We Will Never Forget

I feel that recently, I have been overcome with a lot of emotions.  Not very often do I actually take the time to think about the blessings that I have, and the good things going on in my life.  The 12th anniversary of 9/11 has really made me think about our great nation and the freedoms that are given to us, simply by having United States citizenship.  On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in my Latin class in 8th grade.  Whenever we would get something right in class, or whenever Ms. Majors could tell that we were being restless, she would let the class do the chicken dance.  Our classroom was built like a theater with multiple level of desks, and plenty of room to run around.  I remember that on that day she got a phone call, and as a result we were lucky enough to get to run around.  However, when she came back in the room she looked worried.

She began to tell us that her mother had just called her.  She said that there had been an attack in New York on the world trade center buildings.  Being from a small town in southern Virginia, I had no idea what those buildings were or what they looked like.  She said that her brother was in New York on business and that she needed to spend the rest of the class trying to get a hold of him.  She promptly went and found a tv and turned it on so that we could watch the news.  For the rest of the day, for all of the teachers that I had, we simply just watched the tv.  We were all glued to it and in some way, I remember not being able to fully realize what was going on.  I remember feeling sadness and anger.  We are America.  Why would someone want to do this to us?  This was the first act of terrorism that I witnessed, let alone the first act of war that I had ever seen.  I couldn't comprehend why someone would want to drive a plane into a building and kill thousands of people.  I also couldn't comprehend the sadness and the shock that the people of those families felt.  I was too young.

Every day after school I would go home and watch TRL on MTV.  I remember being so upset and angry that every tv station, and I mean EVERY tv station, was carrying news on the attacks.  When I look back on that day, I feel ashamed that I only thought about myself and about my needs.  Now that I am older I have a deeper appreciation for that day.  How blessed are we to live in a country that have policemen, firefighters, and paramedics, who would risk their lives to save others.  How blessed are we to have young men and women who choose to go overseas to risk their lives to defend our country.  How blessed are we to have been united as countrymen for that moment in time.  I know that we are all incredibly lucky and blessed to be able to live in this country.

As I approach that time in my life when I am thinking about having children (still very much in the future), I think about what I want to teach my children.  I want to teach them that they can do anything that they put their mind to.  I want to teach them to count their blessings and to develop a love and appreciation for our servicemen and women, as well as the countless professions that help serve and protect our country.  As I think of the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11, I can't help but think of those who forgot to kiss their children goodbye, or who were unable to say goodbye to their spouses.  It pains me to think of the regret that they must have felt, and the sadness that their loved ones endured.  As I start a family of my own, I want them to be constantly reminded that I love them and that I will never take a moment for granted.  I want them to feel loved and appreciated.  I want them to feel safe and secure.

When I become a mother, one of the greatest tasks that I will be faced with is to teach my children.  Throughout my life I will strive to ensure that the countless lives lost on that day are not taken for granted.  History enables individuals to learn and grow.  It also enables us to be thankful and appreciative.  I am thankful for my country and I feel blessed to be able to live and raise a family here.  We will never forget.

Technology.... The 4 Letter Word

Lately, I have had technology on the brain.  This may be due to the fact that I am absolutely, insanely obsessed with Duck Dynasty.  I seriously cannot get enough of it.  (Is there such thing as a Duck Dynasty addiction?  If so, do I need to seek counseling for this said addiction?  I say no.  Duck Dynasty makes me happy, happy, happy.  And that's a fact jack.)  Ever since we have moved to the great state of North Carolina, Todd and I have been exhausted.  Like straight up go to bed at 8 exhausted.  In order to cope with our exhaustion we often find ourselves watching TV in a stupor (this is where the Duck Dynasty comes in.) As much as I love spending time with Si, Jase, Willie and Phil, I would much rather spend time with my husband.  On the one hand, I am so tired that I don't even want to think, let alone try to form words into a coherent sentence in order to contribute to a meaningful conversation.  On the other, in order to make a relationship work, communication and time spent together is important.  I am hoping that many people can relate to this predicament.

I'm sure we have all seen the youtube video that is making its way around facebook.  It highlights all of the ways that technology distracts us, and causes people to become detached from society, like our devices have taken over our bodies in some crazy sci fi movie (Sharknado but with phones?).  Now let me get this straight.  I am by no means a technology hater.  I love the stuff!  I can't imagine my world or my life without the convenience and the knowledge that I have gained while being glued to my phone.   While studying history, I constantly learned of the benefits and the remarkable inventions that have allowed for our world to connect and advance into a remarkable civilization.  However, I have often found myself asking when is too much, too much?  Perhaps too much is when a couple ceases to talk and relies on technology for their sole source of entertainment.  (Todd and I talk about Duck Dynasty so we are good.)  Or maybe for another couple, the mere presence of technology in the relationship has a negative impact.   

