9/11

I remember my mom waking me up, telling me that something was happening that I needed to see.

I remember not getting it.

I remember getting ready for school and wondering what the big deal was.

I remember arriving at school to chaos and still not getting it.

I remember TJ running up to me telling me that the pentagon got hit.

I remember still not getting it.

I remember TJ repeating it and saying that the US was at war. We were being attacked.

I remember fear.

I remember anger.

I remember sitting outside my art classroom afraid to do something so mundane when my world, our world, was crashing all around me.

I remember silence. Dead silence.

I remember watching the television and seeing raw hatred like I had never seen before.

I remember people jumping from the twin towers because they were being burned alive.

I remember the dust.

I remember the smoke.

I remember the screaming.

I remember a complete stranger, a classmate, holding my hand and rubbing my back as we watched our world crumble around us. Both in tears.

I remember feeling unsafe.

I remember crying. For those who died, those who lost, those who helped and most of all, I remember crying for myself and feeling ashamed.

I remember wanting to help but realizing that there were no survivors and I was in high school...with no money...there was nothing I could do.

I remember praying and begging God for mercy.

I remember TJ telling me he wanted to join the military that day. And I remember being selfish and telling him that I didn't want him too.

I remember the unashamed tears everywhere I looked.

I remember feeling proud of my country, not because it was the best or the worst. Simply because it was mine.

I remember the strength that our country showed that day.

I remember the love.

The patriotism.

The unity.

Today, I remember it all.

I will never forget the life's that were lost on this day 9 years ago. And I will forever be thankful for the life's that have been spared because of the brave men and women that have been fighting for our country day in and day out ever since.

Schmid 2.1

I forgot to mention another end of the summer adventure TJ and I have started. I'm knocked up! Schmid 2.1 is in the oven. So far i'm feeling somewhat okay (knock on wood). I started feeling nauseous yesterday, about 5 minutes after telling a friend how good I was feeling (that's what I get for not knocking on wood). Other than soreness in certain areas that shall remain nameless (it rhymes with foobs), severe exhaustion, and constant nausea, I feel great when I compaire it to my pregnancy with Hailey. My due date is April 22 2011 and i'm around the 6-7 week mark. Schmid 2.1 is around the size of a sweet pea so long as there is only one....

Busy summer

yes, I fail. I did warn you that i'm no writer, nor am I any good at keeping journals or blogs. BUT I'm here now so :P This summer has turned out to be crazier than I originally thought. Here are a list of things we did and pictures to go with them.

Hailey, Tina, Rosaline and I piled in the car and drove to Oregon to visit our family. It was a long LONG drive but we made it in one piece and would do it again.

A certain friend whom shall remain nameless came and visited for the weekend. We drank, ate and were merry. In that order. It was fab.

I reconnected with my sister and brother from another mother. I now have 3 more nieces and nephews whom I love much-O.

Hailey's first Vacation Bible School! I helped plan this one AND was a crew leader so this made for a busy month for me.

Neal came and visited us for a few weeks and we all had a great time. He's getting so big!! I remember changing that touche of his when he was a little toddler. Now he's 12 whooping years old!

Next weekend Tina, Ryan and Rosaline are visiting from the great town of Clovis, NM. We are SUPER excited to see them.

Last but certainly not least, our good friends Louis, Christina and their son, Aaron are visiting. I can't wait to meet him!!

The only thing that I didn't get to do was visit my third set of parents in Germany, Dave and Shirley, we miss you so!

So this is completely off subject but it's BLOODY HOT in Texas during the summer!! I'm talking, 107 degrees EVERY DAY! UGH! Good thing we aren't here very much longer or I may shrivel up into a Karen prune.

Home again, home again jiggity jig!

Tomorrow starts our road trip back to the good old north west. My nose longs to smell pine trees again and my eyes are sore from lack of green. I want to see mountains again. (mountains Gandalf!!) (...don't tell my husband I said that. I would never hear the end of it...)

Anywho, tomorrow, Hailey and I are New Mexico bound to pick up Tina and Rosaline. We then leave Tuesday at 0'dark thirty (aka around 4 am) and head to Phoenix, Arizona. TJ and Tina's Aunt, uncle and cousins live there as well as my bestie! From there we head to Sacramento, California to visit TJ and Tina's Grandma then off to Oregon. If all goes according to plan we should be pulling into town late on the 30th.

Getting ready for this road trip makes me feel very American. I love my country :) It gives me great pride to see the beauty that we have right at our fingertips and I frequently turn on patriotic songs throughout my road trips to get the all American, road trip feel going to the fullest. This is one of my favorites.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thorough fare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

Here she comes to save the day!

As a woman, I have a strong longing to change the world - a need to be a part of something bigger than my little day to day challenges. I like to let my mind wander to adventurous scenarios involving children being chased by lions and me singlehandedly saving them. Or small African villages in need of food supply and me, again singlehandedly, bringing them enough food to last them the rest of their lives (all while in heels, of course). I am superwoman after all.

Well...not quite. These fantasies are great until I remember that I have three year old at my feet.

With Hailey constantly needing my motherly attention, changing the world seems unreachable. But it's not. I may not be able to travel to starving African villages or save children from ferocious lions but I can help in a more local way. Children all over the world are dying of simple things like starvation and malnutrition. It's a horribly sad reality that makes me sick. With this thought in mind, I have signed my family up to sponsor, through World Vision, three children in Uganda. Hailey get's the opportunity to learn about children from across the ocean and I get the simple joy of watching her change the world. Who knows, maybe I'm raising a missionary.

www.worldvision.org

Please be in prayer with us as we sponsor these children.

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and your labor of love which you have sown towards His name . . .” (Hebrews 6:10).

Hailey quotes

We were watching The Swan Princess at Tina's house and there's a scene where the prince is fighting a dragon with his sword.

"Mommy look! He's killing that dragon with his sword just like daddy!''

Our Little Joy Spot

My husband is in the Army and has been for the last 5 years. At our first duty station we bought a plaque that we hang on the door of everyplace we have lived. It reads, "home is where the army sends us." In our family, the "home" is not a place, but a feeling of love, acceptance and joy. It's a place of rest and relaxation, a place of learning and growing, and a place of thanksgiving. My goal is to make our "home" as good of a home as possible. This blog is here to keep you updated on our journey.