Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?

On September 11, 2001 I was 25 years old. I was living alone in a 1-bedroom apartment in a new city, newly single, about 8 months into a new career. I was taking on the world. I had no idea how that world was about to change.

That morning I was at home in my Linden Hills apartment. I planned to be late for work that day because I was going to vote in the primary, so I was home at a time I would have otherwise been in my car driving. I turned on the TV to catch some morning news, unaware that one plane had already hit the WTC. I was glued to the footage. A few moments later, I watched in horror as the second plane hit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; that it was real. I went in to work that day, because I wasn't sure what else to do. I remember televisions being set up so we could stay updated on what was happening.

I had flown to Washington, D.C. a couple of weeks earlier to visit my long-distance boyfriend. We actually broke up on the trip - I had come to the painful realization that both of us were meant to be in different parts of the country, and it was futile to keep going. I recall sitting in the airport with him before I boarded my plane; this was one of the last times that anyone but passengers would be allowed past security.  I remember being a bit frantic trying to reach him on September 11, because his brother worked at the Pentagon (found out the next day that everyone was OK).


There are a few events in life when you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing. I can count a few in my lifetime: the Challenger disaster; the day the first African-American President was elected; the evening the I-35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. However, September 11, 2001 will be burned into my memory not only because of the terrible images and the pain it brought so many; but because of the ways all of our lives have changed and will never be the same. Ten years my wish is that we never forget, but that we have the strength to forgive, and the patience to get us there.

Where were you then, and where are you today?

Me in NYC (Ellis Island) April 2000.

In this photo: Michelle.

Time For A Change

This week, Lucy started at a new daycare. We had been in an in-home daycare since she was 9 months old, but lately were just feeling like she needed something more...a little more structure, more learning opportunities and more social interaction. It was hard to say goodbye to her daycare provider Laura, but even she recognized that it was time for Lucy to move on. Plus, she lives in the neighborhood, so we'll still see her around!

Tuesday was Lucy's first day at a daycare/preschool in a nearby church. They have a toddler room and three preschool rooms, so we liked that there were opportunities to interact with older kids, too. We talked about "school" a lot and even got a new little backpack. She couldn't wait to get in the car the first day.

Lucy has done GREAT this week. I drop her off, and there were a couple of mornings she asked me to stay there and got a little upset, but by the time I got to the door she was over it. The very first day she got in a little scuffle over some crayons and got scratched in the face...but within moments she was fine and has been "best friends" with that little girl all week. We were a little worried at first that she might be a little shy and overwhelmed with so many kids around, but no worries were needed. This Friday when I picked her up the teacher told me she is one of the most popular kids in the room, she is friends with everybody, she has a good time and always has a smile. She loves the music class they have on Fridays, and has adapted well to the pace of a more structured schedule. This week at home she has been singing songs and talking about new things all the time (example in the video below - plus the sparkly skirt she insisted on wearing one day). We are thrilled with this choice to try something different, and know we have made the right one.

Toddlers and Target

Tonight I was home from work a little earlier than usual, Daddy headed to softball, and around 6:15 Lucy and I headed to Target to grab a few things. The trip was a mixed bag, but in hindsight, fairly typical. Let me walk you through it:

I parked the car and got her out; she wanted to walk so I let her, saying she had to be a good girl and hold Mommy's hand in the parking lot. There was no hand-holding, and we stopped 3 times to inspect shiny things (garbage) on the ground.

No big deal. She is 2, after all. Patience, Mama.

We burst through the automatic doors, Lucy moving in a way that is not really walking, not really skipping, but somewhere in between. Swishing in the sparkly skirt she insisted on wearing today, and singing a song from her new daycare, "Lucy's here today. Lucy's here today. Yaaaayyyy, Lucy!!" which garnered smiles and a "that is SO adorable!" from fellow customers.

Yep, she is pretty adorable...

She played with the gift registry computers while I returned something, then we got a cart and continued on our way. She still wanted to walk and did OK until we got to the kids clothing section, where she started pulling toddler-sized plaid shirts off the racks. I patiently put them back, and she continued to walk while we picked out wipes and diaper cream. At this point, she became obsessed with the baby pacifiers and would not put them back on the shelf. In the cart she went, and she was not happy about it. She stopped crying but then started chewing on the side of the cart (eww), because I told her not to.

