One year ago today life in Boston was changed forever.

At 2:49pm, Monday, April 15th, there was an explosion at the finish of the Boston Marathon and less than a minute later, there was another explosion less than two blocks away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon_bombings

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day, it was quite an experience. All of Boston was affected, as well as the entire country and everyone was affected in their own way, not one experience was the same. I’m going to tell you what my experience was like as I have incredibly strong ties to Boston as you know.

I was visiting DCM in Colorado right after he moved, we were going to go apartment huntung and wouldn’t you know it, by the second day, a freak snow storm, and I mean a snow storm, slow getting to work for DCM and I was stuck in the hotel, but I was working, so I wasn’t bored. I think I knew the Boston Marathon was happening that day because it’s one of those things you know, but that was about it. I knew that RG would be announcing the finishers and one or two people I knew would be participating, but that was it.

I was working and then I got the first call from SDL, “Is your family ok?” “Um, yes, as far as I know, why?” There was a bombing at the finish line and she wanted to check on me and my family. I immediately tried to get in touch with my brother-in-law who happened to be downtown in Boston with EJS, we eventually made contact, so I was able to breath at that point, from my family’s side. GES was in London for work trying to do the same thing, a little nerve wracking to say the least!

I then tried to contact everyone I could think of that might have been in the area, I reached out to RG, I had been checking her Facebook page and finally her husband posted on her page that she was ok. Next I tried JCT because I knew she was working in Boston somewhere and I wanted to be sure she was ok. She was close enough to feel the rumble, but she not close enough that she was in harms way, she was safe. I checked with CC and he was ok, so I was able to breath a sigh of relief over all.

The calls, texts and Facebook messages started pouring in, it was wonderful how many people thought about me and my family to see if everyone was safe and ok and how I was, I am a very lucky person. And I was able to tell them everyone was ok, that felt good.

It’s been a year and Boston has remained strong, just like the campaign says, Boston Strong. Never forgetting what happened as so many lives were touched. There were 3 deaths and 264 injured in the blasts, the fourth casualty was the officer killed during the manhunt for the two bombing suspects. The road to recovery has been a long one and will never be forgotten, like the bombings of 9/11, this did not kill the resolve of the people or destroy us like it was hoped by the ones responsible.

You can’t meet someone in Boston who doesn’t know someone who was there/involved or afftected personally by the bombings and their resiliance and sense of community is amazing.

Today was the one year anniversary and the tributes were touching, heart wrenching and heart warming. It was timed perfectly inside the Hynes Convention Center, to include The Boston Pops, Boston Children’s Choir, the former and current mayor of Boston, former and current police commissioners, survivors who were injured, Vice President Joseph Biden, just to name a few. Then everyone went outside and headed towards the grandstand at the Marthon Finish Line for a moment of silence at 2:49pm and then the bells began ringing, the flag was raised and the national anthem was performed. It felt good to be there with my sister to stand side by side when the national anthem began. The bagpipes were mournful and appropriate.

The celebration ended with members of the honor guard from different branches and cities marched down the street carrying the flags for their cities and branches.

It was eerie, fitting and touching and a day that we will never forget. I will close with the closing from Vice President Biden “Next Monday, on Patriot’s Day, when 36,000 people line up to start the marathon, you will send a resounding message around the world … that we will never yield, we will never cower, American will never stand down. We are Boston, we are America. We respond, we endure, we overcome, and we own the finish line.”

http://www.wbur.org/2014/04/15/boston-marathon-tribute-ceremony

Tonight began the holiday of passover and it’s time to start the celebration.

The day started like any other Monday, I got tosee the girls go off to school. Before EJS left for school we broke the matzoh brittle and had to taste test it and the macaroonS of course, we had to Make sure they were fit for others to eat…wink wink!

After the kids and ACS left for work and School, we got down to the business of cooking. GES and BR got a lot done as well as and myself, but not to worry, there was plenty to do!

There was cooking, straightening, cleaning, setting up, dishes washed, dishwasher unloaded, loaded, unloaded, loaded, Presents wrapped.

In the middle of the Craziness we went to watch EJS’ gym class perform “their Sentence”
They each Start with a letter, improv stuff in between and a period or balled up pose to end.

after we got home, we continued to work on stuff and at 5, I went to pick up EJS from school, ACS got home with MGS, AS was there before her husband JS, then BF and BR showed up with their adorable Kids, LS arrived and then Zafta, our group was complete.

We sat down to the seder and the food began to fly, all sorts of wonderous treat from homemade chicken soup with matzo balls to the fantastic desserts.

Everything was wonderful for the celebration was fantastic friends and family we’re together , not to be missed.

After a few hours of good food good friends and family laughter and warm it was time to make care packages and everyone head home.

then came the really fun part, cleaning up. Haha. We did say that next year we should hire someone to help serveand clean up, so we said it again this year, let’s see if we remember!

After that, it was stories and bed time, trying to keep your eyes open and then zzzzz!

I already fell asleep once, writing to you! That tells me it is time to go to sleep! I bid you a good nite abs good Pesach!

Tonight began the holiday of passover and it’s time to start the celebration.

The day started like any other Monday, I got tosee the girls go off to school. Before EJS left for school we broke the matzoh brittle and had to taste test it and the macaroonS of course, we had to Make sure they were fit for others to eat…wink wink!

After the kids and ACS left for work and School, we got down to the business of cooking. GES and BR got a lot done as well as and myself, but not to worry, there was plenty to do!

There was cooking, straightening, cleaning, setting up, dishes washed, dishwasher unloaded, loaded, unloaded, loaded, Presents wrapped.

