Making Progress in my Studio!

It is hard to beleive that this is even the same room! Chris has been working hard to get the painting done. The color is very calming and the lighting is perfect. In the morning, I just go in there and turn on the light. I can't beleive that I will soon have my very own studio! The floor is done and we are hoping to get the built in desk done this weekend.

My current room is a MESS! I haven't scrapped in almost a month. I am hoping to get some time in there this weekend. I keep dreaming about what I am going to do in my new studio.... Chris had to tell me to go to sleep on Sunday... I was just too excited! I will have space to spread out, but I will also be able to teach classes again. My friends and co-workers are already asking when they can come! :)

Romeo wants to play too...

9/11

It seems fitting that I am finally updating today. Today marks five years since our life as Americans was forever changed. I am never really understood when my parents explained that they remembered exactly where they were when JFK was shot or other events in American history. Sadly, I now understand. I will forever remember the moment I learned about the horrible attacks of 9/11/01.

I was in my first year teaching at Carl Sandburg. I was reading aloud to my students. My assistant was out of the classroom taking care of some things. She came in and told me quietly what had happened. I was stunned. At first, we thought it was a terrible accident. When the second plane hit, it became obvious that this was a planned attack on America. I was torn between my own emotions and protecting the students. I put the kids to work and started researching online to see what I could learn.

I remember an overwhelming unsettling feeling. I didn't know anyone in the buildings or on those planes, but I was scared. All of the wars that had been fought in my lifetime we on far away lands. I was removed from all of it. This was different. Would a war be fought on American soil? Would my life be forever changed? What did this all mean for the long term?

I couldn't get ahold of Chris right away. Unfortunately, he was at our infertility clinic leaving a sample. When I finally got in touch, I just wanted him to come home and be with me. I was scared. However, he needed to stay at work and be at the YMCA for people to feel safe there. I was angry... I wanted him to worry about my safety. In hindsight, I was simply scared. I mean really scared... terrified!

In the days that followed, I was obsessed with the news. I watched HOURS of tv. I needed to get all of the information I could. Information has always been my #1 defense mechanism.

Today, five years later, I am so grateful to feel safe and secure in my home. Life is different now in many ways. We are at war and have been since that day. I know how blessed we are that the war has not physically landed here on American Soil. My political beliefs are strong, and I also know just how blessed I am to live in a country where we have freedoms to disagree with our leaders and not fear for our lives.

I am proud to be an American. I am grateful for the freedoms I have and for the people whose sacrifices make American safe and secure for us. My heart still aches for the families of those who were savagely taken from us on 9/11.

In the end, I will hug my family a little tighter tonight and reflect on how lucky I am to be an American.