Sunday, October 9, 2011

our 9/11 memorial trip


seth turned the big 30 in sept. and had been talking about going to new york city to see ground zero - especially since this is the 10th year commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy.  i decided that a trip to n.y. would be the perfect birthday present for him, so we set a date- right before my annual trip with shannon, and we obtained passes for a certain day and time.  we drove to shannon's and stayed overnight and then took the train into n. y. the next morning.  some of the flooding  from the hurricane that they experienced earlier was evident as the train neared the city.  the subway was braved 4 times that day and also  a taxi ride (hold on to your hats!!!) to the empire state building.  we went to china town to get a knockoff watch that seth was obsessing about. (i used my sales skills to talk the guy down- something they more than expect!) and bought slices of n.y. pizza (oh my), and sat on a stoop to eat .

         china town- where we began our quest for a knockoff watch...



the elevator in the empire state building- there were still 6 more floors to go on a different elevator. yow!                           


it rained a bit so visability wasn't perfect from atop the empire state bld. (as we were ascending in the elevator, my ears were popping.)   we were able to see the new building at the 9/11 site. i believe that event changed that city. flags and signs were very visable everywhere.



                                              

the top of the empire state bld. taken from the observation deck.




                                             central park behind the buildings
 

we arrived at the site of 9/11 early, so we sat across the street on some steps and watched the building of the newest addition. 






this was a display that the workers had put up. .. "we will never forget"


this photo was taken of the new trade center from inside the park. there was a huge flag hanging from it. it will be the tallest building when completed. notice the trees - they are all the same height and we were told that they were taken from the site in pa. where the plane went down.


another view of the trade center- an amazing structure. there are some interesting programs on tv about this building and those who are working on it- well worth watching.


this is the "survivor tree"- the only one that survived 9/11. seth and i both felt that we were on sacred ground in this special place. i have videos of the pools that were built in the footprints of the towers that were destroyed but can't seem to get them on this blog- we'll keep trying. 


a truly amazing trip and a birthday that seth and i won't soon forget.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

conference time again

once again , it's time for our semi- annual conference. what a great weekend ! after being a member of the church for 43 years, how can there be so much to learn? as usual, i came to conference with concerns and issues that i knew would be addressed and i was not disappointed. i appreciate the inspiration that the speakers are given for all the many topics that are covered.  the music was outstanding and is always an important part of conference.  katie,josie and anderson were with me for the first session and seth came over for the sunday sessions. it's always wonderful to share thoughts with family.  shannon and i talked today and reviewed some of the talks that we both listened to yesterday. 
 to sit at the master's feet through the general authorities talks is such a privilege.
 here are my conference potholders for these sessions. i kept my hands busy (katie made 2 of them- the tradition goes on!)


i have been refreshed and refuled for another 6 months and am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of these wonderful meetings.