Life gets in the way

Sooo, we started off this blog with a bang, on Sept. 11th of all days. And then...? Well, life got in the way. Here in the Cason household, we've gone through a bout of the flu (Walker, Emma, Morgan, Laura, and Bailey have all had it to one degree or another, now it's Dad's turn). All the while, Christi and I have been shopping online for a used car to replace the one recently totalled. This on top of the normal daily routine of Christi getting 10 of the kids out the door every morning to 4 different schools (I help a bit, but Christi is a blur and makes me look like I'm standing still), laundry, feeding the 4 littles still left at home, and a myriad of stuff I try hard not to think about (it would make my eyes bleed to think about the finances she juggles). Christi is also planning to go to her 20-year high school renunion in San Diego, so she's busy plotting the getaway with her sister. I'm so happy for her because she deserves a break for a couple of days. She's been in touch with a few of her old school friends on Facebook and she's looking forward to it.
The kids are fully in the swing of school now, with 5 of them in one band program or another and just the usual to and fro. Chad is driving himself to class everyday and Dalton is chomping at the bit waiting for his Aunt to get a new car so he can buy her old one. Austin is doing double duty with both marching band and jazz band, he plays the Euphonium (Yeah, I'd never heard of it either until Dalton and Austin started playing them) in the former and the trumpet in the latter. Gage also plays the Euphonium in the middle school band while Bailey plays the valve trombone. Even Kaylee is in the swing having started the clarinet in the 5th grade band program. I guess they got their musical abilities from Christi's side somewhere, because it sure didn't come from MY genetics. When I was in the service, a friend tried bravely to teach me to play the guitar, but he soon pointed out that maybe I should keep my day job.
That's pretty much my excuse for not posting for a week. It's not much, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

We remember.

On this night of September 11th, having watched the various memorials on the news and hearing about it all day on the radio, Christi and I sit here tonight and thank God for our blessings and all that he has given us. Not material things, but the love of our children and each other and the safety and security of living in this great nation. The men and women who work to keep us safe from harm, should always be remembered, but especially on this day when we remember the almost 3000 that were taken from us on that day eight years ago. The innocent folks who were just going about their business in the WTC and the Pentagon, the travelers who boarded those 4 planes on their way home, or on business trips or maybe even a vacation. The heroes who, after the planes hit, went rushing in to save anyone they could. As you remember those souls whose deaths came on that September day, spare a thought for the later victims. Those who dug out the remains of the trade center, all the while breathing in the toxic dust that was created by the burning of the Towers. Many of the workers who unearthed all those bodies are now facing their own deaths from a myriad of conditions all related to their work at ground zero. Include them in your prayers and remembrances along with the men and women who protect us still today, at home and abroad. God bless our troops, the victims, their families and most of all, God bless America!