looked relieved.

Then as we came around the corner, there it was!

I gave them all the look. And of course the middle child ever my accomplice grabbed it like she was snatching a treasure and we ran to the car. The middle child? She is not really my child but she plays Ethel to my Lucy a lot. And she is like a sister to my kids. She and my son were born 2 weeks apart so they call each other “twin”.

Fast forward to the spring…
This little broken crate became the outside nesting box. At least four of the hens have laid their eggs in it. I thought I’d take a picture of Lora while she was in it and the egg she left behind!

I love that I am thrifty and I hope that my kids learn from these little lessons. I hope they become thrifty, earth friendly, individuals.

My baby is growing up part 2

My baby girl is growing up.

I found a picture of Jules, my mom, and I on a White house tour when My hubby was a UD (Secret Service) officer.

There she is with her curly hair. She must be about 2 yrs old.  Mom still looks healthy( at least it was before her diagnosis.

Jules loved to be where the activity was. She did not ever want to nap or miss out on what was happening. She looks in this picture like she just woke up. When Phil was in the Secret Service, we were constantly going on White House tours, taking pictures at the podium, strolling through the House.

So years have gone  by since then. My baby’s world has changed so much.  Her grand mom fought along and  hard battle against cancer and is no longer with us. she now has two siblings. she was homeschooled for a majority of her education and now is in high school.

This is her Junior year but a lot of her friends are graduating so she is going to Prom tonight with her buds.

Here she is with her Band Buddies getting ready for Prom.

So excited that she is a good kid who found some very good friends.

It is a fun thing they are going together a group of 14 only 3 of the girls had dates the rest 5 girls and two guys did not. They are all friend and  I am sure they will have a blast.

I was talking with my sister and she commented how lucky I was because neither she nor I were “good kids” like Jules and her peeps.

They are going to after prom sponsored by the PTA and later plan to go to Ihop for

breakfast! She is going to be loads of fun tomorrow, or probably will sleep all day!

 

All I can say is I am a very happy momma…. with a little tear in my eye because my baby girl is growing up!

 

 

My oldest is growing up

This school year, we  have been deluged with postcards, letters even fat envelopes with invitations for my Jules. They range from a “Save the Date” card for Open house to an invitation to a National leadership conference. They also range in price from free to over two grand!

As I sat here looking at the latest of these correspondences, I realized my baby girl is growing up. Suddenly, when I look at her, I see the curly-haired cherubic face of the 6-year-old she used to be. It seems like just yesterday we brought home from the Birth Center, hearing my sister-in-law saying”Don’t Blink”. For all you Whovians out there , this was not a reference to Dr Who and fallen angels. It was a reference to the fact that rolly poly babies who depend so much on us will grow up so fast, one could miss out on a special moment.

My dear Julia is growing up. The text she sent me saying “High school is such a waste of my time” speaks volumes. She is not one of those teenagers who is self involved and cares about her appearance or  the latest fashion. This is a teenager who takes pride in working hard and being a spendthrift. Her time is better spent writing than shopping. She loves the outdoors and the arts. She wants to get out get a job and start living her life as an adult and productive member of society.

It is funny because she is being enticed by the college life. She is curious and wondering what it would be like. She would love to go to college. I think a part of her would get through her sophomore year and be anxious to get out into the “real world”. She will most likely go to college.

I look at my daughter and still see that cute little curly-haired innocent girl.  She has a bright future because she is smart, practical, and talented. She has common sense and can solve problems.  She is well equipped for this world.  I am sad because from the time she began to crawl to now seems so short like  blink of an eye and here we are looking at colleges, majors, life choices, and what she wants to be when she grows up.

Here is my baby girl all grown up with her study buddy, Jack!

Spring is coming

So I was out the other morning and noticed this little guy/gal in the yard. 

This little robin has been hanging around trying to pick up any berries or seeds the hens don’t devour. the problem is since Robin does not blend with the landscape the hens usually chase her away.

This gorgeous springlike morning, the hens were not out yet. I had left some berries and she was enjoying them. My son and I watched her for a few minutes , then got the camera out.

Last year a robin made a nest in the lilac tree. I wonder if this is the same one.

I am hoping to see this robin all spring.

We had a break in the weather, plenty of sunshine and warm days(in the 60s).

Sadly a cold front came through last night and we are back to the cold with Gale warnings on my phone.  At this point , even the snow loving kids have expressed their readiness for warm spring days.

We have started seeds indoors and I have potatoes that have sprouted that are ready for the ground.  I had taken advantage of the warmer days and put  fresh compost in the beds for potatoes which encouraged the hens to scratch like crazy! the worked the soil much  more efficiently than me and my old back can.

