This day in my history

I rode the elevator down from the ninth floor to the parking garage with my five month old strapped in his umbrella stroller and the little hand of my two year old girl's wrapped in mine. We were headed to the car for the forty minute drive home. I had pondered a bottle feeding for my son up in the doctor's lobby that we had just exited, but decided against it, he could easily make the drive home, as we hadn't been in the well-child-checkup as long as I had anticipated.

In one long moment in time, the elevator's door opened and we emerged onto the cement platform as the lights started to sway and the creeks of the steel and cement started to give eerie remarks. I pinched my daughter's hand so tightly and leaned against the cement wall just as the elevator doors were coming to a close. The lights flickered, on-off-on-off, the sign that read, 2nd Floor, swayed back and forth on it's metal chain, as a car slowly inched it's way towards us. My daughter sensing my fear from the creepy surroundings playing around us asked, "Mommy, what's wrong?" as I instinctual said, "Just pray." And we did out loud together, "Help us, Jesus, Help us, Jesus" all the way to the van.

We were in the middle of our largest earthquake in our state's history at 6.8, and it lasted 45 seconds. We were smack dab in downtown, known for "it's the worse place to be" in an earthquake because of the lack of stability as it perches up many hills with hollow undergrounds. I imagined outside a disaster zone. I kept waiting for ambulances, being next to the hospital, to sound left and right. I kept waiting for the crumbled up building to emerge on us at any moment as we ran as fast as we could to the parked van.

I threw both of my children into their car seats and swirled up around each floor's ramp as fast as I could go. No body else in sight, no other cars, until I reached the top. The gate attendant was waving people through, complimentary parking, she had a look on her face that just said, "Scram!"

Out in the sunlight of the city, I kept looking all around waiting for signs of destruction. I saw nothing. As I continued toward the freeway, more and more cars began to exit the city with me, but no damage was witnessed along my path. Thankfully. Later I learned of the damage in the city, but it started a few blocks North of where I had been, and I had headed South. Thankfully again, otherwise I know that I would have really lost it wondering about my own town and my family and my friends.

It turned into a long drive home as many were hitting the road to check on their houses all at the same time. The cell phone grid was locked up, I could not contact my husband for many hours. He left work taking the route home that would by pass his parents (safe) and his Grandma (safe) and then to our house where we met up about the same time (safe). It had been a long drive, to which my son had lulled himself to sleep with the car's motion and the then late bottle feeding had not been an extra situation to contend with.

We had damage to our home's contents, but the structure of our house was okay. Some items had to be tossed, but I am reminded frequently of the Earthquake when I dust the china closet or the piano bench and see the scratches and nicks upon them. It was a different sensation to walk into our home and see things "messed up" knowing that we were not burglarized, nor home to make the mess.

We were all on edge that first night, knowing that after shocks were possible, but thankfully we have been EQ free since ... and we hope to keep it that way! My husband, the documentary type of guy in our family, happened to take this snapshot of our girl that afternoon. I remember I was sitting across from her in the family room, my son was on the floor playing under his gym mat, while I was trying to get a phone connection to my parents.

No words needed

Photographs taken today by Elle J's son, age 8.

Thanks, Cora!!

I have been reading and cuddling with this cutie during the afternoon while the kids have been home from school. Thankfully, they are not sick. No, they are home because that fun Sun Princess that my daughter made the past weekend is being haunted by the Snow Princess that was put back in her closet.

It snowed during the night. But not enough snow to create a winter wonderland outside to play. Just enough snow to create a headache in the house when: 1) I stop to think about our end date in June now being Monday, the 22nd and 2) I am about ready to grab a pillow and scream into it because I am tired of hearing my son tell me how bored he is.

I think two of us in this household woke on the wrong side of the bed when we saw that white stuff and heard the school district's voice mail; my son and me. However, I finally found relaxation during my cuddle time with Cora, and now my son has found his "something to do" by playing a chase game with Cora. Our sweet heart is a great form of therapy. I am now confident that we are out of our blahs and the rest of our day will be okay.

