Ten Years Ago.

Ten years. I can hardly believe that it has been ten years. That day is so firmly entrenched in memory, in excruciating detail, that it's almost impossible to think that a decade has passed.

It's hard for me to think about today's anniversary. Every year is difficult, but the "10 Years" label has been especially poignant. Part of it is the realization that my children will never know the innocence of the pre-9/11 world. Part of it is knowing that there are still those out there that wish to harm our country. Most of it is inexplicable. The anniversary brings out its usual swirl of emotions; they are all just particularly sharp today.

I haven't watched any of the documentaries or specials about the anniversary of the attacks. I haven't wanted to. I can't. But today, as part of my reflection and my healing process, I plan to watch one with my children. Up until now, I have never spoken to them about it. I know it's an important historical event, but I have wanted to shield them from it. I never wanted them to come away from a conversation about it feeling unsafe. But I think it's time.

I think it's time for them to hear about the heroes in the New York Police Department and Fire Department. It's time for them to learn about the brave men and women on Flight 93, who probably saved their mother's life. It's time for them to learn about the feeling our country had in the days and weeks following the attacks - a time of togetherness, cooperation, and spirit that I never thought I'd see.

I hope that passing along my memory of September 11, 2001 to my children will bring about some understanding for them, and a degree of closure for me. I want this day to not only be about mourning lives lost. Today is a day to celebrate heroism and be proud to be an American.

For my account of the events that took place on that Tuesday, click here.

Justice

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children."

Last night was a typical Sunday night for me. Ten o'clock rolled around and I headed upstairs to bed. And, as per usual, I checked my Twitter account one more time before I settled into sleep. I started reading tweets about President Obama addressing the nation about a 'national security issue' imminently. And it wasn't about Khadafi. My heart started to pound - I was nervous. But why?

I turned on Wolf Blitzer on CNN and watched as the various journalists discussed what the information to be shared could possibly be. They were very careful at first to preface their statements with the 'unconfirmed' label. But finally, John King stopped all the tapdancing around the subject: Osama bin Laden is dead.

As I sat in my bed, alone in a quiet house, I surprised myself. I wept. Uncontrollably. It was a shock to me how many emotions were swirling around in my head and heart. Here we are, almost ten years later and I'm significantly removed from my old life in Washington, DC - geographically and substantively; literally and figuratively. It was jarring how much it still affected me. I felt like I had had a weight on my chest for ten years that I didn't even know about. And it had finally been lifted.

The death of Osama bin Laden will never bring back the 3,000 Americans that perished on September 11, 2001 of course. But, I truly hope that their families will feel some small bit of justice and possibly closure due to this triumph. The United States military and our allies around the world have lost brave men and women in this fight, and although we will always mourn their loss, perhaps their families can take some comfort in the fact that their sacrifice was not in vain.

It's been a painful ten years. Sure, we've all moved on. We had to. We've gone about our lives; marrying, working, having children. We've tucked September 11th in the back of our mind and threw ourselves into the healing process. But, we have never forgotten. The news of the death of bin Laden conjures images of the most painful day in our national psyche. But it also brings with it the ability for us to close the chapter. Now, with a small measure of relief, and an indelible vigilance that was born on 9/11, we can start to look forward toward the future.

"Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Get Well Soon, Stu!

Stuart Holden, midfielder for the United States Men's National Team and Bolton Wanderers sustained a pretty serious injury during the match Saturday with my Manchester United. Unfortunately, he will be unable to play football for six months after a tackle by United's Jonny Evans (who saw a red card and was ejected from the match.)

I am an enormous fan of Stu Holden, and he won't be able to contribute to the USMNT's campaign for the Gold Cup. I am gutted for Stu, but I know I speak for all of my fellow United supporters in wishing Stu the best, and the speediest possible recovery.

Love you, Stu!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I reflect today (before I start my patriotic duty of overeating), I feel very, very lucky that it takes as long as it does for me to count my blessings.

I thank God for:

• My family. Those people who have known my my entire life and helped me become the woman I am today. My amazing husband, who has stuck by me through thick and thin for close to 14 years, who is my best friend and partner in crime. My beautiful boys who are my entire world, and who make my life sparkle.

• My friends. My old friends. My new friends. My Twitter friends. I love each and everyone of you, and my world wouldn't be the same without all of you to love.

• Our home. It might not be the biggest house in town, and there are some projects around here that need doing, but we have nice warm beds to sleep in, a snuggly couch to watch movies together, and a stocked up kitchen to keep our bellies full. Some people definitely don't have it as easy, and thank God for our house.

• Work. In this economy, there are many, many families who have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. I am so grateful for my husband's job. Yes, he works crazy hours, and sometimes misses some of the fun stuff the boys are doing, but he has a job that puts food on our table and clothing on our backs.