The beds are prepared for potatoes and after that it will be carrots beets peas and radish and greens. I can’t wait for the break in the weather to just be true transition to the next season: SPRING.

 

Snow… no complaints :)

We got a good amount of snow this February.  Actually we started getting snow in December and it has been an on again off again relationship. Snow then sunshine and unseasonably warm days.

Today is one of those gorgeous days where the weatherman said it would get up into the 60’s. Sixty degrees Fahrenheit. YUP

There is still a good amount of snow on the ground which has been a fun medium for our art classes and has proved to be an excellent border for the hens. It works like an invisible fence. The hens hope over the fence land on the snow, then play a game of lava to get back to the path i have carved closer to the house.

My oldest was sick for most of it so she missed the snow. She was happy to be at her lap top writing so she did not miss it. She took the opportunity to work on her craft. She loves to write.

Philip and Pam though took full advantage of the time in the snow . We made snowmen, snow hens, a snow fort with a slide( courtesy of the plow!), and an art project.

I had the kids plan a snow sculpture together. On the sunny day after president’s day , the kids went out and planned a sculpture, they planned to sculpt a Pokemon.

Mostly, they spent a lot of time gathering snow and shoveling which was a bonus work out. They got down to business and created this cool creature (below).

It was fun to have some snow and spend some “snow days” crafting, playing, baking, reading and drinking cocoa.

However, I think we all agree we are ready for sunshine and spring.

I am ready to be back on a regular schedule and to start on my garden… give me some spring!

While our german shepherd loves the snow but the hens cold do without it!

Learning my lesson the hard way

Last Saturday morning, I had experienced some chest pains. Much like when I was in labor, I tried my best to walk away as fast as I could from the pain. Sadly, walking faster, cleaning the house more vigorously,  nor studying harder would make this pain in my chest go away.After  almost two hours of hot pain in my chest, I called my medic friend and asked her to meet me at the rescue squad.

She was going to reassure me that I was okay.

Ha! The minute she saw me in the parking lot, she knew I was going to the hospital by my face and the color that had almost completely drained from it.

She convinced me to go and I am glad she did. they transported me and the new medics who were actually on duty did an outstanding job.

For anyone who knows me, especially the medics whom I drive, they know I hate hospitals. For me to agree to go to our local ER , there was something definitely wrong that needed to be addressed.

I can’t even tell you how many times, I have been driving Kate, Jerry , or Sunyong and have commented ” I hate hospitals!”… In fact, I say it every time I walk through the doors( as an aside to the medic not out loud to the patients.).

So my compliance confirmed her suspicions  that truly I was not well.

A quick ride to the hospital after some baby aspirin and I was in a bed in the ER. My friends on the medic unit and in the ER took good care of me. Nitro patch was applied after the EKG.

My husband came in and I realized, there were things to be done but they were in his hands today. I guess the nitro worked a little too well in that my blood pressure had dropped and all that was left in me was to ask him to turn the light down and bring me some water. VERY COMPLIANT!

The next day they sent me home with an aspirin a day regimen and I had to promise I’d get in to see a cardiologist asap.

After all that hoopla, I was ready to go home. After all the health fairs I had participated in doing health screenings, especially for the Sister to Sister group, I was the one going home with the warnings about everything that I must do.

The first thing that all the docs said to me was to slow down and drop some of my activities.

The one thing I have done is given myself plenty of time so I don’t feel rushed. If I am late, I start to do some deep breathing and think about how a few minutes of worry will solve absolutely nothing.

I have not been back to the rescue squad for duty yet. I plan to go in this Sunday for a few hours. My girlfriends were mad that I did not call them when this happened. The truth is it happened so fast and I was really not completely with it.  As I spoke with Rhonda about Sunday she asked when I would be there, I said noon to six… no five. She laughed and said “You are learning!”

I am learning.

I have always known that I was lucky to have wonderful kids and husband  and good health. I refuse to squander it rushing around trying to do for others all the time. I have learned to set limits and not feel guilty about not committing to extra duties of any sort outside the home. I am learning to  have balance: that means some time for myself and saying no when I need to.

Trying to eat more greens.  Spending more time with my family and much less time worrying about everything that really is out of my control. I have been able to look at a snow day as a gift to really explore the day and the things that interest my kids the most. (Usually I would make them do morning school work then play.

We went for a hike while it was snowing and it was the most peaceful and chatty walk for all. It was a nice break from all the rushing around.

Now we are looking forward to some possible snow tomorrow night, we have all talked about what we want to do on that snow day should we get it. The agenda includes, hiking, sledding, reading , baking cookies, some crafting, and enjoying the “free” day.

