10 Years Later

I still can't believe it has been ten years since I watched the towers fall - first at school, then later at home with my family. The day was surreal and I remember feeling life would never, ever be the same. In some respects, this sentiment is true - our lives have been forever changed. On the other hand, life moved forward and our safe feeling of normalcy has resumed. It was gut-wrenching to watch the reading of the names this morning, with children paying tribute to the fathers they never met, but also comforting to see the circle of life continue. 

Many images from that day will be forever embedded in my mind; I can no longer watch the footage of the towers falling without turning away. Certainly many of these images have been replayed over and over again today, but I so clearly remember one piece of footage I have never again seen replayed in ten years. A husband and wife - their business suits covered in dust and looking terrified and disheveled - spotted each other in the same subway station. The only thing more emotional than the scream they both let out upon spotting each other, was the embrace and tears that followed. I think about that couple often, unable to process the thought of not being able to contact or not knowing where Mike might be if something like 9/11 ever happened again. And my heart breaks for every couple and family that were not as lucky as those two people. 

I moved to New York over three years ago and each anniversary of 9/11 is a somber and quiet day in the city. Residents jump at the sound of an airplane flying by or a blaring siren. We are all a little nicer to each other; we know each person is thinking of that day ten years ago, of the family and neighbors who perished downtown. In the years that have followed, I have watched as my family and friends have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I have prayed for their safe return each night, rejoiced when I am able to hug them again, and shed many tears for a friend who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Among all the emotions of this weekend, I suddenly realized my own children will never know the pain and terror that overtook our country that day. Perhaps the most meaningful contribution I will be able to make will be to teach my children about that day and how it changed our world forever; that freedom does not, and will never, come free.

Never forgive. Never forget.

Weeping Willow Tree

The Opening Act

Happy Labor Day Weekend! While the calendar might say there are still a few weeks left of summer, the city returns to its usual impossibly hectic pace post-Labor day weekend. So if you are also hanging onto these last few warm summer days, you might as well have a phenomenal cocktail in hand, right?  This cocktail features Domaine de Canton, a ginger liqueur, who exhibited this particular cocktail at the 2011 FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen. I would patiently wait until the last few minutes of the afternoon Grand Tasting, then bolt straight to their table for a taste of this delicious drink. Shake up a few this weekend and kiss the lazy summer days good-bye.

Duke

In my family, dogs are not pets at all and are rather considered to be members of the family. They become our children, siblings, and grand-puppies. Up until two weeks ago, I had not yet met the newest member of our family, my cousin Duke, although I received all of his puppy photos and email accounts of him growing into a full-sized golden retriever (as with toddlers, I am happy to have missed the biting/chewing stage). Quite the ham, right?

Destin, Florida

Mike and I spent the better part of last week sinking our toes deep into white sandy beaches, trading in our business attire for swimwear and our Blackberries/iPhones for frozen margaritas. Our biggest decisions involved choosing the day’s activities – beach, jet ski, or boat? The too-crowded evening commute was replaced with leisurely dinners and drinks with my favorite aunt and uncle. I cannot imagine why neither Mike or I were ready to return to city life.