• Strength and health. The boys are healthy! They both must wear glasses, but if that is the most of my worries, I am quite lucky!! So many parents and children must struggle with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities, and I am in awe of their strength. And speaking of strength, I am so blessed that God gave me a certain amount of strength during some crazy times...the strength to deal with my arthritis -- live with it for 20 years now, and keep on truckin'...the strength to have a stroke at a young age but persevere through it and continue on without a scratch.

• Last but not least, I'm thankful for a little football club up in the North of England that provides us with drama, entertainment, and passion for the entire family...! :)
  

I have so many, many blessings in my life. I am truly thankful for every little bit of my life. Thank you, Lord! :)

Palace Baltimore -

I am consistently bemoaning the fact that the United States lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to support of football. Soccer. (We even call it the wrong name.) And although my heart and my family's belong to the mighty Manchester United, we try to support our local teams, if only to offer our patronage and encouragement to growing the sport here in this country.

Of late, we've been attending Crystal Palace Baltimore matches. CPB is a small, professional soccer team that competes in the United States Soccer Federation's 2nd Division. It's a really fun club to watch, and while not on par with the skill & talent level of United, it's a great way for the boys to get to watch live football. It's also a small enough club that they are able to go meet the players and get their autographs after home matches.

CPB is the sister club of the English Crystal Palace Football Club. Unfortunately, we are now hearing that the American club is facing the same financial problems as its UK counterpart. However, here, the club's problems lie with their lack of support. They don't have very many fans, and they don't even have their own stadium. And, as CPB was only founded in 2006, they don't have the history of their sister club, nor the deep bond with the fans they do have. I find this situation to be very sad...although my family has only been to two matches so far, both of the boys loved every minute. Especially the Big Guy. It is simply amazing how moved and inspired he was when he watched live football. It is safe to say that it solidified his love for the sport and his passion for the beautiful game. Between his loyalty to United, and seeing football played "in real life" right before his eyes, there is no doubt that he will be a lifelong football enthusiast.

And that's what makes the woes of CPB even more regrettable and disheartening. It feels as though they weren't even given the tools or the opportunity to succeed. All I can do is continue to give my family's support for the club, and desperately hope for some miracle to turn things around for CPB, like the happy ending that arrived in Selhurst Park.

Landycakes!

“Most of us are in this more than just for playing soccer. We're in it for the bigger goal: to move it along for the next generation.” --Landon Donovan

Something very exciting happened today!! This weekend, Big Guy decided that he wanted to be Landon Donovan for Halloween. Now we all know that this family eats, sleeps and breathes Manchester United, but dressing as Landon is very timely because of the World Cup this year, and there's nothing wrong with expressing a little patriotism in your Halloween costume! :)

On Twitter today, I tweeted to Landon Donovan that my son was going to be him for Halloween. It was on a whim, and not expected to really go anywhere. My tweets are 'protected' which means no one who isn't following me can see them. And if fellow tweeters want to follow me, I have to accept them (a la Facebook). My friend Robin thought it was cute and she retweeted my comment. And then the craziest thing happened. Landon. Donovan. Replied!!!

He made a joke about the costume, and making sure that the accompanying wig would have plenty of hair. I, of course, immediately started freaking out..."fan girl-ing" squealing, jumping around, the whole bit. Now I can't WAIT for Big Guy to get home from school to show him. Eeeeeeee!!!! :)

We Will Never Forget. September 11, 2001

Where were you nine years ago today? Take some time today to reflect and remember those brave and innocent Americans who were affected by the tragedies of September 11, 2001.

Nine years ago today, I was working as a legislative aide for a United States Senator. I was driving to work, and the only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was the weather. That particular Tuesday was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining grandly, but it wasn’t too hot. It was a positively glorious autumn morning.

I pulled into the parking lot of the Senate Office Building where I worked, and I heard on the news radio station I was listening to in the car that someone had flown a plane in to one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I simply thought, “Some idiot with a Cessna who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I hope not too many people are hurt.”

I walked into my office, and turn on the television. All legislative staff in the Senate offices have their own TVs to keep an eye on proceedings on the Senate floor. Everyone watched as the second plane flew directly into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.

No one knew what was going on. Everyone was panicking on the inside, but we were all trying to keep it together on the outside. Our supervisor called us into the conference room for our normal morning staff meeting. She said, “I know everyone is upset and confused. But we need to stay focused.” As our Senator was on the Armed Services Committee, we had a National Security team, comprised of three staffers. She said that those three could watch the developments on the news, but the rest of us had to watch the floor, as per usual. Especially me, as the Senators were debating an Appropriations bill for the Commerce, Justice and State Departments, which I was covering.