 

Life…I am for it https://marvegal.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit.php:)

On January 22, 2014 I took my two teenagers with me to the Pro Life March and rally in DC.

We were lucky enough to get tickets for the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon center Wednesday morning.  Our area was hit with some record cold temperatures and a moderate snowfall(for suburbs of DC) the night before. Even the Chickens would not come out into their run!

Wednesday at dawn, I took care of the hens to make sure they had fresh water and food. My son and daughter and I  braved the blustery morning to go to the rally and Mass.

The Rally was inspiring. There was a band called the Iko Ndolo band ( a quartet which included drums, guitar, bass and keyboard). They sang and played praise songs and got the kids going in singing and worship that was a beautiful thing to see and hear.  He had the kids ( and adults) out of  our seats singing waving and dancing. There was a point where our section of kids started a wave and it went all the way around the arena. It was great fun. 

Then we settled down for a rosary and finally the mass.

I must say the procession with all the seminarians, priests, bishops , followed by the Cardinal is exceptionally grandiose. Yet having them process in at the Verizon center to contemporary praise songs sung by a rock quartet accompanied by a strong chorus of inspired young people brought it back down to a more modest tone.

The mass was celebrated by the Cardinal Wuerl of DC archdiocese . He was excellent. Opening his conversation with his audience talking about how Pope Francis had tweeted early this morning. The tweet was  briefly a support for the pro-life marchers. The Cardinal was so pleased to say he retweeted the Pope, and that we should all do the same when we get a chance to. It is, dare I say adorable, to have a hip cardinal.

The priest who said the homily ,was a young priest from a neighboring parish, was so on target with his homily. He is that type of priest you covet when you visit the new parish down the street. The priest who has personality and compassion and all the things a priest should be as well as contemporary and aware of current events and trends.

After communion, and a lot of thank you s and “shout outs” to the various groups that came from near and far, Mass ended and we  were to go in peace.

We did. in peace, love, and bitter cold. We listened to various speakers, but I must admit, my feet were cold! We found a drum line from the Benedictine College. They were awesome. My teens are musicians and my daughter is in the drum line in high school so this was perfect for us. We followed them in the march. We continued the march down Constitution Ave heading towards the capital.

The signs were creative and the chants were fun to join in. “Hey hey, Obama your Momma chose Life!” was our favorite.  The biggest surprise was that as we approached the Canadian Embassy, there were about a dozen Canadians supporting our march for Life. They had signs and were saying things like  “we support your fight for the right to life!”. They had Canadian flags and shirts with the maple leaf and Pro life slogans.  And of course since they were from up north they were not affected by the bitter cold and winds. On the bright side, the sun was shining brightly.

Cold but we were prepared.

We were bundled and layered and tried standing among the many large groups of college  kids supporting the right to life for BABIES!

That was another inspiring part of the day was just seeing so many young people from all across the country in the bitter cold willing to march for babies.

Afterward we headed to Union station where we warmed up and grabbed  a hot meal. at first we just sighed at how toasty it felt to be inside. Once the thaw began we talked about how cool the experience was. As we ate we saw many compatriots carrying their signs happy to be in the warmth of the train station eatery.

The ride home on the metro was quiet. When we got home finally my husband greeted me with a steaming cup of coffee. It was the best cup of coffee ever! The next best thing was a hot shower.

It was a great day. And the best reward was that at the end of the day the kids came up to me individually and thanked me for taking them. They both said they had a great time. Even today we are recollecting the day.

This tropical blooded Mom  is happy to be alive, even though it is below freezing.

Grateful for the gift

This is what we are listening to tonight. Some nights when my oldest daughter and I are “doing our homework” which translates to writing, blogging or exercising our writing muscles, we take tunes picking songs to listen to as we work on our craft.

Ragtime overture or opening number is usually one of the top five. She usually goes for a Fosse number next. We love Chicago, FOSSE,  and Cabaret.  Then we branch out to Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, Hairspray,  and Mary Poppins. After that it is a crazy mix from the 1920’s all the way through to the music of the 21st century. I like that she enjoys all sorts of music. We sing and sometimes we get up and dance, stomp our feet and tap a few numbers.

I’m really blessed to have a good and goofy relationship with my 16-year-old daughter. I’m glad I don’t embarrass her too much.

She says she is proud to have me as her mom. I wish I had half the good relationship with my own mom that she does now with me.

Not dwelling on that just being very grateful for the gift.

And like that the music helps us complete our respective ” homework” now we sing and dance to the Broadway version of “All that Jazz”.

Now it is time for serious writing. So I will say goodnight to one and all 🙂