What I have determined in my quest for technology peace is that each individual person knows their limits, and each couple knows when their relationship is being neglected.  Therefore, when I watch Duck Dynasty with Todd I should always try to be present.  Maybe I can ask more questions like: "Can you believe Si said that?"  Yes, this is the solution to my technology predicament. 
 
I guess what I am trying to say is I want to Carpe Diem!  I want to YOLO!  I want to grab life by the horns and do stupid, immature things.  How can I make North Carolina my bee patch without getting off the couch and recording some Duck Dynasty for later?  The answer is I can't.  Watch out North Carolina.  I am coming for you. 

Moving to North Carolina... and a Little Tribute to Utah

We used to live in Utah, and guess what.... I hated it!  I couldn't stand the weather, my neighbors, or anything for that matter.  I had an opinion and criticized everything.  I am from the South so naturally everything from my neck of the woods was better (it still is fyi).  So you can imagine that when my husband, my oh so smart and incredibly attractive husband, applied and got accepted to school in North Carolina, that I was THRILLED!  I seriously could not contain my excitement.  I wanted to shout it from the roof tops (not gonna lie I think I actually did this... don't judge).  I would finally have the opportunity to be near my family and to eat amazing food and to be near the beach.  My life was going to be complete and I would feel whole and all that jazz.  However, a funny thing happened.  I have lived out here, for a month to be exact, and I don't feel whole.  I will even admit that I miss Utah (GASP!).

So i think that it is only natural that I include a list of things that I miss from the motherland.  Here it goes:

1.  Fry Sauce.  Darn you Taco Amigo and your absolutely delicious concoction.  I know that other companies "try" to make and sell this but it is nasty and will never compare to the sweet nectar that is TA fry sauce.  Todd and I find ourselves reminiscing about the good old days as in... "Hey, remember how good TA's fry sauce was?".  Yeah we are a little obsessed... and maybe a little empty inside.
2. Cafe Rio.  Notice how the top two things that I miss about Utah are food.  Todd will not even let me try and attempt to make copycat recipies of this delicious goodness because he knows it just wont be the same.  I mean sure, I could yell at him in a Spanish accent but I just don't think that it will have the same effect, you know?
3.  I miss my job and all of its craziness.  Now let me get this straight.  At my other job I was severely overworked and underpaid.  The management was shady and I came home every night frustrated by the lack of work and professionalism that went on in the office.  But oh how I miss it.  I miss how casual it was and the social interaction that I experienced.  I miss making a difference in the lives of the people that I helped, and I miss the respect and the knowledge that I gained there.  I knew my stuff and I was pretty good at it too.  I was a big fish in a small pond and I had freedom.  Now at my new job I am at the bottom of the food chain and I am essentially a loser.  The grass is always greener on the other side right?
4. Friends.  I love having friends and I think that it makes life so much better...sweeter if you will.  In my imagination, I dreamed that Todd and I would move to North Carolina, attend a church that had so many young couples our age, and every one would want to hang out with us and be our new friends.  FALSE.  (I swear when I have these grand illusions someone just needs to come up to me and slap me out of it).  No friends have yet to be found, but we are still on the hunt.  
5. I think most of all I miss the safety and security that I felt in Utah.  I knew how to get to the store.  I knew where the best places to eat where.  I was close to a freaking Ikea!  Now I am a lonely woman with bad eyesight and a GPS on my phone that is super annoying.  I still have no idea where I am going    

Thanks for letting my complain... that felt good.

Todd and I have deemed the  motto of 2013 as the "It can only get better" year.  2012 was not my fav.  Lots of things were weird and I was so over it.  However, 2013 has brought us so many blessings and is truly living up to its theme of "it can only get better".  I think I just need to remind myself that just because it will be better then last year, doesn't mean that it won't have some difficult times.  It doesn't meant that I will not be stretched and pulled and forced to grow. A wise man, Orson F. Whitney, once said: "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted.  It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility.  All that we suffer and all the we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire".

I want to grow and I want to be stronger.  I want to be awesome and I want to do awesome things.  In order to get better I know that I have to go through trials and the whole sucky phase for a while.  So this blog is now about the chronicles of a young couple in a new and foreign place.  I am sure that many exciting adventures will unfold and that we will grow into more awesome human beings, because "it can only get better", right?