A few weeks ago, I gave a presentation at my local RWA chapter. During the Q&A portion someone asked me when I received The Call. When I answered, "It was Friday, September 14, 2007 at 8:30 in the morning." several people were surprised I remembered the day and time so clearly.
How could I not? That was the day my world changed!
We've all experienced a day that changed our lives forever after, sometimes in a happy way and sometimes in a not so good way.
I'll bet we all remember what we were doing that terrible Tuesday, September 11th when we heard about the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. And I think we all knew that our world would never be the same.
I was a child in grade school, but I still vividly remember playing on the school playground at lunch recess with my best friend Gail that Friday, November 22nd. A couple of kids who lived near the school and went home for lunch came running up to tell us, "The President was shot!" My friend and I didn't believe them, and ran over to the classrooms where my teacher Mrs. Steele and her teacher Mr. Priest were standing. We didn't need to ask if it was true, because as we ran up we saw that both our teachers were crying. That was the first time I'd ever seen a grown man cry and I've never forgotten it. That was also the day I first heard the word assassination used without a reference to Abraham Lincoln. We all got sent home from school early that day, and my parents told me our country would never be the same.
Thankfully, not all life changing events are tragic. I'll never forget that sunny Sunday afternoon on the first day of spring when I became a mom. My life was forever changed by having my son, and in spite of a few years around puberty when I doubted either of us would survive, it has been one of the best things to ever happen to me.
Sometimes you don't know you're in the midst of a life changing event until long after the fact.
Twenty years ago, I accompanied my friend Yvonne to a singles event. She was new to the area and didn't want to go to a bar to meet men. I went along so she wouldn't have to go alone. I'm thinking it was a Thursday night, but it could have been Wednesday. I do remember we had to go to work the next day. I remember sometime in the course of the evening, I talked to a very tall blond man and when Yvonne and I were headed for the door, he came up and gave me his phone number. A week later, I called him, just so Yvonne would stop pestering me! She thought he was nice and she thought I should call him.
Well, she was right! That was twenty years ago and the DH and I have been together ever since!
What about you? Do you have distinct memories of the day you experienced a significant change in your life? What's said in the Lair stays in the Lair so c'mon and SHARE with us!
101 comments:
!!!
Hee. It seems fitting I get the GR on this post, because yesterday was a big day for me, I guess in terms of milestones.
Um... but I'm bad at these sorts of things. I don't remember exact time/dates/events. Although, yes, September 11th, I remember where I was and what I was doing. The tv actually was one, but I missed the first plane going into tower 1. (Not quite sure why but I've always felt a little guilty about that.)
Anyway, I tend to remember songs/characteristics. Like I remember joining a friend in a totally random song/dance "routine" that we just made up in a hallway of a hotel for some high school competition. And certain songs bring back good memories, etc. I guess I'm more a "video" not "snapshot" girl, to give it context.
Congrats on the GR, Limecello!
And on you big milestone yesterday.
I'm a history buff and have always been good at remembering dates. Plus, some events just etch themselves in my memory... for better or worse. :-P
AC
AC, gosh, you're living out your own romance novel. And it's full more extra chapters and epilogue after epilogue.
A live-changing event for me that occurred within very recent memory was the U.S. Election Day. Dreams do come true. We can hope and hope can be rewarded Love can transcend the dialy rigors of living at the first couple.
I want to write a beta hero like our Prez.
Lime! How was the graduation?
Lovely post, AC. I must say the "where were you when" occasion for me was when John Lennon was shot. It was summer holidays here and my family had rented a beachside flat down at the Gold Coast. I remember that feeling of utter disbelief when the news came on the radio - then as now I ALWAYS had the radio on.
LOL Keira!
Truth IS stranger than fiction! And it has taken me quite a long time to get to my HEA... Are we there yet?!?!
But I AGREE! This past November's election was definitely a signifcant change for this country.
AC
Fo,
I remember my sister called to tell me John Lennon had been shot. What a shocker!
And how's this for shocking? I just heard on the news that they had an earthquake in LA tonight! Sure hope our Bandita Kate is okay and all our BBs in So Cal land.
AC
Congrats on your 20th anniversary, Aunty Cindy. I also remember September 11 vividly. I tried for hours to call my family and we didn't know everyone was okay until we got home that night. I also remember where I was when the Challenger disaster occurred. I was in elementary school. We were in class and we saw the tragedy unfold on tv. We were so confused and the teacher shut off the tv and tried to explain what had happened.
Congrats on the GR, Limecello.
GEEZ oh MAN, Jane! I'll bet that was very scary not being able to get through to your family.
During the Loma Prieta earthquake that happened to a coworker. She couldn't get through to her family in Santa Cruz for three days. Needless to say, the poor woman was a basket case!
I also remember where I was when Challenger blew up. I was at a job interview! Nope, didn't do too well on the interview. I hurried home and was glued to the TV for the rest of the day.
