music=memories for me

Right now I am sitting here listening to Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and the memories just keep coming. My fondest memories from that time are my step sister and I getting dressed for a night out (yeah we were all of 15 and 16). We would be in our ripped jeans and cute little shirts. My sister was able to drive (she was the 16 year old) so we would take the red convertible MG Midget out. This tape would be blaring as loud as we could get it. We would cruise the neighborhood making sure to go by the houses of the boys we had crushes on and then head out to the movie theater. No, we were usually not there to see a movie. LOL We'd cruise around there for awhile and then head to the nearest fast food restaurant to hang out with friends. The whole time Motley Crue would be blaring. We had so much fun. Ahhhh, to be 15 again.

I've since lost touch with my step sister (we are no longer sisters). We went to college together, but a falling out my senior year kind of ended our relationship. I sometimes miss that relationship and her. We fought a lot, but we had a lot of fun too. There are a lifetime of memories there. We became sisters when I was around 4 years old. It's sad when those relationships end.

Holiday blues

It's amazing how quickly something can trigger a memory. I was looking at a friend's online pictures of her daughter, nieces, and nephews helping decorate their great-grandfather's Christmas tree. It brought back so many memories for me. I used to love helping my grand parents put up their tree. They are gone now. As much as I love those memories they make me sad at this time of year. I miss them tremendously. I miss the fun I had at their house during Christmas. I miss helping my grandma bake pies and cakes, cookies and candy. I miss sitting around the huge quilting frame in the living room while she worked on a quilt. I miss sitting with my grandpa trying to coax him into letting someone take his picture. I miss taking a walk or a ride with him just to get away from the craziness of the house. It makes me incredibly sad knowing that they won't know my kids and that my kids won't know them. They would have loved each other so much.

Six years ago today.

I wasn't going to write anything about today's anniversary, I just couldn't let it pass without some kind of acknowledgement. September 11, 2001 was the most devastating day in US history. For me. It was the first time I had ever been really really afraid and felt unsafe. It is still a difficult day for me. While it is not a emotionally devastating I always feel a little "off" on this day. I do find myself more introspective though. It reminds me of what is important in life. All the little things go back to being little. Family and friends come back into the forefront.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones on that horrible day. While most of our lives when back to normal (or close) their lives were forever changed.

2 years ago today

It has been 2 years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Mississippi. My mom was living in Biloxi at that time. I remember her saying that she was going to ride out the storm. I threatened to come down and ride it out with her. Like I figured, she decided that she would come to me. LOL She drove up the day before the hurricane hit. We watched the coverage for days. It was sad and scary. Mom was concerned about her residents (she managed an apartment complex) and her stuff. She couldn't get in touch with anyone. She decided to go home later that week to check on everything. She was lucky. Her apartment had minimal damage even when the whole complex was pretty much destroyed. She didn't even have a busted window. The huge oak tree outside her apartment split in two. One side falling in front of her door and the other falling to the side of the apartment. Not touching the building at all. She had to get my brother there with a chainsaw before she could get in her door though. It was crazy.

We talked her into moving away from there since there was no family for her. I took a few days off from work and drove down to help her pack and move. I had been to Biloxi just a few weeks before the storm. It was like driving into a war zone on this trip. I saw huge oak trees splintered and broken. I saw cars on their roofs. I saw boats in trees. There was no electricity at all and it was hot as hell! The apartment complex was horrible. The top apartments had no roofs. Just about every single window in the whole complex was out. Some of the residents rode it out while others left for higher ground. Many were still unaccounted for with no one able to get in touch with them or not knowing how. I helped clean up around the complex and I helped my mom pack her stuff. I have to send out heartfelt thanks to the American Red Cross. Every evening they brought around hot meals for everyone. For our other meals we ate those nasty military meals (I forget what they are called. LOL) With no electricity there was no way to cook food. We did go get pizza one night. The Pizza Hut down the street had electricity, but as you can imagine it was a limited menu and they were not delivering. The Red Cross also distributed clothing, toiletries, and other necessities to the residents. They really were life savers for those in need after Katrina.

I wasn't able to tour much of Biloxi that week, but the things I did see were crazy. Everything that had been on the beach a few weeks before was gone. The huge floating casinos were picked up and moved across the street. Trees were down everywhere. There was debris everywhere. I think the craziest thing I saw was right across the street from my mom's apartment complex. There was this little house that looked like it had no damage whatsoever. There was even a "For Sale" sign in the yard. How those powerful winds didn't pick it up (especially when it was picking up cars and boats) and blow it all the way to Tennessee I'll never understand. LOL

I am grateful that my mom was safe and she didn't lose everything. I do, however, feel for those who were not so lucky. Most of them are still struggling two years later. We need to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.