Happy October!

I know I'm a few days late, but happy October everyone!  I love October because it is (in my opinion) the official start of the holiday season.  This month we have many birthdays in my family and Halloween, of course.  Next month is Thanksgiving, and then the day after Thanksgiving is my official start of the Christmas season.  But more on that later.

This weekend was wonderful.  My husband and I went back to his hometown to visit.  His sister and her kids were visiting as well so it was a lot of fun!  We also had the opportunity to visit with some of our friends who we have missed very much since we moved.  We were so busy, bouncing around from place to place, but we enjoyed every minute of it.  Not to mention the weather was ah-mazing!!!

Today is a very special day.  It's Travis' birthday!  Sadly, he had to work so we couldn't spend the entire day together, but we were able to celebrate.  It amazes me how far we have come since his birthday last year.  For those of you who don't know, Travis was deployed last year.  It was a hard time for us, but we made it though.  As he was eating the birthday cake I baked for him today he mentioned that on his birthday last year he was eating cake out of a jar.  Now I know what you are thinking, "Cake out of a jar?!?!  What?!?!"  I believe that everyone should have cake on their birthday.  Deployed soldiers are no exception.  I found a recipe online for baking cakes in mason jars and directions how to seal them.  I packaged them up neatly with a can of frosting and shipped them overseas.  I remember that Travis enjoyed getting them.  It was a nice surprise.  Since then, Travis came home, we got married, and he moved from his hometown to the city to be with me.  The past year has brought many changes for us, but we are loving every minute of it.

Now that it is October I decided to get started on making some Halloween decorations to make our apartment a little more festive.  Look for my post tomorrow with pictures of my creations!

Never Forget

Photo found at History.com
Photo Credit: Yoni Brook/Corbis

On September 11, 2001, as I walked into the girls locker room at my middle school to get read for my first period PE class.  The first thing I noticed was that no one was getting changed.  One of the boys' PE coaches came into the locker room visibly upset.  He and the two girls' coaches went into their office and started talking.  The coaches came out and turned the television on.  That is when I saw what was happening.  I saw the smoke billowing out of one of the World Trade Center buildings.  I sat there, transfixed.  I couldn't really understand what was happening, but I knew that it was bad.  I found out later that the boys' PE coach's brother was a New York Fire Fighter.  In second period my mother, like many others, signed me out of school.  I remember walking quickly down the hall knowing that if my mother had signed me out early and if she was that worried, whatever was happening was really, really bad.  Later, at home, I remember watching the footage on television.  I still didn't completely understand what was going on, but I was scared.  I remember watching the footage of the rubble.  The billowing smoke.  The flames.  The people with no choice but to end their lives.  The crying.  It was a lot to take in for a seventh grader.

Even though I did not lose a love one on September 11, I cried along with the rest of the country.  The biggest impact that 9/11 had on me, was that it was the day that my husband decided that he was going to join the military.  At the time, he was only in eighth grade.  Since we met, I have had the opportunity to meet many brave soldiers who love our country and will do whatever it takes to protect it.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who lost family and friends on 9/11.  My heart breaks for you and what you are going through.  To those who serve our community, fire fighters, police officers, and other first responders, I am so thankful to know that there are so many who are willing to help me if something happens.  To those who serve in our military, I sleep better at night knowing that you are out there protecting our country and defending my freedom.

Never forget to be thankful.
Never forget what happened.
Never forget those who lost their lives.

I will never forget.