The Essence of Who I Am

September 11, 2002. Eight years ago. I was a freshman in college. I remember sitting in my psychology class listening to the professor lecture on the 5 stages of grief. Then in my anthropology class somehow we got in a discussion about those dying in war. I remember a young man raised his hand and started talking about losing "brothers" on our very own streets. Later on I would remember that day at school. Then Saturday night, September 14th, I remember laying in bed feeling a heavy burden for Kavin and Kain (my two nephews) so I began to pray for them. I was just getting settled for bed when the phone rang. It was my paw-paw calling saying 2 cops stopped by his house saying they found a body and they weren't sure but they thought it was my brother's. Thats when my world changed. I can't even descibe the way my stomach felt when my mom started getting dressed and told us what my paw-paw said. We were all in shock and were just hoping the cops were wrong. The cops

It's September already and Dylan is 9 months old now. He says ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, and bye-bye. He has two teeth now and still doesn't crawl yet. He lunges forward like he wants to crawl but then winds up on his belly and starts rolling. He's mobile alright - he finds a way to get to what he wants - just not by crawling. He is so active. It's fun to watch him during church when the music is playing. His hands start to moving, his feet start to kicking, and he starts to screaming. lol. He is so adorable. Ahhh . . . the joys of motherhood! We entered Dylan in a Gerber baby contest and used this pic! Here is what Kevin and I did in August: 1. Purchased a Dodge Nitro since my Cavalier was totaled. my old car :( my new car :) 2. Saved tons of money by switching to Geico. lol. (Seriously. Statefarm was way too much.) 3. Tried all month to get our pool clean. 4. Drained and refilled pool. Finally clear and swimable! 5. Planned Youth Retreat. 6. Attended Youth Retreat and had a