Throwback Thursday: Remembering 9/11

If you've been following my blog for the last year, its no secret that I have fallen in love with New York City. I love the people, the energy, the diversity, the food. Don't get me wrong, its a totally crazy place to live; but its also the best ever.

One of the places I was able to visit several times while living in New York was the 9/11 Memorial. If you've never done this, it is at the top of my list of must dos. I remember the first time we ventured down there. I was a little hesitant to go because I didn't really want to relive the thoughts and feelings I had as a young girl watching those buildings burn. But I immediately felt a change as I stepped foot on that hallowed ground. It is an overwhelmingly bittersweet experience.

I vividly remember watching the events unfold on television. As you walk through the neighborhood, you see street names and images you recognize from the news, and the scenes come flooding back into your mind. I immediately felt sick because I could see the people running from the building, the air thick with dust and debris, sirens whaling and people screaming.  I remember (or maybe imagined) a woman pushing a stroller, just like me. And I was brought to tears imagining how helpless and scary it would be. The world was literally coming crashing down around them, and all they could do was run.

There is a wall that is dedicated to the firefighters and police officers who lost their lives saving others. What heroic souls! I cannot even image what courage it would have taken to turn around and run back into the burning buildings. September 11, 2001 was the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American History. While that is devastating, just imagine how many lives were saved because of those brave men and women. It's humbling that they were willing to make that sacrifice.

As I approached the site I was feeling somber and sick (and frankly scared.) But then the city fades away and this huge plaza opens up. Its full of trees and the sound of rushing water. The plaza is made up of two enormous reflecting pool waterfalls that sit in the original footprints of the twin towers. There are over 400 trees surrounding the waterfalls, many harvested from areas in Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania that were also attacked. There is one tree that is roped off and protected which is called The Survivor Tree. It was discovered in the rubble of Ground Zero, severely damaged and burned. They removed it from the site and it was cared for and replanted in 2010. It is now thriving in its original home. How miraculous!

The names of each individual lost are etched into the sides of the reflecting pools. Our most recent visit was in May while Zack's family was in town. We arrived just as the sun was going down and we were able to watch as the names began to light up and glisten in the darkness. Although the memorial is right in the middle of the hustling bustling Financial District of Lower Manhattan, the waterfalls and rustling leaves drown out the city noise and allow peace and serenity at the memorial.  The grand plaza proves that not only will we never forget, but we will always honor those who lost their lives.

While wandering the memorial, you look up and see a magnificent new building. The new One World Trade center is truly breathtaking and it quickly became my favorite building in the city.  Not only does it represent New York City as an icon in the skyline, but it represents America's rebirth from the ashes. We didn't just come back. We came back bigger, stronger, and more magnificent. It will always stand as a message to our enemies. You can try to break us down, but we will always rebuild and we will always overcome!

The resilience that New York City and America have shown since the attacks on September 11, 2001 makes me so proud to be an American and a temporary New Yorker. It is my prayer that America continues to grow and evolve, seeking to spread freedom, and working towards peace. I'm so glad we get to take Gunner here, to teach him about what happened, why it happened, and what it means to be an American. After all, our little ones are the future of America.

What are you memories from that day? How do you honor those who lost their lives for

our freedom?

XOXO

SD

A Day in Brooklyn (a month late)

Last month Gunner and I had the funnest day with our friends the Leal's (she blogs over at Cooking Hat) in Brooklyn. I don't know why its taken me so long to sit down and weed through my 500 pictures from the day and write about it.

We had planned to go see the Cherry Blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, but literally one tree had just barely started to bloom, so we decided to postpone that outing and hit the Brooklyn Children's Museum. I feel like I've been to a lot of children's museums in my life; but taking Gunner was like a whole new experience. He was in HEAVEN. It's like everything in there was built and catered to children. Oh wait. That's exactly what it is. Genius.

I'm convince I gestated, birthed, and am now raising a fish. This boy lives for the water. Bathtime is by far his favorite time and I always have to wrestle that squishy slippery nakey body when its time to get out. He will even put his face in the water, just to see what happens. Amazing? Reckless? Maybe a little of both. But my point is, this boy was in heaven with all the water features at this place.

They even had a 5 & under play area with a big water table. Gunner was hysterical. I just couldn't bare to be a kill joy and deny him the thrill of splashing to his heart's content. By the time we left he was completely drenched and (bonus) exhausted.

^^ Ally may have been a little less than amused by Gunner's antics ^^

^^ Look at those baby blues! ^^

We left the museum and walked a few blocks to grab some pizza. I'm so unpredictable with my food choices aren't I? (Side note: I suggested pizza the other day and Zack said he was "burnt out on pizza". Excuse me?!? When you live in the city with the best pizza on Earth how do you get burnt out on pizza?? I can't even imagine a time in my life when I wouldn't want to eat a slice of pizza. insanity.)