AC
Hi AC!
Congrats to Limecello on her big day - sounds like you're still celebrating! (and rightfully so).
Although I remember all the details of where I was for the sad memorable events - I'd prefer to focus on the good ones. I remember watching the moon landing on TV and sitting on a lawn with my BFF after high school graduation wondering what our futures held. I remember in detail meeting my dh and the day I discovered I was pregnant. I remember the day I learned I passed the CPA exam in one sitting, and I remember the date I got "the call" August 22, 2006 (it was also my brother's birthday). And I remember this past November. It's an election I'll be re-telling one day to my grandchildren.
Wishing everyone many excellent red letter days.
Ooooh, world changing dates. I have a few - the most vivid, of course is May 29, 2006 at 8:58am (Memorial Day in the U.S.) Brenda Chin called and bought my first book.
On 9/11 I was in bed and the alarm radio was going - I remember zoning until the deejay announced that something had happened, but they weren't sure what, they thought it might have been a truck running into the WTC and exploding. A couple minutes later, they had the real details.
I remember the big earthquake here in N. Ca in 89. I was living in Las Vegas at the time and home from work that day with the flu. It wasn't until late afternoon that I turned on the TV and saw the news - totally freaked since most of my family was still here in Ca (thankfully safe).
Hmm, happier memories. My girls births, of course. And the day I saw this cute guy at the bank and asked him out LOL.
Congrats Limcello and huge congrats on the graduation it mut be a wonderful feeling.
What a great post Aundy Cindy, there are lots of things that I remember I too remember watching the guys walk on the moon I was in year 6 that was awesome 9/11 I was asleep but my daughter was watching TV and ran into my room yelling at me to get up and see what had happened I also remember the day my hubby took hold of my hand and walked me to the railway station and then walked me home and I knew then that he was the one and still is and yes when I fell pregnant with our first that was a shock and then having her was just the best closely followed by 2 more beautiful children and saying that was all we were going to have and then doing it all over and having a 4th and I wouldn't change it for the world.
One of the best things that have happened to me was having grandchildren I remember when Jayden was born 3 years ago and just holding him when he was all of 30 mins old and just crying it was a moment and a half then the same feeling when Hayley was born and of course watching Corey and Jake enter the world very precious and life changing moments for me.
Have Fun
Helen
Limecello, congratulations again on your graduation. I hope the buzz hasn't worn off yet. It's a huge achievement.
AC, I love this post. I vividly recall moments, but not usually dates. 9/11 yes, I recall, but only because I was in Nova Scotia at the time and it was such a surreal (and lo-o-ong) trip from then on and trying to get home was a nightmare!
I recall clearly seeing a paper flutter from the notebook of this dude in my first Circuits class at college. We were both walking toward the parking lots, but he was ahead of me. I rescued his paper and tried to yell to him, but he walked too fast and I figured I'd give it to him next class. I did.
I said, "You dropped this the other day." It was a quiz, so I assumed he'd want it to study for the test.
He glanced at it and said, "Thanks, but I didn't really need that."
I said something like, "Fine. Throw it away then" and walked off muttering about what an arrogant ass he was under my breath.
Twenty-one years later (actually, 22 since then), he still has his moments. *g* I've often wondered what would have happened to us if I'd gone with my first impression rather than giving him a chance to prove to me he wasn't actually so arrogant after all. No telling!
Congratulations on the new paper, Lime! Graduating college was the best feeling in the world. Enjoy!!
Oh, and congrats on the rooster, limecello!
AC, the big national milestones I remember are the Kennedy assassination, Armstrong's moon walk, Columbia's first landing, the Challenger explosion, 9/11, and the Columbia disaster. I remember sitting in Mrs. Labban's classroom and hearing the president had been shot, but I don't remember who told us. It might've been the principal.
When the Challenger exploded, I was at work, at my desk, and the secretary, who knew I was a big fan of the space program, came in to tell me she'd heard that on the radio.
I have a picture I bought at the Kennedy Space Center of Columbia coming in for its first landing with its fighter escort. I also have a picture of Earthrise over the moon the dh and I keep swearing we're going to frame and put up. But we're bad about things like that. I listened to Columbia's first landing on the radio, in the car, and I actually teared up. The SF geek in me loved that we had a reusable spacecraft.
I was at a friend's house when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, and we watched it together, in grainy black and white.
On 9/11, I was sitting here, at the computer, when the dh came home from taking the boy to school and told me he'd heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We were both envisioning a small plane and a heart attack or some such. Until we turned on the TV. I remember being frantic for our friends in NYC until we could get in touch with them later that day. Two of them worked in lower Manhattan.
When the Columbia burned up on re-entry, I was watching TV, glad it was landing at a time when I could see the coverage. I think it was CNN, and they were saying the shuttle was "late." I rememer thinking the shuttle is never late. Everything is timed so carefully. I called my cousin who's an engineer at NASA, and all he could say was, "It's not a good sign." And then we learned the sad, sickening truth.
