I'm sure most of you know that any time spent in the car with a baby can be a disaster. So, it won't surprise you a bit when I say that last weekend we spent about 20 hours in the car with our dear madness, and she didn't like it one bit. She was pissed actually.
We drove home to Kansas. We were originally supposed to fly, but when the swine flu hit texas, we decided not to take a chance with that. (now of course they say it isn't such a big deal, but the day before we left almost every school in the metroplex was closed because of it). It was a long drive, filled with junk food and lots of stops for Maddie to stretch her legs. She slept a lot and totally screwed her sleeping schedule up. But it was worth it.
We got to spend some quality time with grandparents and great-grandparents and aunts and uncles. And a lot of extra, extended family that I didn't know. Kevin's grandparents, Leonard and Clara just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. What a milestone! We loved seeing our nephew/cousin, Jacob too. He and Maddie had a lot of fun playing together. They are both so cute!
On the way home we stopped in Oklahoma City. We don't usually drive, in fact, we haven't driven to Kansas in almost 3 years, so this was my opportunity to finally see the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. It is something that I always wanted to stop and see, but we just never made the time before.
The bombing happened so long ago, and I've seen the memorial several times in pictures, so I was surprised at how really saddening it was to be there. It was so.........quiet. And really peaceful. But it is impossible to ignore how scary it must have been that day. All of the people that died are symbolized by a chair on the lawn. It was sobering to see all of the empty chairs. And it has been a long time ago, but did you remember that there was a day care center in that building? There were 19 babies and kids that died. All of the children have chairs too, but they are smaller. It was really upsetting to see, especially as I was walking through with Maddie in my arms. My heart just ached. One of the most striking things to see was actually the fence. There is still a large portion of the original fence that went around the disaster site. People left flowers and notes and pictures on it. It still has fresh flowers and new pictures and notes. These people are still missed. I was young when the bombing happened, and I don't think I ever really appreciated the tragedy appropriately until now. I'm really glad we finally made the time.
Can you see me and maddie across the reflecting pool? The big black wall is one of a twin set. The other is at the opposite end of the pool. They are called the Gates of Time and depict the 2 minute window of time when the city was changed forever.
This is the only remaining wall from the building. It's called the Survivor Wall.
The chairs can be seen in this picture. If you look close, you can pick out some of the little chairs. The building used to stand on that lawn, and the Survivor wall is off camera to the left.
Anyway~ It was kind of a sad thing to see, but if you have the chance to stop in Oklahoma City, it is worth the detour.