apples, part II

the same place.  the same delicious meal afterwards (posted here).  

time has marched on as it always does and, unlike last year, my little man is zipping down hills, helping daddy reach way up high to pick the perfect ones, digging them out of the pickers, and launching the apples into the air at great speeds.  we ended the day with a horse-y ride.  

we have officially kicked off the fall with our favorite of fall traditions.  now, if fall would just come and stay awhile...we are anxiously waiting...

the last weekend of summer

i remember when labor day weekend was a really big deal.  it was the last weekend of summer to party and soak up the sun.  we would sit in traffic for hours to get to the beach, listening to loud music.  these types of vacations are long gone.  traffic is not my friend and you can just ask my husband how i feel about loud music;);)

this last labor day weekend, we were lucky to have three days in a row together as a family.  for jeff, days off can sometimes be hard to come by.  we took advantage of not having any plans and decided last minute to take jackson to the bronx zoo for the first time.  my favorite part was watching jackson chase the peacocks (there were a lot of them).  he was amazed by the fish and watched them swim around, saying "ooo!  mommy, daddy...pish!!".  we also caught up with the giraffes which always look so graceful and regal to me.  a zoo trip just isn't complete without giraffes.  not sure why that is.

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the chill is coming tomorrow.  i hear that it will likely stay around through the weekend.  it may be time to say, sadly, "so long, sweet summer.  you were awesome.  thanks for the memories."

remembrance

friends, we made it out safe and sound from the outerbanks.  you can see some beautiful pictures of our trip here!  once i get back into the groove of things, i'll also post some pics from our recent trip to the bronx zoo this past labor day weekend. 

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but first, all week wnyc has been airing interviews of family members who lost loved ones during 9/11.  today i listened to  this young girl tell us about her father who suffered injuries but luckily made it out alive.  he fell into depression shortly after the attacks.  she now refers to him as "new dad".  the one that doesn't pay much attention to her anymore, doesn't laugh, or joke like he did before 9/11.  so while everyone expects her to think of her dad as a "hero", she feels differently, like he has changed in many ways.  it was so heart-felt i nearly cried while driving on the FDR.

i am unsure if wnyc does this every year but i imagine these interviews and stories are due to the tenth anniversary this coming sunday.    most anniversaries, come and go.  (i am one of the lucky ones who is able to say that, i know.)  this year feels a little different than the others though.  perhaps it's because they killed Osama, and the focus is more on remembering the lives affected rather than focusing news and memorials on our enemies.  i'm not sure. but this coming sunday, i will among those remembering and praying that those families heal what is broken and empty inside them.  

below is an animated clip from StoryCorps.  they are aiming to record at least one interview for each life lost during 9/11. 

they have other clips that are really sweet.  here is just one.  see them here.