In the middle of the Craziness we went to watch EJS’ gym class perform “their Sentence”
They each Start with a letter, improv stuff in between and a period or balled up pose to end.

after we got home, we continued to work on stuff and at 5, I went to pick up EJS from school, ACS got home with MGS, AS was there before her husband JS, then BF and BR showed up with their adorable Kids, LS arrived and then Zafta, our group was complete.

We sat down to the seder and the food began to fly, all sorts of wonderous treat from homemade chicken soup with matzo balls to the fantastic desserts.

Everything was wonderful for the celebration was fantastic friends and family we’re together , not to be missed.

After a few hours of good food good friends and family laughter and warm it was time to make care packages and everyone head home.

then came the really fun part, cleaning up. Haha. We did say that next year we should hire someone to help serveand clean up, so we said it again this year, let’s see if we remember!

After that, it was stories and bed time, trying to keep your eyes open and then zzzzz!

I wish each and everyone of you celebrating passover a halt and a healthy one!

Tonight began the holiday of passover and it’s time to start the celebration.

The day started like any other Monday, I got tosee the girls go off to school. Before EJS left for school we broke the matzoh brittle and had to taste test it and the macaroonS of course, we had to Make sure they were fit for others to eat…wink wink!

After the kids and ACS left for work and School, we got down to the business of cooking. GES and BR got a lot done as well as and myself, but not to worry, there was plenty to do!

There was cooking, straightening, cleaning, setting up, dishes washed, dishwasher unloaded, loaded, unloaded, loaded, Presents wrapped.

In the middle of the Craziness we went to watch EJS’ gym class perform “their Sentence”
They each Start with a letter, improv stuff in between and a period or balled up pose to end.

after we got home, we continued to work on stuff and at 5, I went to pick up EJS from school, ACS got home with MGS, AS was there before her husband JS, then BF and BR showed up with their adorable Kids, LS arrived and then Zafta, our group was complete.

We sat down to the seder and the food began to fly, all sorts of wonderous treat from homemade chicken soup with matzo balls to the fantastic desserts.

Everything was wonderful for the celebration was fantastic friends and family we’re together , not to be missed.

After a few hours of good food good friends and family laughter and warm it was time to make care packages and everyone head home.

then came the really fun part, cleaning up. Haha. We did say that next year we should hire someone to help serveand clean up, so we said it again this year, let’s see if we remember!

After that, it was stories and bed time, trying to keep your eyes open and then zzzzz!

I wish each and everyone celebrating a happy and healthy pesach!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover

The morning started about 7:15am, but I wasn’t quite ready to get up, so I lounged for about, oh…twenty minutes, ha, then it was time to get up.

I walked upstairs to the sounds of Frozen, of course, EJS got the DVD last night and then went to bed, I bet she woke up singing! There was breakfast and then all of a sudden it was time to get showered and dressed and head to the mall for the big birthday party!

EJS started selecting what she wanted to do for birthday parties when she turned five. She still loves the family/friend/neighbor gatherings, but she was ready for the big time. Five took us to a gymnastics studio, six took us to a dance party at a gym and this year was Build-A-Bear for 18 kids ranging from 3 to 7, wow!

We got there early to let EJS pick out the different types of animals for everyone to choose and the accessories they could select. While she was doing that, I took the party supplies to Sabarro at the other end of the mall. When I got back, ACS’s brother, JS and his wife AS and her nephew R were there waiting for us. Then the kids started to arrive, some siblings, some singles and almost all of the parents took the time to go run errands.

All the kids were great, they had their listening ears on and were all together. The girl who worked for Build A Bear was great, she kept the kids together and in line. My favorite part was when they had each finished stuffing their bear/dog/bunnies, they each got a heart and she gave them all these things to do: rub the heart in your hands so it will always be warm, hold the heart next to your ears so it will know your voice and your stories, hold the heart to your forehead so it will be as smart as you and after all the instructions, put it in the animal and then the folks that worked at Build A Bear closed the openings on the back and then back to the front of the store to get their accessory. They had a great time!

After Build A Bear, we headed to Sabarro for pizza, pasta, juice and brownies, and some singing of course! What a great party! After everyone went home, EJS went with Papa and LaLa to the American Girl store and EJS got her first AG doll, Julia with a matching outfit for them both! What a lucky girl!

Back to the house to prep for the evening’s activities. While we were setting up, EJS and I made her first batch of chocolate chip cookies with her Easy Bake Oven!

Then people began to arrive, everyone who was there had someone in their family with a March birthday! EJS, of course, neighbor across the street, COF and her daughter, JF, then the S family down the street, their daughter B is going to be 11 soon, SR is going to have a birthday in a few weeks and his twins S&E turned 3 on the same day as COF, we even took a picture with all the March birthdays, too cool!

We had brunch for dinner. Bagels, lox and cream cheese, whitefish salad, cheese and crackers, I even got some vegan cream cheese and sliced cheese for me and anyone interested, baked french toast and then here come the neighbors and the food! quiches and salads, fruit salad, desserts, everything was absolutely delicious!

We played, we laughed, we told stories, we sang happy birthday, there were presents to be opened and everyone was up way past their bedtimes.

Oh! When EJS was brushing her teeth, she lost one! Put it right in her toothfairy pillow I made her when she was losing her first tooth and then before bed wrote the toothfairy a note, put that under her pillow with the toothfairy pillow and it was lights out.

Here I sit writing to you, getting tired, wondering where the energy the kids had at almost 9pm came from because I know how to wear me out and on that note, I bid you a fond farewell and a great night!