Personal milestones are much better. I remember where and when the dh and I met, where and when we got engaged, and all the stats of the boy's birth. This is a big day for the boy, but he doesn't know it yet. So I have to go enjoy that with him and will be back later.
Great blog, AC! I was in Mr. Clements's science class when the principal announced over the intercom that JFK had been shot and backstage during our high school play when we heard the news of MLK's assassination. I clearly remember the excitement of watching Armstrong's walk on the moon and receiving my college acceptance letter the same day (July 20, 1969). When Challenger exploded I was standing in my front yard (in Florida) waiting to watch the shuttle streak by following lift-off. My husband called me into the house and told me the news.
I remember every moment of the first time I saw my late husband. I knew instantly that he would have a major impact on my life.
I remember the warm June day in 1966 when my parents put me on a plane to Mexico City where I would be living as an exchange student for the next 3 months. At 14 years old, I was on my way to a country where I didn't know a soul, didn't speak the language and would have no contact with my family for the entire summer. I was anxious, excited, scared and cried myself to sleep my first night there. That summer opened my eyes to a world beyond my own small town, taught me the importance of respecting and honoring all cultures and gave me a new-found appreciation for my own country. It was definitely life-changing as well as being one of the best experiences of my life.
Limecello, congrats on nabbing the GR and again, huge congrats on your graduation!
Good morning, AC! And congrats, Lime, on the GR! He's there to help you celebrate your graduation,so keep him reined in unless you want the cops to visit. :-)
As for dates I remember, my family has this unusual sort of birthday thing.
My second sister's birthday is September 11th (I know, right? She shares every birthday for the rest of her life with a national tragedy.)
My birthday is August 29th, the same day as Hurricane Katrina.
I have two other sisters with benign birthdays but we keep telling them to watch out in case we really are cursed.
Wouldn't that be a great setup for a paranormal? A family curse in which the dates of the family's greatest joy (the birth of their four daughters) would also be the dates of their greatest sorrow (four separate tragedies on each of their birthdays?)
For future reference, the other sisters' birthdays are January 14 & September 16, in case you want to keep an eye out.
I remember both the happiest and the saddest moments of my life very clearly. The day my grandmother died was by far one of the saddest. I was sixteen at the time and remember weeping with my father after he found her. My hands still shake a bit at the memory.
As for the happiest, I recall the tears of joy as my husband recited his vows on our wedding day. I laughed through most of the ceremony I was so blissfully happy:)
Great post! I'm still eagerly awaiting the call and know that I will remember the exact date and time for many, many years:)
Thanks!
Sarah Tormey
She's Baaaaack! Congrats on the bird, Limecello! And yes, I'm guessing graduation yesterday WAS a milestone.
AC, great post. Obviously as you said, it's bringing up memories good and bad.
For me, the good ones are the first time I smelled my mother's roses. Must have been about 4 or 5. What a heavenly thing. I remember the first public speech I gave to an audience - on the country of Brazil; I remember great times with family, just as if they were snapshots. Meeting My husband, finding out I was pregnant. (Shock!) I remember the first time I set foot on "foreign" soil on a trip to France. Thrilling. Easter hymns in Notre Dame de Paris. Beyond words. The first time I sang Handel's Messiah with a 300+ voice choir. Talk about powerful. And of course, The Call. July 23, 8:30 am on the way to baseball camp with my sons. I even know what intersection I was at. :>
As to the less pleasant, I sort of vaguely remember Bobby Kennedy's assassination as well as MLK's, but I couldn't really get what was going on. The moon walk, I got because that was coooooooool and more my thing.
I vividly remember watching Challenger and Columbia's disasters. I love the space program and these were a hard blow to me in so many ways, not just in the human tragedy. I was afraid they'd scrap the programs.
I remember when the Oklahoma Courthouse blew up. I was dating a guy from Chicago, even tho' I lived in NC. I was on the phone with him, planning a get together and he said, "Can you get to a TV? You won't believe..." REALLY scary and alas a harbinger of 9/11
9/11 was near-hysteria for me as I live in DC. My DH works 2 blocks from the White House and was the only senior member of his company's staff there that day b/c everyone else had headed out to their big convention. He stayed until everyone got a ride or got home.
Caren, you should hear some of the stories about getting those guys home from Las Vegas. Then again, at least Vegas is IN the country. Poor you to be in Nova Scotia, so far from home, when that happened!
Sarah said: I laughed through most of the ceremony I was so blissfully happy:)
Ha! This is great! The day after my wedding my face hurt, ached even. I kept puzzling over it until someone reminded me that all I'd done on my wedding day was grin like an idiot. Snork.
Yay, Limecello, you deserve the rooster this ONCE LOL because of your huge milestone -- GRADUATION!!