So we grabbed a pie and Gunner was completely comatose in his stroller. I feel like one of the greatest feelings as a mother is when my kid is so exhausted from playing hard and having too much fun that he just drifts to sleep in his stroller. The fun induced slumber is a much deeper and sweeter sleep I think. Surrounded by friends, with a belly full of pizza, and a well-rested baby, it may have been the most content I had felt in a while.

We drove over to Park Slope, which is the dreamiest of all neighborhoods. It's like old and historic looking, but also really hip and modern. I know it doesn't make any sense, but if I could choose one neighborhood in New York City to live in, if money weren't an issue, I think it might be Park Slope. We walked over to a look out/boardwalk type thing to admire the city.

I think one of the reasons I love Brooklyn so much is because of the view of Manhattan's skyline.You look out across the East River and the bridges and skyscrapers are breathtaking. Its this really strange paradox of being in the city while admiring it from afar. Its like having your cake and eating it to.

I will say that Gunner takes playing at the park very seriously. He is very focussed on climbing stairs, sliding slides, and most importantly observing the other children. But every once in a while, I'll catch just a glimpse of a smile on his lips as he slides. It doesn't last long, and it rarely gets caught on camera. The first time I took him to the park I wasn't sure he was even having fun because there was no smiling or laughing as I'd imagined. But as soon as I put him in his stroller to go home all hell broke loose. It wasn't that he wasn't having fun, he just takes his fun very seriously, like his dad. And I'm okay with that.

As Gunner has grown and become more of a toddler than a baby, it has been extra sweet to see him learning about friendship. He is so in love with the Leal girls. Everytime he sees them he lights up and runs to them. Watching him and Ally play at this park together was precious. I dread the day we have to say goodbye to them. The Leal family has become some of our closest friends. They have been such an amazing support and positive force in our lives. We will forever be grateful for their friendship and I know that we'll hang on to them forever.

XOXO
SD

P.S. Check out Ermelin's awesome blog over at COOKING HAT!!

P.P.S. Read about our other adventures in Brooklyn HERE!

Big News & A Yankees Game

Well its official. Sort of. We're leaving New York this month. I'm like so sad I can't even talk about it. We fly out on May 30 and are going to stay with Zack's parents and house sit for them while they're in Europe for a few weeks. I'm so excited to be in Utah to be with family and friends. But, I am so sad to be saying goodbye to our life in New York. We have made some amazing, lifelong friends here and have grown to feel at home in the city.

We are keeping most of our things in storage here while Zack is on the job hunt because there is a chance he'll get a job out here and we'll be back in no time (fingers crossed.) Then our trip to Utah will be more of a vacation. If Zack is going to find a job here in NY that means we're committing to staying for a long time. So a month with family is just what we need. Zack and I both crave the presence of our families in our lives, especially Gunner's. But, we also feel like New York is the place for us at this time in our lives. Needless to say, we are incredibly torn/confused.

We're hoping that spending June with our families will help us to clear our heads and figure out what is the right next step for us. Also, mostly we're hoping that Zack will find the job of his dreams and we'd move, literally, wherever that would take us. So its time to really buckle down and soak up as much city as we can, just in case we aren't coming back.

We FINALLY made it out to a Yankees game. Lately, I've really really wanted a Yankees hat. I've almost bought one like 5 times. But for some reason I always found an excuse not to. Well, when we started looking at Yankees tickets, the only day we could go happened to be CAP DAY!!!! Basically that means everyone gets a free hat at the game. I was so excited. Luckily, I had already bought Gunner a little toddler sized one a week before, so the three of us matched. Priceless.

The game was such a blast. We aren't huge baseball fans, but we are huge sports fans, and huge "spend the day in the sun" fans. The Yankees went down 3-0 in the first few innings, but then once they got going they were unstoppable and ended up winning 3-9.

that belly button.... 

People were absolutely crazy for Gunner. Everyone wanted to stop to wave at him and admire him. Especially the drunk lady who was sitting in front of us. She kept touching him and telling him she was going to steal his shoes. He wasn't sure how to respond to her, and neither was I. Haha. But people were so nice and helpful because of Gunner. Normally, people keep to themselves and don't go out of their way to help. But bring a baby into the equation and people are falling all over themselves to help. So my advice, if you're coming to NY, bring a baby. Although, having a baby sure does complicate things like subway stairs and taxis. But, its still worth it.

Gunner's first WAVE.

All in all, the the game was exciting, the weather was heavenly (aside from a few rain drops), and the company was best of all. I'm so in love with my little family, I can't imagine who I'd be without them. The only thing I love more are Gunners squishy little chubby legs in shorts. I. Could. Die.

Summer is just around the corner and I can barely contain my excitement. Watermelon, soccer games, Bar-B-Ques, cousins, swimming, tan lines, family. I already know its going to be one of our best yet! And no matter what happens with the job situation, I'm grateful to know that I'll have my Zack to keep me sane and my Gunner to keep my laughing. The future is bright for the Dupaix family and I can't wait to see whats next. 

Thanks for following us along on this journey. What summer plans are you most excited for?

XOXO 

SD

P.S. For more of our bucket list items go HERE!