September 11th, 2001.
Reed and I had left the children (Alex was almost 8 and Maddy 9 months old) with Grandma in Phoenix. We took a plane on September 9th and arrived in Munich, Germany on the 10th. My parents came to see us, just for one day. I was 7 months pregnant with Elly, and we needed to find a house in Germany where we were being relocated for three years. It was exciting, an all-expense-paid trip to Europe to top it all!
On the 11th, we had an appointment to go visit Alex's future school, Bavarian International School. We then left to go visit Reed's future employment site, while my parents drove home to Belgium. While we were at TRW in Auschau, we called Reed's mom, to check on the kids. She sounded troubled, we didn't know why yet...at that time, the second tower hadn't been hit yet.
We were a world apart from our children, while the world seemed to be ending. Our country was under attack, our strong, unbeatable, untouchable country had been hit. After that, it was uncertainty. Our flight home was scheduled for the Saturday, but all flights had been canceled. We couldn't go home and we didn't know for how long yet. I was heavily pregnant and had a note from my doctor saying I could fly until 32 weeks...I was 30 1/2 weeks!
We finished our business in Munich, we had found a perfect house to call home, a good school and left for Belgium. My brother was visiting my parents at that time, he was living in Portugal then. So we got to see him and my parents, after 2 years of being on different continents. We found out that the first international flights were starting up again on Saturday, but TRW had issued a statement that no one was to fly on the first day they started up again. Our next available flight was only on the 19th, and that's only because we were flying business class. We drove back to Germany to catch our plane, but Reed was a little too anxious and we got pulled over by the Deutsche Polizie! They wanted us to pay for the ticket right away, but we only had like $40.00 and some Deutschmarks...they took it all!
Once at the hotel, we couldn't pay the bellman, we didn't even have one dollar left! But it was amazing how people were with us. They told us over and over, as soon as they found out that we were from the US, how sorry they were. On the Saturday, my friend baptized her baby (Catholic church) and the priest mentioned what happened in NY, he knew we were there by "chance" (last minute thing, I called my best friend to tell her we were standed, and she invited us for the baptism) and came to us afterwards to offer his condolences. Reed had no idea why, because he had been snoring/drooling through the whole sermon...hey, church is church!
On our flight home, we saw a guy from our ward (small world). He told us there had been a murder close to home. The gas station owner at the corner of our street then,( University and 80th Street) had been murdered. He was a Sikh, and wore a turban...some idiot killed him because of the Muslims!!!! Senseless, of course.
Our car was dusty at the airport and they didn't charge us for the extra 4 days we stayed overseas, another reminder of how united the country was.
So I remember September 11th, for all the reasons the world remembers it, and for a few extra reasons...and Maddy had learned how to pull herself up while we were gone those extra days!
3,017 people died
6,291 people were injured
My heart still aches at the thought of these events
Fall leaves all around! Who said we didn't have autumm in Arizona! You can just get it in a bag at Target!
Mrs. Dieu's preschool had a Halloween Party. 
All these skeletons had the hicups. Thank you Mrs. Diew for doing such a great job with my little boy!
20 years ago, my best friend Vanessa and I went to Paris for a week-end. We had promised each other to go back and meet 20 years later. That was in November 1989 (the day the Berlin wall came down) and so it was time! So we did just that. She still lives in Belgium, so it was a wee bit easier for her, but we had a blast!!! The weather was sublime too, not a cloud in the sky, not too cold, just perfect, just like the whole day was!
Vanessa doesn't use a map or relies on her own to find places, she just asks anyone that looks official enough, like cops on roller blades.
La Seine
A Montmartre
Arc the triomphe, Champs Elysee .
Peace monument, at the end of Le champs de Mars.
This is where "Patachou", the restaurant used to be. It is now, recenlty, a jewlery and art store. This is where we had said we would eat, 20 years ago...we just ate at a fastfood instead!
Montmartre, le Sacre Coeur.
La pyramide du Louvres .
My brother and family, he loves modern furniture, kinda different from here.
My parents' back yard. Typical Belgian weather, inside a raining cloud!!!!
My twin...ever wonder what I'll look like in 28 years?
My elementry school, where my dad taught PE for 30 years (hmm, yeah, I had him for 6 years in school, yeah...not)
But all in all, it is a fun experience! Alex was born on October 18th, 1993. He was a big 9lbs 4 oz, 21 3/4 inches long baby. He was the reason I stayed in the US, I truly believe I would have given into my homesickness and gone home if it wasn't for him. He strengthened our marriage, made us parents at a young age, and we have no regrets. He was our little buddy, an only child for 7 years. He prayed for a baby for two years (you'd never know it now to see how him and Maddy annoy each other).
Not an Ipod, just Mom's MP3 wrapped up in a box, we're so funny!
Merci Granny and Grandma, money is always welcomed from a broke-wanna-date-16 yr old!
Hoping that we got him what he wants, and not a Nanno or a fake water-gun look alike Ipod thing.
YES! Ipod Touch, at last!
That even deserved a hug, those are rare at this age!
Happy happy happy!
I think I look pretty good for my age ;)
A week before, it's time to brush up on your coloring skills, for all ages.
First day for the girls, not for Nicky, but almost.
Now, it's 2nd day, because 1st day was in a rush to make sure we were on time and he ran into the school/house so fast that I didn't have time to take his picture. But hey, he's still wearing new school clothes, so that works too.
So young, homework already!
One Euro is $1.45, yes, all that to pee...I even tried to pee twice for that price, but nope!
Back in Liege, at the train station, very tired, very happy to have had a great day. 