9/11

We never visited New York before 2009, but in our handful of trips there since, we've come to love the city... Dan and I went for the US Open in 2009, then we took the girls on Spring Break 2011 - that was the last trip before the music changed with Shannon's diagnosis...


Since then, we've been back to NYC with Erin for a surprise fall weekend, Erin went there on her 8th grade class trip, and in the summer of 2015, we were there again for a family wedding. Walking the streets of Manhattan, there is a vibe like no other. And last summer, we expanded out to exploring Brooklyn and Queens... so much to see and do and experience.

Erin has interest in going to school in NYC... I hope if that's what she wants, we can make it happen...

September 11, 2001 was a normal day here at the O'Hara household. I was a stay at home mom with two small children - Shannon was 3 and Erin just 5 months old. I kissed Dan goodbye as he headed out the door to travel to Iowa. I poured myself a cup of coffee and settled in to play with the girls while the Today Show played in the background... you know what happened next...

9/11 showed us the evil that's in the world, but also the humanity. At the time, I didn't completely comprehend how this event would change the world, and change our little world as well. Dan worked for Williams Oil at the time, and just 6 weeks after 9/11, he lost his job. That holiday season, we had two small children and no jobs... our first real challenge as a couple...

Yesterday, Dan and I celebrated 22 years of marriage, which is no small feat given the storms we've endured... let's be honest, 22 years of marriage is no small feat regardless!

So, today is a day that we remember what is important: the people we love, the kindness of others, the freedom we have.

"Time flies over us, but leaves it's shadow behind." - Nathaniel Hawthorne