Have You Forgotten?

Just like our parents won't ever forget where they were when JFK was shot, my generation will never forget where we were or what we were doing on September 11, 2001.  I was in my room at the sorority house getting ready for my 9:30 class.  I had to get ready earlier than usual because my class was meeting at the Ames Public Library, which required me to drive, not just walk.  I was watching Today with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric, and had walked from the bathroom back into my room right as the first plane hit.  I didn't pay much attention, figuring they must be showing previews for a new movie or something like that.  Then the second plane hit, and they were speechless, and I realized they weren't showing pre-planned footage.  I continued watching as much as I could until it was time to go to class.  I listened to radio coverage as I drove, and began hearing the word "terrorists" over and over.  Suddenly, something about this situation seemed very different than it had just a little earlier.  Later in the day, as some truths (and non-truths, for that matter) began to be uncovered, I called my mom and, through tears asked her, "Mom, what is going on?"  I will never forget that day, or the days after, as my sorority sisters and I all huddled in the family room watching coverage on TV, feeling scared, shocked, and confused.  Reality set in, and even states away from where the attacks occurred, we all felt victimized.

It's been nine years, and 9/11 has become a day like most others: life goes on.  Today, for example, in many ways, is just another day.  Sara is 21 months!  Our friend, Isaac, is 30-something.  Grandpa Todd is, unfortunately, a pall bearer at his cousin's funeral.  Steve ran to the post office.  I'm about to vacuum.  It's College Game Day!  But it's still 9/11, and I feel that deserves a pause, a tribute.  There are still many men and women giving their lives for our continued freedom.  Many still facing another deployment (my cousin and his wife, both Air Force, among them).  Still many families mourning their losses.  Certainly the economic toll is still widely felt.  So while today is just another day, 9/11 will never be just another day.

Have You Forgotten?

Minnesota Dreaming ...

We had another memorable Minnesota weekend, and though between my mom, sister, Grandma, and I, we took over 200 pictures, I'll share just a handful here.  Sara and I flew up late Friday night.  She was the last one to wake up Saturday morning, and when she did, her hair looked like this.  Now that's a hard sleep.

Our first order of business was to hit the MN State Fair.  It's huge, crowded, full of various types of food and entertainment, and we just love it.  We stopped in the animal barns as soon as we arrived.  Sara enjoyed petting some goats, which were on her level.  We did get a glance of this year's largest boar (1450 lbs.), though it didn't interest her much since it just laid in a heap.  Bacon, anyone?

Fair food was enjoyed by all.  Sara's corn dog lasted a good three hours, and in between bites of it, she tried a variety of other new items, all of which she enjoyed.  My favorites were the new fried mashed potato balls, the classic walleye cakes, and the chocolate-dipped frozen bananas. 

My mom made us take this picture.  One of us looks cute and the other one just looks like a huge dork.

Sisters.

Oh, yes we did eat Hotdish on a Stick.  We hadn't planned to, but while my mom and sis were in line for the fried mashed potato balls, Todd spotted this stand and said, "What the heck?" and bought one for us to sample.  I wouldn't call it a staple on my state fair food list, but it was good.  And its pure existence makes me laugh.

Sara enjoyed "working on the farm" where she planted seeds, fed chickens, rode a tractor, and milked a cow.  She also may have eaten some of the hard, yellowish-brown, touched-by-many kernels of corn.  Oh, well.

The fam at the fair!

On Sunday evening, Foggy Notion played at a Labor Day party at the Lafayette Club on Lake Minnetonka.  We weren't sure what to expect as we'd never been to the event, but it was very family friendly with lots of entertainment, good food and spirits, and a phenomenal fireworks display.  Sara took a turn in the kiddie bounce house.  She mostly rolled around like this while the bigger kids jumped.

She also went on a pony ride!  At first I wasn't sure whether she'd actually get on the pony, but she did and she loved it.  She's concentrating hard in this picture.

Look at that face (Sara's, not mine)!  She just loved the cool air and the open fairways on which to run.  And run, she did.  We took turns chasing her all over the place.  She had an absolute blast!

Auntie and Sara.

While we were at G & G's house, my mom pulled out this old tee-pee that my sister got for Christmas many years ago.  We loved playing in it as kids, and my mom kept it for some special people like Sara.  As soon as she set it up, Sara was in tee-pee heaven.  She gathered all of her toys from around the house and stuffed them into the tee-pee.  The joys of having a small, quiet place to call our own ... 

Thanks for an unforgettable weekend, Mom, Todd, Mel, and G Lou.  Can't wait to do it again!

Random Ramblings (in bullet-point form)

My brain is mush, so tonight you get bullets (and you're really only getting this because I feel guilty about my week-long blog absence).

