40-something Anniversary

Today was my parents' wedding anniversary. They would've been married for 40-something years...I can't remember for sure and am too lazy to get up off of the computer chair to look! I have always loved this picture of the two of them and I want to thank Dad and Debbie for sending me an 8x10 copy of it last week!

You can't tell by this photo that my mom was going through chemo, can you? Sick or not, she was always so beautiful. I remember vividly (shocking, I KNOW!) when this picture was taken. It was during one of mine and Luke's trips back to IL to visit my parents. My siblings and I had made reservations at the Sears portrait studio for Mom and Dad to get their picture taken. It had been yeeeears since they had that done. So, we decided to surprise them, as a gift from us on their anniversary. Since Luke and I were staying at the house with them, I helped mom decide what to wear. Dad, on the other hand, was a little more difficult. Mom and I had decided on what he COULD NOT wear, which was his gray suit (Sorry, Dad!). We weren't the biggest fans of that one, at least not for photos to be taken. It took some coercing, but he choose one of the ties we had picked out for him. Mission accomplished!!

We then all drove to Burlington, IA where the studio was, and after their photos, we went to a buffet-style restaurant called Ryan's. A good time was had by all.

My sweet momma died just 3 months after this picture was taken. Her smiling face and loving persona that radiates in that photo is how I will always remember her.

Today's 6 year anniversary of 9/11 is a sad one. Curt and I were living in Nauvoo still at the time. I was 6 months pregnant with Luke. That morning, I remember watching CNN and seeing the first tower burning and then watching live...the 2nd one being attacked. I remember the knots in my stomach.

Not long after that, I had the priviledge of taking my dad to the ER and ended up spending about 8 or 9 hours in the hospital with him. He was so distracted because of the terrorists attacks that he darn-near cut a couple of his fingers off while working in his wood shop. After surgery to repair them, and making sure he was okay, I got back home about 8pm that night. I knew that our "small" ordeal with my dad was nothing in comparison to those affected by 9/11.