My Ridealong

Now, maybe I'm not so modest when I say that I think I'm pretty hardcore for going on a ridealong with my husband. In an actual city. In the bad area of town. During the midnight shift. ON THE NIGHT THE POWER WENT OUT.

All that's true, but I wasn't scared or anything. Matt knows what he's doing, I have shot a gun before, etc. I cruised with Matt on a ten-hour shift and we barely had time to stop and take a bathroom break! (I'm pretty sure I was the only one that needed one, though.)

Anyway, these are some of my thoughts on my very (VERY!) eventful night.

1. Hm, why are kids up so late? Like, these are little kids. Running around. And it's late.

2. Uh, that guy just called my husband a "mofo." I'm feeling defensive...

3. Okay, it's 3:30 in the morning and there are a LOT of people at this gas station. And not many of them are getting gas. You couldn't pay me to get out of bed and hang out at 3:30 am.

4. Oh, this is fun. My husband must love getting to pat down a bunch of grown men who act like children. Such fun!

5. We are driving very fast and there are lights going and sirens blaring and my coffee is spilling and burning my leg. Ow, ow, ow. This better be worth it. Ow!

6. My husband doesn't get paid enough to deal with some of this crap.

7. My husband gets paid way too much. Look how much fun he's having!

8. How does he do this without coffee?!?!

Anyway, I had a good time and I got to wear a bulletproof vest. And I looked silly in it. Most importantly, I got to watch my husband do what he loves, and he's good at it. I came home with a new respect for him and what he goes through every night.

And then I passed out from sheer exhaustion.

Summer Goals

Once I settled into life post-grad school, I came up with a list of goals I wanted to accomplish by the end of the summer ("end of the summer" = end of August).

1. Finish 75% of summer reading list - I'm proud to say that I read about 7,500 pages! I still have books to read (remaining on the list, plus a bunch that we own that I want to read before we start having kids, plus a big long list of books I'll need to buy or borrow).

2. Make 30 new meals - I made 20 new meals, plus some yummy new desserts! And I think we liked everything I made.

3. Read through the New Testament - I made myself a schedule and read a few chapters each day, and I'm proud to say that this is one goal that I did not skimp on - completely accomplished!

4. Go on a ridealong with Matt - I so did this!!! Look forward to an upcoming post about this.

5. Finish wedding scrapbook - Our wedding scrapbook has sat half-done since we packed everything up and moved from our apartment to this house in February 2010. I hadn't been able to finish the scrapbooking (something about moving and working and finishing grad school!), but I buckled down and got it all done :)

This month, I'm looking forward to getting some projects done around the house. Before the end of the year, I'd like to get these goals accomplished:

1. Finish books from summer reading list.
2. Go through our keepsake boxes.
3. Make card packets (I'll explain later).
4. Reorganize all papers and recipes (new folders and labels! Exciting!).
5. Finish scrapbooks.

How I love lists!

9/11

A decade. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade.

Like everyone, I remember where I was on 9/11. It’s the tie that binds so many of us together, the shared confusion and heartache of that day.

On 9/11/2011, I was a sophomore in high school. I was walking into 2^nd period, Mr. Malinsky’s geometry class, when I noticed that the television was on and the class was watching the news.

“What happened?” I asked a classmate.

“A plane flew into the World Trade Center,” he replied.

Even at fifteen, I simply didn’t know what or where the World Trade Center was. My classmate told me that the buildings were in New York City, where I had visited less than a year before. I’m sure that at that point, I had no idea the seriousness of what had happened.

As more planes crashed, rumors flew. One rumor was that a plane was headed to Chicago. My mom had worked in downtown Chicago for years, and that day was no exception. I was anxious to call my mom during my lunch period, which was around 11:00. I used the pay phone in the cafeteria and called my mom’s work number. When she didn’t pick up, I tried to keep it together. I dialed my house number and my mom picked up. I breathed a sigh of relief as she said, “My building was evacuated right away, honey.”

I remember spending much of the afternoon sitting on our living room couch, watching news footage with my parents, who were not yet divorced at the time. I remember hugging my three younger brothers tightly that night.

Tuesday night was youth group night, and that particular Tuesday was no exception. My mom dropped me off and was invited to stay by our youth pastor, who said that many of the church members had gathered to pray together. My mom stated that she wanted to continue watching the news coverage but thanked him for the invitation. I remember that my eyes searched the parking lot for my boyfriend at the time; I was desperate for him to embrace me. As if that would stop the confusion or ease my aching heart.

I don’t remember what I prayed for that night at church. The families who had lost loved ones? The families who didn’t even know that they’d lost loved ones, and wouldn’t for days, some even weeks? Wisdom for our government? Safety for the workers? Shelter and food for those displaced?

As a fifteen-year-old girl, I probably didn’t think about a lot of those things. I was probably more worried about whether the high school would cancel the upcoming homecoming dance or whether the news would delay my favorite shows. This is embarrassing to admit, because it speaks volumes about my character and focus at the time.

But if the attacks happened today, instead of a decade ago, what would I, as a 25-year-old, pray?

I’d pray for hope. Hope for the hurting, hope for the helpless. I’d pray that every need was met and every displaced person would be sheltered and fed. I’d pray for my enemies, I’d pray for the lost, I’d pray for a brighter tomorrow for everyone. I’d pray for strength and peace for the devastated. I’d pray for God to relieve the ache from every burdened soul.

It’s what I should have been praying all along.

And every day.