I remember when my first daughter was born with vivid clarity. I already had two sons, ages two and three. I hadn't been wishing for or even thinking about wanting a daughter, but the moment they put her in my arms, it was love at first sight. And all these years later, I still adore her!
Awww, Jo, that's great! :>
They are miracles, aren't they? I was tearing up over Helen's description of her grandchildren, and now yours of your first girlie-girl!
Wow, great post, Loucinda - loved your "how we met" story!
I was in England when we woke up and heard on the radio that John Lennon had been killed. At work that day, everyone was wearing black armbands.
I was in sixth grade when JFK died, and a sophomore in high school when Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were killed. I was playing with my toddler daughter when the space shuttle blew up, and was doing laundry when my husband called from work on 9/11 and told me to turn on the TV.
I remember when my youngest brother was born, when my own kids were born (of course!), when my sister's kids were born. I'll never forget the night my friend invited me to watch his band rehearse, and everything changed for us -- that was April 18, 1970, the date we call our "real" anniversary.
I remember every phone call telling me a friend or relative had died. The very worst was the phone call saying a friend's son had drowned in an accident. And then just a few weeks ago, finding out my friend -- all those years after his death -- had killed herself.
I much prefer remembering the happy moments, the ones that don't celebrate anything special, but are crystallized in your mind. I have one particular memory of laying in the grass in my parent's front yard, shortly before I graduated from high school. I knew my life was about to change, and just enjoyed the grass tickling my legs and the sun on my back as I soaked up the heat and read the latest Reader's Digest Condensed Book. It wasn't The Call, but it's a good memory, all the same.
Becke said: I much prefer remembering the happy moments, the ones that don't celebrate anything special, but are crystallized in your mind.
Me too, Becke!
Morning all!
(Aunty wipes sweat from her brow) Yes, it's another broiling hot day here in Nor Cal. I hope the chook is keeping cool at your place Limecello!
Thanx for sharing great memories everyone.
Donna, I'd much rather focus on the happy events too. So how come it is easy to remember the sad ones?!?!
HURRAY for Aug. 22nd! That's also the bday of my BFF's son, whom I call Son #2. :-) And your passing the CPA exam in one sitting is quite a feat! CONGRATS!
I think we need the cabana boys to stir up an extra large batch of cool creamy mud-slides. It's 5 o'clock somewhere!
AC
Just re-read my comment from last night. I was more incoherent that usual. Oh, the embarassment!
PJ, loved your Mexico Trip story.
Hey Tawny, the anniversary of you Call is just around the corner!
Memorial Day has always been a memorable time for me. I met both the significant men in my life (my ex and the DH) right around Memorial Day. I'm sure that says something about me... and them! HA!
The Loma Prieta quake in 89 was the worst! I remember seeing the pictures of the collapsed freeway for days. Luckily nobody I knew was hurt, though one friend of mine was trapped in an elevator in downtown San Francisco for 4 hours. UGH! He took the stairs for a long time after that.
AC
Hi Helen,
Hope you are enjoying some beautiful fall weather there in NSW!
That is such a sweet story about how you met your DH, and that you KNEW he was the one. I had no clue about the tall blond guy. In fact, we'd gone out for several weeks and I wasn't sure I wanted to be any more than friends. Then one day he showed up in this pair of tan shorts... I suddenly decided that he was more than friend material! LOL!
AC
Posh,
I am LOL at your first encounter with your future DH! Talk about a modern day Pride & Prejudice!
Posh and Darcy! Who'd a thunk it?!?!
AC
Nancy,
I don't have as distinct a memory of the Columbia disaster as I do the Challenger. But if I ever was lucky enough to see a launch, I know I'd remember EVERY DETAIL! I still hope to be in Florida one day to witness a launch of SOMETHING! LOL!
I was a young teen when the moon walk happened and I was bored of the whole thing, so my BFF and I went to the movies and watched Herbie the LoveBug while everyone else watched the moon landing. :-P
AC
WOW PJ!
That was quite a life changing epiphany for a 14 year old! Good on your parents for allowing you to go off to another country and have such a wonderfully life-changing experience. Much as I wanted to boot my 14 yr old out the door many times, when it came down to actually doing it, not sure I could have. ;-)
And you are another of those who KNEW he was The One! I envy you for being so aware. Like I said, I didn't know for weeks, with either the ex or the DH. Matter of fact, my ex proposed to me 4 times before I finally realized he wasn't joking. I said something like, "You should stop saying stuff about getting married. Someone will take you seriously." And he said, "Well, I wish YOU would, because I AM serious!"
DUH! Aunty wasn't always so swift on the up-take.
OMG, Smoov!
Your sister's bday is 9/11 and yours is Hurricane Katrina day?!?! (Cue Twilight Zone music) I am definitely circling Jan. 14 and Sept. 16! But what a GREAT story idea!