After the meeting, we returned to our offices. At 9:37, as I was diligently watching the floor business, all the Senators and staff vacated the Senate floor. We heard that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. My Chief of Staff came in to my office and said, “Get out NOW. The Senator wants everyone OUT.” I protested, “What about the CJS Approps bill!??” Looking back now, that was incredibly silly, but we were all losing it at that point.

What we didn’t know then was that Flight 93 had already been hijacked, reversed course, and was barreling its way back to Washington, DC with the United States Capitol as it's intended target.

I quickly dialed my husband, who had worked a late shift the night prior and was sleeping. “We’re under attack.” I told him, and the line went dead.

Luckily, our Senator had the foresight to evacuate us before the formal evacuation orders came from Capitol Police. Because of that, those of us that lived outside of DC were able to leave the city before they started closing roads down.

I got to my car, and tried to call my husband again on my cell phone. It took me a few tries, but I got through to him. I told him what was going on, and that I was coming home. By this time, he knew what was going on because he’d seen the news. While I was talking to him, there was a loud BOOM! I said, “What was that??” And my cell phone went dead. They had closed down the cell towers in the city. My poor husband didn’t hear from me again for another two hours, and he didn’t know what was happening or if I was okay. We never did find out what that noise was…the fighter jets scrambling, an explosion at the Pentagon, who knows…

During my interminable ride home, the radio was crazed with rumors. There was a car bomb at the State Department; the White House was under attack, etc. I also heard as the Towers of the World Trade Center fell to the ground. And when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania. When I finally made it home, my husband hugged me and left…the city’s entire police department had been called in.

I sat glued to the television for the next eight or so hours. There were many times I felt I couldn’t breathe. It was all so surreal, so impossibly frightening. Silly as it sounds, I kept thinking back to the ‘80s movie “Red Dawn.” It was so implausible because no one could ever touch us, as we were safely entrenched behind American borders. And yet, here this all was happening to us. It was like a nightmare.

Needless to say, it was a day that will live forever in the hearts and minds of everyone who was touched by September 11^th in any way. And today, we take time to remember all of those who were lost in those cowardly, horrific attacks on our beloved country. I also like to think that they are looking down on us, proud of how our nation kept moving. Proud of how determined we were and still are to not let them break us. Proud of how we all stood together and proclaimed our love for this great American nation. Proud of how we vowed to never forget.

Soccer Scorn

"Soccer, my friends, is not American. Why else do you think we lose? Whatever happened to American exceptionalism? When we start taking soccer seriously, it disappears. Am I the only that sees what's going on here? We're tying the rest of the world." --Glenn Beck

Say what? While these comments, (and many, many others by Mr. Beck et al) seem outrageous and preposterous to me, this is not an abnormal view of soccer by Americans. For example, I recently posted a video tribute to the Men's National Team on my Facebook page, and someone commented, "That's great. Now when will we win a cup?" In spite of all the progress soccer has made, and all the hard work our national team has done, there are still so many people out there that scorn the sport. They don't just 'not follow' it -- they actively hate it. Why?

There are so many theories out there on why Americans haven't taken to soccer. Some people find the game slow, not enough goals, they don't understand draws, find the rules confusing and so on. But those 'explanations' don't justify the out-and-out hostility some folks have toward the sport. Nobody ridicules a fan because hockey isn't as mainstream as baseball. Even golf has a level of respect greater than soccer in this country. Mystifying.

Personally, I think people like Mr. Beck, ESPN's Jim Rome and their ilk are so outspoken in their soccer-scorn because they are threatened by it. He basically came out and said so in his quote above -- "exceptionalism." Because you don't automatically come into a sport and kick ass and take names, it's stupid? Because you actually have to compete with the rest of the world, soccer must be communist? Because you actually have to work your way up to be the best and it's not given to you on a red, white, and blue platter, soccer should be mocked?

This is America, of course. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and to make it known (no matter how ludicrous). But these hateful, foolish words about not only a sport, but those other Americans who love it, only demonstrate how out-of-touch these people are. Is it not American to work as hard as you can to achieve the improbable? It's a shame - not only do they misunderstand soccer, but they obviously misunderstand the American dream.

Happy 4th of July!

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. --John F. Kennedy

Okay, okay, I know I see everything through "soccer-colored glasses." But, on this particular 4th of July there is no better example of what it means to be an American than our Men's National soccer team.

As an American, the ideals I associate with our great country are: Passion. Bravery. Perseverance. Grit. Spirit. We, as Americans, pride ourselves on the fact that we stand up for ourselves, and we love to accomplish the impossible. While Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and the others might not have achieved everything they set out to do, they certainly embodied the American spirit to a tee. Their integrity and honor shows us all how to be the best Americans we can be. Stars and Stripes Forever!

