We took a weekend family trip up to our nation’s capital and I wanted to share a few photos I took. I have more about our trip and more photos over at Counting My Pennies.
Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool
Jefferson Memorial
Pentagon Memorial–Ann C. Judge
Pentagon Memorial
Mr. Lincoln
Two weeks from right now my friends and I’ll be arriving at the Verizon Center with my friend Steph for the NEW KIDS CONCERT! Can ya feel the excitement?! I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I can’t wait! I got their new CD the day after it hit the stores and I have not listened to anything else since. It rocks my face off. As does this gentleman:
If Aaron wouldn’t divorce me, I’d probably have that poster hanging beside my bed like a 12 year old little girl. Ahhhh . . . swoon . . ! I love that Jordan Knight.
We are off on a family trip to Washington DC in the morning. I’ll be posting all about it on my Counting My Pennies blog when we return. I’m trying to keep costs down so we are carrying drinks and food with us, staying outside the city and taking the metro in, etc. The cool thing is that all the places we are visiting are free so it seems like a pretty frugal family friendly place! I am super excited about it!
Yesterday was a busy day and I didn’t have time to post on my blogs like I wanted to. My heart felt heavy and my mind was full of thoughts of this day seven years ago. Aaron and I watched a few minutes of the activities at the Pentagon yesterday–we saw some of the reading of the names of the many people who died there. I asked Aaron how long he thought they would continue to do this–read the names aloud on the anniversary. It got me thinking about Pearl Harbor. Remember when the movie came out in 1998 (we saw it on our honeymoon)? There were veterans who could hardly bare to watch it even so many years later. Of course it will forever be a day that is etched in our memories. Where were you?
I was at home sleeping in. I was about 3 months pregnant with Annagrace and worked the night shift the night before. Aaron came in the bedroom and said, “Turn on the tv–some idiot just flew a plane into the World Trade Center.” I turned on the Today Show and started watching the live coverage. I kept thinking, like most did, how in the world did that pilot get that far off course? Did he have a seizure? a heart attack? Was he flying alone? It was not known at first what type of plane it was–the world had no idea what was about to happen. In our innocence we believed it was horrific mistake. Then another plane was shown crashing into the other tower and immediately the world knew that we were being attacked.
I called my mom to see if she had heard about it. She and her co-workers had indeed heard and they ended up closing their office (a government office) early. We called a few friends to see if they had heard about what was happening. Then we saw the Pentagon up in flames and immediately thought of our friends, Shannon and Wayne. Shannon worked close to the Pentagon–we made a few phone calls and soon found out that she was safe. I sat glued to the t.v. for hours on end. What was happening? The tv showed President Bush being notified. Seeing that look on the leader of the free world’s face was heart wrenching. That look of total shock, despair and fear all rolled into one. Later that afternoon I decided that I needed to get out of the house for awhile so I went to the mall. I found out that the mall had closed early and the only store that was open was JC Penney’s. When I walked in they told me that they were closing in 5 minutes. I got in my car and cried and cried and cried. (Not because the mall was closed!) I cried because at that moment was the realization that something major was happening. Someting terrible. Something that our nation had not endured in a long time. An attack on our home land. On our territory. By some as-yet-undetermined forces. Aaron and I met with friends that night to pray together for our country and the people that were affected by this terrible thing that had happened.
It was the next morning when we started to hear about a man named Osama Bin Laden. He soon became a household name. In the days and weeks that came we saw people pulled from the Twin Towers wreckage–some alive but many were not. Thousands of people were missing. We heard stories about Flight 93 and how they attempted to take over their hijacked plane and ended up crashing in a field in Pennsylvania. We heard stories of great sadness, and stories of hope. We heard of heroes–people risking their lives for others. People dropping everything they were doing to travel to NY City to help.
We as a nation for those few moments were joined as one. Crime rates dropped (even in New York City) as people began focusing on others, on their families, on their friends. Churches met for prayer and vigils. People were friendlier, more willing to give a helping hand. People would line up to donate blood. It was a scary time, but also an amazing time. It was amazing to see people so willing to help their fellow man.
So here we are seven years later. The events of that day will forever be burned into my memory. When I’m old I’ll tell my grandchildren about what I remember about that day–much like my mother has told me about the day Kennedy died. I’ll also tell them about the day the Challenger exploded. The day that the Berlin Wall was torn down and the day that a black man became president–or a woman became vice president–depending on the outcome in November!. The events of 9/11 will not soon be forgotten. Our family is planning a trip to DC next weekend and I am hoping to visit the new memorial in front of the Pentagon. I’m sure it will be a sombering experience. It will be a way to remember and to honor the lives that were lost. I hope that we as a nation remember it and remember the patriotism that we all felt in the days following. God bless this great nation of ours!
It’s been an exciting couple of days in the S-A-U-F as in Frank-L-E-Y household! Yesterday I got the new New Kids CD (lovin’ it!) so you know I was tickled pink about that! Then Madalyn started preschool today (she’s lovin’ it!). And then today, to top it all off, Annagrace lost her very first tooth! So we are all excited about something. Aaron is excited that we are going out to eat to celebrate Madalyn’s first day of school and Anngrace’s tooth! We’re taking the girls to the Japanese Steakhouse. We ate there Sunday night with my good buddies Jenn, Vic, Steph and Steve and we had a blast! The food is really good too! I think the girls will have a great time!
Here are a couple quick photos because I know my mom will be looking for some!
This one of Madalyn was actually taken yesterday on her Open House day! She was sooooo cute!
Don’t my girls have beautiful eyes? Annagrace’s are an amazing shade of green in this photo and Madalyn’s are always crystal blue! I didn’t do anything in photoshop to her eyes in that photo–they are truly that blue!
One month from today and I will be heading to the New Kids concert! AAAHHH!!!! I can’t wait! My friend Steph that is going with me was here this weekend so we busted out the New Kids tape and did our best dance moves to it! We are so flippin’ excited!
Makes me feel like I’m 12 year old all over again!