AC
I recall the day I had to return
home from what was supposed to be an entire summer vacation with my Aunt Lillian. It was 10 days into the visit with my favorite aunt! We came home to see my Uncle Al, who was home prior to going overseas with the Navy to serve in WWII.
I also recall standing outside the house listening to then President
Franklin Roosevelt announcing the
end of our involvement in WWII.
Mother had turned up the radio
so all of us could hear this very
important announcement!
Pat Cochran
Sarah,
Your grandmother's death sounds like quite a traumatic experience, esp. for a 16 year old.
On the 28th it will be 10 years since my mother died. I still distinctly remember sitting at my desk that Friday morning and when the phone rang, I knew it was the bad news we'd been expecting. Though I was very sad, I also had a small nugget of relief that she was no longer suffering.
I'm so glad you have some wonderful happy memories, like your wedding, to balance out the sad ones.
AC
Jeanne,
Thanx for sharing some wonderful and powerful memories! Scents are some of the most powerful memories. I remember the smell of orange blossoms when I was very young. We lived on a farm and there were orange groves very near our house. I also LOVE the smell of sweet peas because my grandmother used to grow them and always had a bouquet on the kitchen table.
I also remember the first time I got off the plane in Ireland. The very first impression that hit me was how different and fantastic it smelled!
Hmmmm, I think I just caught a whiff of mango margarita! Oh cabana boy!!!
Great post AC.
Congrats Lime on your graduation - an awesome achievement!
I remember the sad things too, like 9/11 (marking books in my classroom when someone told me), but for me the ones that stand out more are when Lady Di was killed (in the kitchen making breakfast), the Challenger disaster (filming a TV commercial) and Lockerbie (decorating the Christmas tree).
I also recall all the various London bombings by the IRA - some narrow escapes there. And the most recent one 7/7, because my hubby was in London and regularly used one of the Undergournd stations that was hit, at the time it was hit. Thank God, he went to work early that day! It was a harrowing time for me in the US, because I didn't knwo for hours that he was safe.
Songs and smells being back many memories too.
I treasure moments like meeting my special friends and of course, meeting my hubby, his proposal and our wedding day. Jeanne - I had that face-ache problem too!
Jo-Mama,
I can't imagine doing that SEVEN times! Once was plenty for me! But I'm sure each time that lovely infant was placed in your arms it was all worthwhile.
I can imagine how excited you were to have a daughter. I always kind of regretted I didn't have one, but then my brother had FOUR so that was almost as good, esp. when the last one was born on my birthday! ;-)
AC
Hey, the sun is over the yard-arm here, so I'll join you in a drinkie AC - make mine a mango mojito! Cheers!
Oh and speaking of happy notes - you know I couldn't let sporting events go!
I remember watching my teams win the Championships in their various sports. The Skins and the SuperBowl, The Devils and the Stanley Cup and Manchester United and most all of their recent titles. I was there on Saturday when Man U hoisted the Cup for winning the Football League - an amazing experience. Just like being there at Game 7 of the Stanley Cup to see my Devils win. Being there, in the stadium/Arena just adds a whole other dimension.
Like being there to see your friends win RITAs and GH's.
Becke/TreeTyme said: "I much prefer remembering the happy moments, the ones that don't celebrate anything special, but are crystallized in your mind."EXACTLY! Those are the memories we all need to cultivate! And CONGRATS on being another smart cookie who recognized The One when he stepped into her life!
AC
Keira Darling,
This is The Lair! Coherency is not required and is usually HIGHLY OVERRATED! ;-)
Pass the Mango Mojitos!
AC
Pat,
What a FANTASTIC memory to have! I hope you have passed this along to your kidlets and grand-kidlets. History is so much more alive when someone who lived it can recount the details! Thanx for sharing with us,
AC
OMG VA!
That is soooo scary about your hubby usually being in that Tube station right when the bombing happened. SOOOO HAPPY he was running late! Like so many of the stories we heard about why people were NOT at their desks on 9/11. Truly some amazing miracles there!
I remember back in the 70s, early 80s when the IRA bombings were so bad. I could NOT understand what was going on. Okay, I'll admit, I STILL do not understand how violence can be the answer to anything, but that's just me.
AC
VA,
I too have some wonderful sports memories. I was a HUGE 49er fan with Joe Montana was their quarterback. Those back to back Superbowl wins were very memorable!
I will also never forget being at the Daytona 500 the one and only time Dale Earnhardt Sr. won! WOW! That was fantastic!
I have to go out and run some errands before I'm overcome with the heat. Enjoy the nice cool drinks and keep the memories flowing!
AC
Memorable moments, eh?
The day I signed on with 19 Banditas is pretty awesome!
I remember watching JFK's funeral from behind my Mama's chair (I was like 5)
I remember sitting up to watch the moon walk. That WAS cool.
I remember when the Iran hostages landed on American soil and when the American Hocky players beat the Russians in the Olympics.
