9/11 – the single most ‘remembered’ day in American history

To say that I struggle with what to say when September 11 comes around each year is an understatement, at best.  Almost every American over the age of 18 can tell you down to the minute where they were when it happened and exactly what they did following those tragic events.  Everyone in America seems to have an unmatched level of passion for the events surrounding 9/11.  This is not inappropriate considering that, for most of us; this is the largest act of violence committed in America in our lifetimes.  

I want to acknowledge the lives that were sacrificed on that day, whether they were civilians, military, airline personnel, workers in any of the buildings, or any of the countless police, fire and EMS workers that were lost.  I want to acknowledge the work that was put in by both on and off duty police, fire, EMS, military of all branches, etc. on that day and for months after to assist, rescue, and fight for normalcy.  Without that sacrifice and dedication to the job, we wouldn’t have been able to get to this point that we are at right now.  

I don’t ever talk about any of my feelings about what happened on that day that would seem controversial because I recognize that is neither the time nor the place.  I have respect for the lives lost, the families that have been forever changed, and the hard work and dedication of the people that were left, and I would never use this day to speak out of turn to cause the focus to be away from those individuals.

I would instead like to choose this entry to ask us to all ponder a simple question.  We all remember what happened that day, now 12 years, but what are we doing about it? Are we simply remembering what happened but not allowing ourselves to make a change or are we attempting to live a change based upon what happened?   Because of the strong presence of social media, the internet, and ability to communicate with the entire world with one mouse click, you will now see at least 100 references to “Remember 9/11” today alone.  You might even post one yourself.  But I would challenge us to grow as a society and realize that eventually we need to turn this statement into an “AND”.  “Remember 9/11 and _____”.  If we refuse to do that, then we are no better off than we were on September 12, 2001.  

I am definitely not proposing any solutions or ideas with this.  I would just like to use this time to think about what we should do and how we should fight to make our country better and stronger than it has been since we were all changed.  Are you comfortable being complacent in your grief as an American public or should you channel those feelings and emotions regarding this day into making your own world a positively different environment to live in?  I deliberately am not going to say that we should make it better because we did have a significant loss of life and the world is not better without certain people, but we can use their sacrifice and make the world a positively different place.  

I am definitely not advocating for anything that sounds like revenge and that is not where I would like to entry to go.  In an ideal world, we would take our tragedy, and use our memories and lessons that we learned to make our society different today than it was on that day in a positive manner.  If we are not able to get to a point where we are willing and able to take the sacrifices of those who died that day and use them towards the greater good of our society, then I would argue that those people have died in vain.  Yes, those who were lost would want to be remembered, but I believe that they would all want us to use this situation as a way to teach our children lessons about what happened.  At this point, those lessons could be as simple as religious tolerance, equality for all humans, compassion for those less fortunate, or empathy for the poor in other countries.  

Let me know how you are remembering today and how we were changed.  

Savannah Banana Designs Review & Isabella's Birthday Dress

This year for Isabella's third birthday I wanted her to have a special outfit.  For her second birthday, I didn't go with anything special and I regretted it when I saw the pictures.  I wanted my baby to be very cute and look put together for her special day!  I began my search MONTHS before now looking for the perfect outfit.  Unfortunately, I was having zero luck because I don't care for a lot of ruffles, animal print, or skanky clothing for girls.  I also am not the biggest fan of tutus on children other than for dress up clothes, so I was very limited, it seemed, on outfit choices that would have been special for her birthday. 

Then one of my friends from high school started a website/business called Savannah Banana Designs.  I 'liked' her page on Facebook, found her on www.etsy.com, and began to browse her inventory of items.  In her pictures were the cutest pillowcase-style dresses that I have ever seen.  Her precious daughter and namesake of the company is the model for a lot of her items on her Facebook page.  Crystal makes handmade dresses, memory blankets, bibs, burp cloths, headbands, complete outfits like the one pictured on the right and much more. 

I am so glad that I decide to buy from her site!  She is an absolute joy to work with!  I had very little inspiration when it came to what I was looking for, so I just emailed her and asked if she had a certain print available as a jumping off point.  She emailed me back straight away with several different fabric choices and ideas about what could be done.  I appreciated the quick response since most other companies or stores on etsy.com will have a 24-48 hour lag time to read your email. 

Before I decided on the style of dress that I was interested in and the fabric that I wanted, she hosted a giveaway on her Facebook page when she got to 100 'likes' and we won a headband!  I decided that would be the perfect accessory for Isabella's party dress and placed an order that day.  She had the dress and headband made and ready for pick up in less than 2 days, which was amazing turn around time!  We decided on a teal and white chevron print and hot pink border.  She made the headband reversible with the chevron pattern on one side and the hot pink pattern on the other. 

Once we got it home, Isabella tried it on and we had a little photo shoot to show off how absolutely cute she looked in her new outfit!  She loved it!  All night long she raved about her new birthday dress and she wore the headband to bed that night.  This pillowcase dress has a halter top and is a perfect length of just below her knees.  I fully intend to order more items from her as this one is awesome and I am very pleased with the results!   

Savannah Banana Designs can be found on Facebook and also on www.etsy.com.  She takes custom orders on a variety of sizes, has excellent choices for fabrics and has excellent prices for the quality that you are getting.  If you are in the market for some of the cutest little girl dresses, handmade items like memory blankets and bibs or headbands for all ages, then you should definitely get in touch with Crystal! 

-Sara  

Remembering Kidd Kraddick

I don't remember the first time that I listened to the Kidd Kraddick morning show.  I do, however, remember listening to his show on and off since I was in middle school.  It was almost always on when we were driving to school in the morning and we even listened to his show during the summer. 

He has one of the few radio shows that has been able to have me rolling on the floor laughing one day and crying my eyes out the next day.  Even though I never personally met any of the members of this morning show, I know them.  They have been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember.  I remember rejoicing with Kelly when she told people that she was pregnant.  I remember every year as the year comes to an end starting to get anxious for the time(s) when they started playing the "Kissmas Wishes" on the radio - I mean, really.. if you don't get choked up listening to those then you need your soul checked. 

I rarely get rocked by 'celebrities' passing away, but this is different.  On top of being a part of our lives for more than 10 years, he was an awesome giver.  His numerous foundations and charities that he gave money, time, gifts, and attention to are too numerous to name here.  He was an incredible lover of children, especially disadvantaged or disabled children.  His unwavering devotion to giving to charity was admirable and will be sorely missed. 

I am saddened for all of the people that he leaves behind.  On top of his co-workers who have been with him for longer than most people are married, he leaves behind a beautiful 23 year old daughter Caroline, who was often mentioned on the show.  We, as listeners, have grown up with her.  I still think of her as the little 6 year old girl that Kidd spoke about often on his show.  My heart breaks for her and the pain that I know that she is going through.  I can only hope that she gets some sort of happiness in knowing how many people her father touched during his years on the radio.  Almost everyone that you talk to has something to say about him.   

The DFW area has an enormous hole in it's heart after this weekend.  RIP Kidd Kraddick. 

'Keep looking up, because that's where it all is."

-Sara