Thanks, Cora!!

Would you ...

While I wait for the library to give notice that my hold of Watership Down is available, I bought another book at Target over the weekend. I feel like my daughter; never can have enough books to read. I chose Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

The inside book jacket tells you that the book depicts the life of one with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. My friend, whom I usually chat with on Tuesday nights, is enjoying the warmth of Florida right now, lucky!, so I opted for reading time while my daughter was taking her jazz class last night. I sat in the car and read page after page after page of this new book. I got to a scene in the book that I felt was rather intriguing.

I am not far into the book and the main character already received her diagnosis of having early-onset Alzheimer's. She asks her doctor what it means for her three adult children. The doctor states this:

Each of your children has a fifty percent chance of inheriting this mutation, which has a one hundred percent change of causing the disease. Presymptomatic genetic testing is possible, but there's a lot to consider. Is this something they'll want to live with knowing? How would it change their lives? What if one of them is positive and one is negative, how will that affect their relationship with each other?

What would be my answer if this was posed to me? Would I want to know in advance if I would develop Alzheimers, or would I want to know in advance if a loved one was going to have the disease in the future? I think my answer would be No. I worry to much as it is, I do not think I could handle knowing my future to that level. Every time I would misplace something, I would worry. Every time I would forget an acquantance's name, I would worry. I do not think I could handle the truth.

What about you?

It's like Pop Rocks

Pop Rocks. Remember the candy as a kid, or maybe your children have them in current day? They pop and fizzle in your mouth. They are a surprise attack of popping on your tongue. You can hear them pop in your head. It feels like an explosion in your mouth. Tiny little pop.pop.pop. and not necessarily in any pattern or rhythm.

Imagine if that was the sensation of your teeth.

I could not sleep last night because my front teeth were popping like Pop Rock candy. My orthodontist upgraded me to the Korea rubber bands (they actually say Korea on the package as opposed to Japan that I had the last time). They are a thicker band, so it makes for a more cumbersome attachment process and the bands like to detach themselves at the most inappropriate times (like driving, in a piano lesson, or talking to the store clerk).

Last night, just after placing a new band, my jaw felt super tight. It felt like if I moved my jaw even the slightest, that the band would snap off and pinch my cheek. So I just was still and didn't move anything. It is amazing how during the course of an adjustment period (6 weeks) that some days are harder than others. You don't see it coming, just all of a sudden something is different. The five nights prior felt like any previous night. But all of a sudden last night was the first night it felt completely different.

And then, as I was laying still and pondering all of this, my front teeth started to Pop.

First my right front tooth. Then my left. Then another on the side. Pop. That was odd. Pop. Wow. Pop. Again? Over and over and over. I finally started to anticipate the Pop and got it right more times than not. Was I hearing the movement of my teeth? Was I hearing the roots actually breaking to be repositioned? I have no clue, but that is how I fell asleep.

This morning, the Pop Rocks are back. What an odd feeling and I hope it means that the braces are working and that perhaps I will have an earlier release date! It will make all of this Pop craziness worth it.

Sun Princess

Remember the Snow Princess (above) my daughter made which worked incredibly well to get winter snow falling in our neck of the country? Well, she finally agreed to put it back on her upper closet shelf IF she could make a Sun Princess to replace it on the counter. Figuring how well her Snow Princess worked, I was all for it!

We ventured to the craft store to gather the goods and she made this over the weekend. The weather has been great, and we are hoping this little cutie will bring us great weather until Snow Princess returns in November. We really do not believe in superstitions, but we do laugh at how well these Princess' work!!

After photos

I am now posting a picture of my husband's den after he finished painting it a few weeks ago. After some lighting changes, it is finally complete. I think it looks really warm and professional, and I like looking down the hallway to the burnt red wall.
Here is the after photo of our porch; the section that was updated. The other half of the patio remains the same with two chairs and a small table. I think it looks more welcoming. Cora has been eying the bench when it was in the sunshine earlier today. I can imagine her sprawled out next to me in July when I am reading a good book; while the kids run wild around the cul de sac with friends.