Lesson Learned

It's pretty safe to say that the middle two weeks of June were a pretty crappy time for me...Little Guy had his surgery on June 11, and for two weeks was not only in constant pain, but stuck inside recovering when he should have been out enjoying the first two weeks of summer. At the end of our two weeks in quarantine, the United States Men's National Team was knocked out of the World Cup. By Ghana. Again.

Like I said, crappy two weeks. Awful to the Nth degree.

I spent Sunday in full stages-of-grief mode. I bemoaned the fact that Little Guy missed two birthday parties, the first session of swim lessons, and a trip to see Thomas the Tank Engine at the local railroad. I mourned the US team's loss to Ghana and their missed opportunities. I nursed the sting of loss. Luckily, before I spiraled out of control, Monday came.

Not traditionally anyone's favorite day, no one can argue that Monday is always the day for fresh starts. Little Guy started his first day of swim lessons! We opened our paddling pool, sandbox, and umbrella picnic table - we spent the entire day outside splashing and playing and picnic-ing. And I came to grips with our wonderful soccer team's loss. Those boys gave an entire country something to be proud of. They gave their all in every single match and played with undeniable heart and spirit. It was amazing the way they captured the love of the entire nation, even those Americans who aren't usually soccer fans. It was heart-warming the way the country continued to respect and be grateful to them even when they lost.

I guess the lesson of all this IS the lesson...every difficult time you go through teaches you something. With the Little Guy, we went through two incredibly tough weeks, but the happy ending we got was worth every minute. With our soccer team, we weren't lucky enough to get that happy ending. But, supporting them, seeing the country rally around them, and being awed by their courage, character, and never-say-die attitude -- I wouldn't have traded a minute of that for the world.

Everything happens for a reason, and whether you come out happier on the other side or not, you come out wiser and stronger nonetheless. Lesson learned.

Represent!

Once upon a time, there was a group of young men with a dream. Now, in spite of the fact that these boys worked very hard at being the best they could be, they met with doubters at almost every turn. They were dismissed, mocked, and worst yet, ignored. But these boys had a dream. And in the face of all the nay-sayers, these boys kept faith alive...

We've all long heard, "Americans can't play soccer." Or the infamous English newspaper headline, "E(ngland)-A(lgeria)-S(lovenia)-Y(anks)" Well, I think Team USA has proved one thing today all the detractors, in the United States and across the globe - YOU'RE WRONG. Today, not only did the United States win their game against Algeria, but we garnered enough points and goals throughout the past three matches that we won our group - for the first time since 1930. In the 91st minuted of the match, Landon Donovan scored the game-winning goal that advanced us to the next round of the World Cup.

"This team embodies what the American spirit is about," Donovan said. "We had a goal disallowed the other night. We had another good goal disallowed tonight. But we just keep going. And I think that's what people admire so much about Americans. And I'm damn proud."

You said it, Landon - the American spirit. We keep on keeping on. We keep driving, enduring, pursuing. Today, you are proud. We are proud of you. And we are all proud to be Americans.

Hijacked!!

Today, Team USA played Slovenia in the second round of the Group stages of the World Cup. The first half of the game, the United States looked about how pretty much the entire world perceives us. We looked sloppy, disorganized, and, to be frank, like we didn't belong in this tournament. We gave up two goals to Slovenia, and I'll bet everyone, fans and detractors alike, had written off the US's chances. But, whatever coach Bob Bradley said to the boys at half-time, or what they said to each other, must have hit home. The Yanks came out for the second half with their proverbial guns blazing.

It's a cliche, but this was definitely a story of two halves. Team USA played their hearts out after the half. Captain Landon Donovan scored an absolutely beautiful goal to put us right back in the game. Next, Michael Bradley, son of our manager, scored the equalizer. In the final minutes of the match, Maurice Edu volleyed a free kick from our Landy-cakes, and we took the match 3-2!! And that's the fairy-tale, comeback ending we deserved. Unfortunately, the match official, Koman Coulibaly, saw a penalty in the play and called the goal back. The final score was a 2-2 draw.

I could go on and on about how unfair this was. About how spot-on, penalty-free the goal actually was. But I've come to terms with it, I think (although we were CLEARLY robbed!). US Soccer Daily's blog has a pretty accurate description of what US fans felt today.

However, whether we gained 3 points or 1 today, the heart we showed in today's game was undeniable. People around the globe discount the United States when it comes to soccer, and I think today's match may just have them doing a little re-thinking. We still have a long way to go to catch up with countries whose football is a way of life and a national passion. But it's irrefutable that we are getting stronger every single year. We have the best team we've ever had and we're just going to get better. Never underestimate the power of the American spirit -- it can take us anywhere. Don't tread on me, baby!