Written Words

September 13, 2012

One of the great memories of my childhood was opening the mailbox to find a letter from my grandmother. Even better was a letter from her that was addressed to ME.  I knew her handwriting before I could read the words.  Most of us remember learning to print and then the excitement and terror of learning to write in cursive.  We were all taught the basics of the curves and loops and lines and connectors, all of us trying to make our letters look like the models on the board or the paper.   Even as we struggled with trying to make each letter perfect, our personalities and quirks began to come through in our writing and we each developed our own style.
The onset of the digital world has caused the demise of this particular art form, as keyboards replace pens and pencils.  Most of the students I have now have never been taught cursive writing and struggle to read it.  Do I think we should go back to a time when everything was handwritten and we didn't have access to the many wonders of the digital world?  Of course not.  But, I do find it sad that such a beautiful and personal way of expression may someday be a thing of the past.

The Morning After

September 12, 2012

The day after...the sun came up, the flags dropped to half staff and we began our new normal.  The nation was in shock.  Did this really happen or was it a shared nightmare?  The answer?  Yes, it really happened and we were living in a shared nightmare.  The frantic search for survivors continued, the tears flowed, travel came to a standstill, and the world watched us stumble, then catch each other and stand back up.  We mourned, cried, prayed, sang, held each other up, and began to rise again, determined that terrorists would not bring us to our knees.  People from all over the world prayed and cried with us, and sent us messages of sympathy, hope, and encouragement, and offers of help.  We learned of a man named Osama Bin Laden, of whom many of us had never heard, and of his plans - how he used our own willingness to welcome non-Americans against us.
The day after...our world had changed forever.

9/11

September 11, 2012

This picture is from June of 1996 - who knew that capturing the towers in the background would be important only a few years later.
My 9/11 story is not particularly exciting or unique or memorable.  On that morning I was at school teaching Math to 7th graders and knew nothing of what was happening until after both towers had been hit.  I walked through the teacher's lounge and glanced at the television to see smoke billowing out of the towers; I stopped to see what was happening and was stunned upon hearing the basics of the story.  At that point I went back to my classroom, got my phone, and went outside to start calling family members since I wanted to make sure I knew where everyone was (particularly Mom who had been traveling off and on for several months and had mentioned going to New York City).  It took a while, but I finally got through to everyone.  When I got home that afternoon I turned on the tv and just sat and watched...and watched and watched.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it for days.  On Thursday we knew that Tropical Storm Gabrielle was headed our way and she hit us head on Friday.  It was a relief when the power went out because then I couldn't watch tv any more.
There's no real reason for this (I had no personal connection to anyone in New York, Pennsylvania, or DC), but I was a mess for months.  I found myself crying for no reason, snapping at people who didn't deserve it, and my poor sleeping habits got even worse.
However, I found such inspiration in the heroism and patriotism surrounding that day and the days, weeks, and months that followed.  Heroism in the form of the First Responders, the coworkers, the members of the church that survived and became a sanctuary for the weary and the mourning and the rescue workers, and people from all over the world who banded together to help in any way they could.  The way we banded together as a country was beautiful.  People from all walks of life worked together, prayed together, and held each other up in this time of crisis.  I have always loved this country and the way we came together gave me such hope.
Always remember.  Never forget.  Love one another.  Help each other.  Hold each other up.

Back Home Again in Indiana

May 27, 2012
Today is a sad day for me as I am sitting at home in Florida watching the Indianapolis 500 on TV instead of sitting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching the race in person.  I have watched this race my entire life as Speedway is my mom's hometown and my dad has always been a race fan (my theory is that if he had been given the opportunity, he could have been a pretty successful driver).  My grandparents house was a mile or so from the track, mom now lives across from the track, and we have family and good friends all over the area.  When I was in 4th grade we spent several weeks in May with my grandparents.  Strangely enough I had never been to the race itself until about 10 years ago.  It has become an annual pilgrimage that is not as much about the race as it is about spending the weekend with family and friends, walking up and down Georgetown, relaxing, and having fun.  Of course, attending the race is part of the fun and is hard to describe to someone who hasn't been to it.  The energy of the crowd of several hundred thousand, the festivities prior to the race, the parade of members of the Armed Forces riding around the track waving to the crowd, the whine of the cars, and so much more add to the excitement.  It truly is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing!   Our plan is to be back there next year.

Coasters

May 26, 2012

Yesterday at Legoland I went on all four of the roller coasters with Catherine.  That may not seem like a big deal, but for me it's HUGE.  Roller coasters scare me.  I really dislike the feeling of going downhill quickly and all that twisting and turning makes me feel like I'm going to go flying off into space and then crash into the ground.  The four coasters at Legoland are geared more toward children, which makes them just about my speed!

Excellent Adventures

May 25, 2012

We like to go on adventures.  Today's adventure took us to Legoland.  Yes, three adult children wandering around Legoland - Wayne, Catherine, and myself.  It was a lot of fun - pretty low key, lots of lego creations to see (including this WELCOME sign), a few rides, a very hokey but fun ski show, and part of the original Cypress Gardens.  The MiniLand, where places such as Times Square, Kennedy Space Center, part of Las Vegas, and Daytona Speedway have been recreated in Legos, was quite interesting.  All in all, an excellent adventure!

Road Trip

May 24, 2012

During the summer of 1997 (or maybe 1998), Daddy was racing the AHRMA circuit on his vintage Penton that he had rebuilt.  One of the races was at Mid Ohio Raceway.  He invited me to go along on a quick trip for that race.  We took off from Savannah, GA late one afternoon and drove all night, arriving at Mid Ohio in the morning.  Daddy registered, we looked around at the vendors, and then found a hotel to get some sleep.  The next morning we were at the track for his races, spending the day there.  At one point a woman came up to me and asked if I wanted to register to race as they needed another woman in the event.  She made sure I knew that if I raced I would get a trophy no matter what since they were giving trophies to the top three in each category and there would be only three women!  I didn't race but I sure was tempted!!  Daddy placed well in his races.  We got up before daylight the next morning and headed to Orlando, arriving that night.
It was a very quick trip but so much fun!  We talked and laughed and just generally enjoyed spending the time together.