I was at work at the hospital when Challenger blew...still remember the camera focusing on Christa McAullife's parents faces as the reality dawne on them.
9/11. Man, who will EVER forget where they were that day? I was home waiting for carpet cleaners to come. I walked in and saw the pic of the first building burning and the 2nd plane slamming into it. I remember Charlie Gibson saying "A plane just accidently flew into the WTC". I thought "No, that plane was aimed at that building".
I became glued to that TV for the next week. Prayed and prayed and prayed for that PA plane that it would be found safe. Nodded numbly when my hospital called to put me on disaster alert. Needed with everything in me to find and be with my brother. Called friends to check on them.
Went down to the chapel at my church just to be.
And the poignancy of all those feelings is still strong within me especially when I visited Ground Zero.
A day that will live in infamy?
Oh. Yeah.
AC, I definitely remember a few events that changed my life. Meeting my husband, finding out I was pregnant with each of my kids, having each of my kids ;-)
And of course, I hope I'll always remember when I got The Call. It was around 11:45 August 21, 2007 and I was on my way out the door to pick up my daughter. August 21 is also my husband's birthday and selling my first book that day was a nice gift for both of us *g*
Pat said: President
Franklin Roosevelt announcing the
end of our involvement in WWII.
Oh, how TOTALLY cool! What a great memory!
Anna S said: It was a harrowing time for me in the US, because I didn't know for hours that he was safe.
This was me on 9/11 because for a lot of the time I couldn't get a hold of Ralph, who was in DC. A "normal" 30-45 minute commute took him over three hours and he didn't have a cell phone. Had no idea where he was, how he was, etc.
Scawry.
Glad you had the face-ache-happy on your wedding day too, Anna! :>
Mangos? The cabana boys have fresh mangos? I want a Mango Lassi with a shot of vodka, please! :>
Anna, I love to remember some of the sporting event moments too. Watching the Panthers live as they went to the Division championships their first year as a franchise. Seeing the Duke NCAA championship where they took it by one basket.
Watching my oldest son hit a homer, make a basket, run for a touchdown. (He likes sports, can you tell?)
AC, I loved the scent-evoked memory of Ireland. Wow. Cool. I wonder if Scotland smells different too? I know France does. :>
Joanie T, I SO remember that hockey game. FAB!
Beth, my Call came on my Father's birthday. Pretty cool, eh?
Oh, and AC? As to the "slow on the uptake" thing? Ha! My DH and I were set up at a party. The whole reason for the party was to introduce us, but since I'd sworn off dating, my friend didn't tell me that. :> We arrived at the same time - how's that for serendipity? I figured this nicely dressed hunk w/ a bottle of wine was probably someone's husband gone back to the car to fetch a hostess gift. Ha! We met, talked, but he didn't ask for my number.
Sigh on my part. I thought he was nice...
He was waiting for the party to clear out so he could ask my hostess to ask me if I was up for a date. I'd been a wee bit too vocal within his hearing, about being off dating. :> (Remember, I didn't know this was a set up!)
We went out and after talking non-stop for four hours, he kissed my cheek when he dropped me off.
I told my sister I was baffled and that he didn't like me.
Ha! Slow 'ole me. He didn't want to scare me off. Grins.
I got my REAL kisses on the next date...
Seeing the Duke NCAA championship where they took it by one basket.....
Ah, yes. Another "day that will live in infamy" here in KY....
Oh - one cool moment I remember was the SAS storming the embassy in London and rescuing the hostages. That was real life drama and watching it unfold was surreal.
I don't remember seeing Miracle on Ice - but the movie is awesome! Kurt Russell channels Herb Brooks in a way that is almost spooky - like when he channelled Elvis earlier in his career!
I remember Mark Spitz getting his medals.
Oh and all the Royal weddings (yes, even as far back as Princess Anne's first one!).
Anna - I remember when the SAS stormed the embassy! I was in Welling, shopping, and everyone was stopped in front of a TV store, watching it on the news.
Joan wrote: Seeing the Duke NCAA championship where they took it by one basket.....
Ah, yes. Another "day that will live in infamy" here in KY....
OOOOPS! Sorry, JT! (Not about the game, but....)
Grins.
I remember watching Di's wedding, Anna. What a gorgeous bit of pomp and circumstance. I keep rewriting that one in my head, you know? Both of them got a raw deal, I think.
Heh - thanks everyone. Actually, very little celebration, as I had class @ 9 am this morning. Ah, the joys of bar prep.
Although I don't think I did anything exciting after graduating from college either- just packed up my apartment :P I'm so so exciting.
OOOOPS! Sorry, JT! (Not about the game, but....)...
Come close to me, Duchesse...so I can bounce this basketball off your grin....
JT said: Come close to me, Duchesse...so I can bounce this basketball off your grin....