OK, patience getting a little thin now.

I bribed her by going through a few toy aisles. Heard a lot of "I touch this one!" and "This is Lucy's" but she was still OK and we made it through without anything in the cart, or any fits.

Score, crisis averted.

About this time, I started asking her to "talk in a quiet voice." My daughter talks a lot; (like, constantly) and there is something about being in a store that makes her almost yell while she's doing it. My requests did not matter, of course; and her yelling turned into protests when we grabbed a bag of M&Ms (her pee-in-the-potty treats) and I would not let her chew on the bag.

Temperature rising again...

Somehow her attention was re-directed to something else, and we picked up a few more things. We were in the garbage bag aisle when she started chewing on the M&M bag again, standing in the cart, and everything coming out of her mouth was a whine. I warned her several times that we would put the bag back if she didn't sit down and talk nice. It continued, so I took the bag and put it on the shelf and walked away. WATERWORKS. The kid screamed as if I had just beat her.

Must...stay...calm...

I told her when she stopped crying and sat down, we could go back and get the M&Ms. I turned the corner into the next aisle and it was like a volcano erupted. "MY M&Ms ARE OVER THERE!!" I reminded her again of the required actions. She sat down, but she continued to scream. I crouched down at got at her eye level. She quieted down. I counted to 10. She made it. We returned to the next aisle and retrieved the M&Ms.

Thank you God, for allowing me to remain calm. And for nobody else being in those aisles.

The rest of our shopping was fairly uneventful. She was pleasant, and put the items on the counter for the cashier. She rode in the cart and got in the car seat with no protest. She asked nicely for a cookie and I gave it to her. She said "thank you." I smiled.

She can be a very good girl.

As I was on the entrance ramp to the interstate, there was a calamity in the backseat. There was cookie on her chin, and this was a travesty. Tears and demands to wipe it off ensued. I could not wipe it off, as interstate driving preferably requires two hands. This was not acceptable.

Sigh.

So that was one hour. This parenting of toddlers, it's not for the weak of heart.

The Return of Tunes on 2s!
Centerfield - John Fogerty (1985)

Hard to believe my last Tunes on 2s was April 2, 2009! So this one is in honor of the one who requested its comeback...

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
It’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Oh, put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Listen/watch here

Ahh, baseball. This song hands down, reminds me of my brother Josh. I seem to recall countless repeats of this on the little tape deck we had; the same tape deck that I used to record my favorite songs off Casey Cassem's American Top 40, hoping I hit the record button(s) at exactly the right moment between when he started talking and the first lyric was sung. If I remember right, I think we actually had an actual cassette tape of Centerfield, so the full experience was available. I have a distinct memory of listening to it in the little bedroom off to the left of the top of the stairs. The tape deck was sitting on the floor under the window by the door.

Josh was Mr. Baseball of our family. He was always on some kind of baseball team, all the way into his college years. His love certainly didn't spring from nothing - my dad is a longtime Baltimore Orioles fan, and we would make trips up to Minneapolis to see the Twins battle the orange and black in the Metrodome. Since the Mets won the World Series in 1986, Josh and I were fans. Another family trip to St. Louis involved a Mets game, and I remember also fitting in a Colorado Rockies game into a vacation in 1993 (their inaugural season).

"Centerfield" also recalls my own love and nostalgia for the game. There is just something about baseball - especially attending a game in person. I align myself more with the Twins these days, and even living in a city where Major League Baseball is so accessible, I still find myself excited every time I walk into a ballpark. Over the years I have added to my list of stadiums visited, including: Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers, Mets games with Josh and Abbey), Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), Shea Stadium (New York Mets!), and of course, Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I plan to visit more, and pass down that excitement to my daughter. I foresee her Uncle Josh participating in that, and with his own daughter!

It's said this Centerfield was inspired by Fogerty's childhood memories of baseball. Considering it went to #1 on the Billboard chart, I'd say it resonated with a lot of people in the same way. For me, it's mostly about my lip-syncing, practice-swinging little brother blasting it from the room at the top of the stairs.