Where were you?

As I've been looking at the news, I've been seeing a lot of posts and blogs about the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, and thought I would make my mark for posterity.

The morning of September 11, 2009 started with a phone call from my Grandma in Utah. She told me that there had been an accident and that a plane crashed into the WTC in New York. (My parents had flown from Hawaii to Salt Lake to take my brother, Orlin, to the MTC) Mom and Dad were ok, but because flights had been grounded, they didn't know when they would be able to come back home. I didn't really think the 'accident' would be that bad, but I turned on the tv to see it for myself. I was flabbergasted at what I saw! The smoke, the sorrow, the chaos. I woke up my little brother, Matthew and told him to watch the news while I took a shower. After I got dressed I went out into the living room just in time to sit down and watch helplessly as the second airplane crashed into the second building. I remember the news playing the tape over and over again. As if seeing it once in my life wouldn't cement it to memory. The reporters were saying that the first crash had been an accident, but I knew the minute the second plane crashed that this was no accident.
I headed to seminary and to school where the current events were the only topic of the day. Lunch was more somber than I ever remember. My show choir class was even more distraught over the news. My friend had some family members living in New York and had cut class to try to call them to make sure they were ok.
We all know how the events unfolded that day...and the days following that have lead to years of rebuilding confidence, healing wounds that will never heal, and hearts that will never be whole.

May we never forget that day.

Toothless Joe no More!

Parker is finally cutting a tooth! I know, I know...you're thinking, "what a momentous occasion-not!" But it really is, considering he has been chowing down on solids for about a month now. I'm not really excited for the fevers and fussing, but I am excited for him to look like a Toothless Joe! The real question is whether or not this guy could get his mouth any bigger!