SNORK! Yeah, you may be a feisty red-head, but I live with the basketball boyz, and if I can keep up with them, I kin take ye, Wildcat!
I don't know, Lime, isn't it exciting to finally be ABLE to prep for the bar?
I mean, I always get excited when the cabana boys prep the bar...
Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, so cool that you're THERE adn ready to get-er-done, you know? *applause!*
Hey, sorry everyone, my errands took longer than expected. :-( Hope you didn't have too much fun in my absence, though I did notice a prodigious amount of mango peel in the compost heap!
Joanie,
Signing on with the Banditas was indeed a memorable event for all of us! Two years and a lifetime ago! :-)
AC
Beth, how KEWL that you got The Call on your DH's bday! And just a few weeks later, I got MY call! :-)
I have a feeling we are poised to get a bunch of GREAT call stories very soon here in the Lair from both our AYU Banditas and our BBs! We've had a lot of contests finals and stuff that makes me think it will all happen VERY SOON now!
AC
Duchesse,
Not knowing your DH's whereabout for over 3 hours on 9/11 had to be a waking nightmare!!! I'll bet those were the longest 3 hours of your life! Thank goodness it ended happily, but I know you lost friends on that horrible day. So many people did.
Duchesse,
Having only been in the lowlands of Scotland, I will leave your answer to those with first hand experience. But my guess is that the highlands are indeed imbued with their own unique scent.
AC
LOL! Duchesse, I LURVE your story of meeting your DH! First you thought he was someone's hubby, then wondered why he didn't ask for your phone number. THEN got bummed coz you only got a kiss on the cheek...
GIRL, could you have been MORE CLUELESS?!?! Truth IS stranger than fiction and your HEA is so well-deserved!
AC
VA and Becke,
I'm embarrassed to admit I don't remember the storming of the embassy you mentioned. But Becke, I can picture all the people standing outside the store watching through the window!
And VA, I meant to mention earlier that I remember hearing that Princess Diana had been killed in an auto crash and I was totally STUNNED! I just could not believe such a thing could happen. And my second thought was how sorry I felt for her two boys. When the media quoted Prince Harry as saying, "Are you sure Mummy is dead?" It just about tore my heart out.
Now now, Joanie and Jeanne!
No basketball duels inside the Lair. Go out back, or into the gym and let Sven or Lars referee. :-)
AC said: GIRL, could you have been MORE CLUELESS?!?! Truth IS stranger than fiction and your HEA is so well-deserved!
See? Call me blonde (and this is one of my rare, truly blond moments!), but I was so NOT in the market, so sure that I was past getting the proverbial brass ring, that I was blind.
Grins.
...And now I see...and the view is really QUITE yummy. Ha!
Okay, okay, hang onto your crop. :> We'll take it to the gym. Right after we have a few more mango-thingies. Right JT?
Grins. Alcohol before exercise, that's my motto! Snork.
I have had several life changing events in my life. My son being born of the happiest for me. Most of what I remember have been the bad things, like loosing a job after 21 years, this changed my life a lot.
I remember when JFK was shot in 1963 like it was yesterday I was in the third grade of school. I am not sure why I remember the bad things that happen more then the good things.
Anna C., radio used to be the medium that brought us all big news. Lately, though, it seems to be all music or all opinion.
I actually heard about Lennon, though, from a friend who's a Beatles fan. She phoned me.
Caren wrote: Twenty-one years later (actually, 22 since then), he still has his moments. . . .
I love this story!
PJ, going off for a summer in another country and not speaking the language is very brave. I wouldn't have done it. I'm glad the summer turned out so well for you.
Susan, that actually would be am anazing story setup! I feel sorry for you and your sister, though, having happy days on nationally sad days.
Great post, Aunty! Yep, I can picture where I was for so many of the events already mentioned. Kennedy, John Lennon, Princess Diana, Sept. 11, of course, but good things, too. Dancing with the cutest boy in class in 8th grade, walking along the Seine with my DH, holding my tiny nephew when he was born. Really, he was no bigger than my forearm. Now he's over 6 feet tall! LOL
Congrats on that special milestone, Lime! I know our chook will help keep the memory vivid in your mind for years to come!! :-)
Oooh, Kate, you got to go to Paris with your DH? GO you! I'd love to take mine there. It's so magnifique!
I went as a teen. But SO many good memories there! WOW.
(hic) Ok, ok aunty, we'll play nice....
Speaking of some finals, I just found out THE PATRICIAN'S FORTUNE has finaled in the Fire and Ice contest!
Damon has just bested Jared in number of finals. Bran is pretty put out and has started self revising :-)
Nancy, when I landed in Mexico City I could say hello, good-bye and count to ten in Spanish. When I left three months later, I was fluent. It helped that my exchange father was the only member of the family who was fluent in English. We had daily classes in Spanish and that was pretty much the only language I heard at home. It's amazing how quickly I picked it up.
Congrats Joanie!