-I have no idea where this week has gone.
-We've had lots of rain, which we've desperately needed, but which also makes for interesting horrific hair days.  Especially after carpool duty.
-Last night I was in bed at 8:15 ... I'm that tired. 
-I could have stayed in bed all day today listening to the rain (yep, still tired).
-I've been putting off grocery shopping, so today I had my first school lunch of the year: lasagna, wheat roll, green beans, salad.  It was good.  I'm not embarrassed to say that I actually enjoy hot lunch.
-Tonight we ate out (remember, no groceries) at a local favorite, Italian Villa, where we ran into Ms. Marie, one of Sara's teachers.  Sara couldn't stop staring.  I guess the, "OMG, my teacher exists outside of school" shock syndrome sets in early.
-Sara has a new cousin!  Baby Lexey was born Monday night, and joins sisters Lauren and Lyndsey.  We can't wait to meet you, sweet Lexey!  Congrats, Jody!
-This school year is going so well.  I love my new job!
-After putting it off for seven years, we finally purchased grown-up bedroom furniture last weekend.  I can't wait for it to arrive.  To this end, I have to mention that we've slowly but surely made our way out of the hole we accumulated during our season of joblessness.  We're proud of ourselves.
-I'm drinking a Dos Equis.  Mmmmmm.
-Today I listened to Milwaukee's hottest host, Leigh McNabb, live online during her 10-2 show.  I love my talented friends.
-Tonight we have to do laundry and pack because tomorrow night we're headed Up North for The Great Minnesota Get-Together! 
-Also tonight: the Cyclones are playing in their season-opener.  In fact, they've been playing for about twenty minutes now, so I've got to go.  Go State!  (They just missed a field goal.  Some things never change).  Still, Go State!

Breaking the Rules

I'm definitely NOT supposed to be posting these photos here for a multitude of reasons (among them probably the fact that my photography skills do the building no justice whatsoever), but I just have to show you where I get to go to work everyday.  It's amazingly beautiful; I keep saying that the architects simply didn't miss a detail.  I still cannot  believe that I have had the honor of opening this brand new, absolutely exquisite school.  I have to pinch myself every time I turn into the drive.

The Boys of Fall

In high school, it was Friday nights at Aerie Stadium.  In college, it was Saturdays at Jack Trice.  Now, it's usually a Sunday afternoon in front of the TV.  Different places, same story: tradition, intensity, victory, sacrifice, pain, love.  I am so, so ready for The Boys of Fall.  If you haven't seen it yet, watch Kenny Chesney's new video here.  If you're any fan at all, it will give you chills.

Late Summer Reads

I couldn't attend book club this morning because I was at work.  I'm as disappointed about missing the opportunity to eat breakfast at Cafe Brazil with my girlfriends as I am about not being in on the discussion of this book:

Marching Powder is a non-fiction book co-written by Thomas McFadden, a former prisoner at La Paz's San Pedro Prison, and Rusty Young, the journalist who stumbled upon him there (and subsequently spent months living in the prison in order to secretly record Thomas's stay at a jail unlike any you've ever heard of or seen (if you've seen a prison)).  Though non-fiction can sometimes be dry or too information-based for my liking, this book read so much like a fictional story that I often had to remind myself while reading that the events detailed are, in fact, absolutely true.  Parts of the book were difficult to read, but those same parts gave the story credibility and authenticity.  The events, after all, really did play out in one man's life while he was incarcerated ... nobody would expect it to be all roses.  McFadden's story is nothing less than truly fascinating, and I'm so glad he told it.

This past month I also finally got around to reading this masterpiece:

I borrowed Water for Elephants from my mom's shelf when we were in MN last month.  Practically everyone I know had already read it, and once I started seeing previews for the movie version featuring Reese Witherspoon, I knew I needed to take time to read the acclaimed story if I ever hoped to see the movie.  I was not disappointed.  I loved WfE from the moment I opened it.  Although also hard to read at times, everything from the glitz and glamour to the grit and grime that defined the classes in this historically-based story was entirely captivating.  The characters were so well developed, and I found myself internalizing and relating with their stories and their struggles.  My emotions ran the gamut while reading, and I simply couldn't put it down.  If you haven't read this book yet, it's time.  You will love it. 

When I'd finished the two books above, I was without a new book to start and went asking for suggestions.  I actually only asked one person, my sister, and she - between laughs and eye rolls - recommended this classy tell-all:

In my sister's words, the author of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is basically a huge DB who wrote about his drunken escapades and the resulting - ahem - conquests that took place during his college and law school years.  If anything about the title or description of this book has the potential to offend you in even the most remote way, this book is definitely not for you.  I was able to appreciate tolerate this book because a) I'm an open-minded person, and b) my friends and I spent a lot of time in college hanging around frat guys.  Still, though they had me laughing (and often cringing), even I was nowhere close to prepared for Tucker Max's stories.  Read at your own risk ... don't say I didn't warn you: this book is not for the faint of heart (or the morally sound, for that matter).

Happy Reading!

Wordless Wednesday