What I will remember...

I'm at a loss of words right now.  My heart is aching.  I have spent the last 3 days bursting into tears for no apparent reason. I have had to have conversations with my children over the last few days that I shouldn't be having with them at their tender ages.  I have to teach my children that being brave is going forward when you are scared.  "It's not bravery if you're not scared".  I dropped my kids off at school this morning and cried all the way to work.  For the first time in my life, I'd rather be a coward.  I want to be a coward.  I want to hide my children in GoodTwinLand forever.  I know I owe them better than that. So I mustered every last ounce of courage I have and I sent my children to school today.

Again, I have no words.  Only prayers.  And my promise that this is what I will remember:

Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)
Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)
Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)
Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)
Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)
Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)
Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)
Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)
Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)
James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)
Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)
Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)
Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)

Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)

Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)

Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)

Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)

Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)

Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)

Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)

Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)

Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)

Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)

Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)

Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)

Just as I remember:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266466,00.html

And I remember:

http://acolumbinesite.com/victim/memoriam.html

The Perfect Christmas Tree: Part III

We had an artificial Christmas tree when I was growing up.  It was perfect! It was the perfect size at 7 ft tall. It was perfectly shaped like a beautiful green, upside down ice cream cone!  Every year my brother and I enjoyed every minute of decorating our perfect tree, right down to the angel on top! Oh, how we would squeal with delight, imagining all the presents that would soon cover the space beneath the tree!  We would bask in the memories that each ornament held as we placed them on our beloved tree!  I have such wonderful memories of decorating our perfect Christmas tree with my family!

You can imagine my excitement when I purchased the Christmas tree that my daughter would grow up with! She was 16 months old and I selected a beautifully shaped, 7 ft tall, pre-lit tree!  I was beyond excited as we set up the tree and began decorating.  My beautiful baby girl marveled at this tall tree with all the sparkly lights! It was a great evening! As I regaled my parents with the story of how I got such a great pre-lit tree for such a great price, my mother commented:

Ma:  That’s not a great deal, I got our tree for $20!!!!

Me: Yaw, back in like 1980! Plus, mine is pre-lit! I don’t have to deal with lights.

Ma: Ours is just as pretty and only cost us $20!!!!

Dad: that’s because the tree was hot!

Me: (whipping my head around to face Dad) WHAT??

Dad: yeah, you didn’t know that? Remember the day she came home all excited about how she got this great tree for $20? From some guy selling stuff out of his VW micro-bus in the parking lot of the Dart Drug?

Ma: It wasn’t hot, I paid for it!

Dad: yeah, and do you think THEY paid for the tree? Don’t think so!

Me: (total shock and disbelief) Christmas was hot!?!

Demon hEX: hey Maria, did they charge you sales tax on that?

Me: Christmas was hot!?!

Dad: not all of it Sweets, just the tree!

*can open, worms everywhere*

Now, without further adieu, I’d like to share with you the perfect Christmas Tree of 2012! A perfectly shaped, wonderfully smelling Frasier Fur, lovingly selected by CW, and beautifully decorated by Minions 1 and 2! 

The Perfect Christmas Tree 2012

*please note the farm owner received full proceeds for the exchange of this tree*


 

Why I should never be left to my own devices

So the Evil Twin is serving jury duty today.  CW is in meetings about some stupid server thingy.  I’ve been left to my own devices.

I ordered the new Nook HD the other day!! *whoohooo*  I haven’t liked any of the covers for the Nook HD.  The one I could live with, ET vetoed as it has a bird on it.

 

Clearly, she was not impressed by the pretty purple and the castle on the front.  
 



I love her anyway!  

CW is upset.  Apparently the Nook HD was going to be my Christmas present and I accidentally beat him to the punch.

Having no one to play with today, I was on the B&N website looking for Nook HD covers when I found this one:

SCORE!!!!! I like it!! DOUBLE SCORE, I have a B&N 20% off coupon!  I had to order it quick, before the Evil Twin gets out of court and vetoes this!  When I got the confirmation for my purchase, I noticed this:

₠ Suitable for NOOK HD+ only

Frack!! I bought the Nook HD, not the Nook HD+! Now I have to return this cover and continue the exhausting search.  I blame CW for my naked Nook HD.  He’s been too busy trying to find a Christmas present for me to be any help with the Nook HD cover quest. *note, how can I make the Nook HD cover quest into a video game ‘cause that would be cool*

Having decided that the planets are not in proper alignment for me to do any shopping today, there wasn't much left to do but work.  I was happily typing away at my desk when I heard a very low, rather sinister voice saying “Good Twin” hiss hiss “Good Twin”.  It kind of sounded like the voice in the Ghostbusters movie when the pencil neck geek shuts down the ghost capacitor and all the ghosts escaped into New York City.  So I’m frantically searching all over my area trying to find the source of the evil voice when my eyes fall on Gus

Gus is my little squirrel that my wonderful Beach Lady friend gave to me to help me get over my fear of squirrels.  She probably shouldn't have left him on my chair.  Imagine pulling your chair out to take a seat and finding something that terrifies you waiting...patiently.  I was chuckling over my first meeting with Gus when suddenly, his furry little mouth started moving “Good Twin, Good Twin”.  This is very weird as Gus has never spoken to me before.

Me: Gus, this is very weird.  You’ve never spoken to me before.

Gus: Good Twin
Me: That's my name, don't wear it out!
Gus: Gooooooood Twwwwwiiiiiiiinnnnnn

Me: Don’t you have anything else to say?

Gus: Good Twin

Me: Do you want a cookie?  It’s got peanuts in it!

Gus: Good Twin

Me: Well, if that’s all you are going to say then I’m not speaking to you anymore!

Mail guy from 3 (here to deliver my mail): Ummm...Good Twin…who are you talking to?

(I’m expecting a call from HR any minute)

I blame the Evil Twin.  If she wasn't off doing her civic duty, she would be entertaining me and I wouldn't notice any voices outside of my head. Besides, anything that involves furry creatures talking to me has to be her doing anyway.

And yes, that is a flying monkey back there.  His name is Chopper.  He likes to sik balls.