Joanie!!!!! Congratulations to you and Damon!!!
Hola AC. Wild applause and congrats, Joan!
Earliest life changing memories...My paternal grandmother came home from the hospital for a little while when I was six. They'd cut her waist length hair to just below her ears and I just knew something bad was going on. She died a few weeks later. I remember the Israeli Olympic team being taken hostage in Munich and the images of the terrorists and I asked my parents if they were going to kidnap our Jewish neighbors. 9/11...my fiance called from NJ that morning and woke me up to tell me what had happened. We'd been flying back and forth a lot and I was rather hesitant to get on a plane to NY but I did. Happier memories...the first all night and into the wee hours phone call with the guy I would eventually marry. He was, and still is, a client of mine and I known him for nine years by then but on that night, something just clicked and I knew and so did he. Kismet!
AC, I hope to see a launch live someday, too. Though I'm not sure what they'll be launching if they retire the shuttle fleet.
Of course, you can travel down there and sit and wait and then have the launch scrubbed. Sometimes for days at a time. But I'm hoping!
Pat, how cool! Did that mean Uncle Al got to stay home?
Joan, woo-hoo! Congrats for Damon and for you.
Bran is self-revising? Uh, is he now or was he once a gladiator? The idea of a gladiator self-revising is kinda scary.
PJ, I think we learn languages faster when we're younger. The brain is wired for it or something.
That sounds like a wonderful summer!
Jeanne and Anna S.--how scary that you couldn't reach your guys on such horrible days. The relief must've been huge!
Anna, we were visiting the dh's family in Colorado on 7/7 and saw the news of the bombings on CNN. We have a lot of affection for London and the tube and the big red buses, as well as having some friends who lived in the outer areas and commuted in to work, but we had no one's phone numbers with us. Luckily, we came home to email from mutual friends who had contacted them.
Kate, I laughed at your comment about your nephew. The boy was about forearm-long when he was a baby, and now he's taller than I am!
And has a girlfriend.
SUPER CONGRATS to Joanie and Damon!
Uh oh, now Jared and Bran are pouting... Such a sorry sight to see sad Romans. Maybe Aunty will have to put a feather on the end of the crop...
Virginia,
I don't know why it is, but I tend to remember the bad stuff more easily than the good too. Same way with reviews, no matter how many good ones I get, I remember the bad ones. :-(
I think you and I need to make a pact to start remembering the good!
AC
I've been trying to get over here all day. So sorry to be late.
I remember where I was when the space shuttle blew up (in school as well), when Princess Di died (sitting glued to my television all night long), when JFK, Jr disappeared (bringing my new daughter home from the hospital), and on 9/11 (driving to work and hearing about it on the radio). And I love that you know so precisely when you got *the call*. LOL!
Happy Anniversary!
Ooooh, a feather on the crop! Damon RATES!
SUPER CONGRATS, Joan! SO excited for you. :>
Peony,
I remember that horrible thing at the Munich Olympics too! I'd just moved to the Sac area and Mark Spitz was from here. There was a lot of worry that he would also be a target. Luckily he wasn't.
WTG on Kismet stepping in to assist you and your DH! Those are the best memories!
AC
Nancy,
If the launch gets scrubbed for several days, there are a lot worse places to be than a Florida beach! I'm just sayin... bring plenty of sunblock! ;-)
And I AGREE! The idea of a gladiator self-revising is a bit... what did the Duchesse say? Scawry?!?! Yup! SCAWRY!
AC
Nancy,
Isn't it amazing when the kidlets get taller than you?!?! And GET A LIFE?!?! Of course, sometimes I think mine needs MORE of a life, but oh well!
My sibs and I made a big deal about being taller than our mom, but since she was only 5 foot nothing, it happened rather quickly! ;-)
AC
Hi Terrio!
Glad you made it to the party! Have a mango somethingOrOther!
Not only do I remember exactly when I got The Call, I remember what I was wearing... blue flowered pajamas! I was asleep, remember?!?!
AC
Thanx a bunch to everyone who stopped by today and shared some memories, good and bad.
Appreciate your sharing!
AC
AC...I was living in Sac then too and my swim club swam against Mark Spitz's club every year...we got creamed, of course.
Nancy,
No, Uncle Al was sent on to complete his tour of duty! I was the one who got to stay at home!! Aunt Lillian decided to stay in Houston with my grandmother, who was quite upset by Al's departure. He was the fourth of her sons who were called up to serve during that war. We were blessed in
that they all came safely home at
the end of their service.
Pat Cochran
Peony, 'tis a small small world!
Pat, your grandmother was very blessed that all four of her sons returned from the war!
Thanx again for sharing those memories!
AC
And I AGREE! The idea of a gladiator self-revising is a bit... what did the Duchesse say? Scawry?!?! Yup! SCAWRY!...
His STORY ladies, his STORY.....
Sheessh....
Post a Comment