A Day for Remembrance

It is hard to believe it has been ten years since September 11, 2001.  I look back on that day and can see how much my life and the world changed that day.

I was a freshmen in college.  I had been in my new dorm and away from home for barely a week.  Everything was new.  Classes were challenging, meeting new people was even more difficult and I was working so hard to keep myself afloat.  Everything little thing seemed SO important and I was so afraid to step in the wrong direction.

The morning of Sept. 11th, I was sitting in my dorm room with the lights still off (my roommate was asleep).  There was the glow of my computer screen as I worked on my first writing assignment for my english class.  The room was silent....then I heard a girl from our section running down the hallway, yelling, to see if anyone was awake...

I opened my door to see what was wrong and the girl came bursting into my room saying that a plane had crashed into a building in New York.  I was confused and concerned and we quickly turned on the little TV in my room.  My roommate awoke to the noise and looked to see what was going on and it was then that we saw the second plane crash into the towers on television.  I don't remember exactly what happened after that...I remember crying and trying to get a hold of my parents - everything was such a blur...

The campus was quiet that day...everyone was glued to either their TV's in their dorm rooms or the projection screens that the college had set up for everyone to watch...the world had changed...

Suddenly, all the little things that seemed to matter so much to me mere hours ago seemed so insignificant...why was I worried about such small things when just like that your life can change, you can lose the ones you love at the hands of such hatred.

At the time, it really was hard to see the change in me, but looking back now I know that many of my choices these past ten years have been shaped by that moment...even subconsciously.

I became a teacher.

I never wanted to be a teacher.  I vowed I never would be!  However, throughout that first year of college as a graphic design major, something changed in me.  I wanted to make a difference.  I wanted to help people in a more powerful way than I thought I could through graphic design.  I needed to help others find their passion and a way to find good in the world, even when it seems so surrounded by hate.

I am a teacher.

And I am never looking back.  I try everyday to make a difference - I hope I do...there are days that I am unsure - but their are better days when I feel like the world is changing...even if I can be the tiniest part of that I know I am making a difference.

I will never forget those that lost their lives through the act of hate and also those who lost their lives to save others.  We've had a rough ten years that have not been without ups and downs, but there are still people working to make a change.  To make this world a better place and to fufill the legacy that far too many people left behind.

I hope I'm helping...and I'm not giving up...

Never forget, be grateful for the life we are given and look forward to the future we can make together.

Labor Day Weekend

It was a big weekend! I went back to work this past week and then spent the weekend driving out to my parent's place to see all of my family that came up from Kentucky.

It was so wonderful to see everyone. I have not seen any of them in a think nearly eight years which is waaaaaaaaaay too long. During two of my summers in college I lived with one of my aunts down in Kentucky for an intership and I have such fond memories of staying down there with all of them...it's a bit sad that it has been soooo long since I have seen them in person again.

Life gets crazy and plane tickets get more and more expensive, but seeing all of them this past weekend made me want to start saving now so we can do down and visit all of them again SOON!

This weekend was also the first time my husband met this side of my family! He has heard so much about all of them and FINALLY he was able to meet them all.

So along with fabulous family and fabulous food, we also had some DANCING! My Grandma is a hula dancer and also did some traditional Japanese dances for all of us.

Here is a pic my step-brother took of Grandma dancing:



She also taught us all quite a few hula dances and we had a little performance! I am not the most coordinated, and I'm sure once I watch the video I will see how "awesome" my dancing was - heehee. Once I get a hold of some pictures, I will share them!