reflections in the mirror

It is hard to believe that 5 years has passed since that horrific day. I didnt know anyone who died that day…but the pain of knowing that so many were lost that day, is still fresh. We see little things, old pictures of the New York skyline, pictures from that day, and the memories come flooding back. I asked for the honor of remembering a victim from that day, and I was given the honor of remembering Daniela. I think it is important, that we all remember. There is a saying, I dont know who said it, but it is so important…”Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” We must never, never forget.

“Daniela Notaro was a receptionist and secretary with Carr Futures and worked on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center in a job she held for about five years. She lived with her parents in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and had an older sister, Rosaria, and a boyfriend of several years.

“She was full of life,” said her father, Carlo Notaro. “It was a very simple, normal, peaceful and joyful life.” Ms. Notaro, 25, took a vacation in August to the Bahamas, and her favorite holiday was Christmas. “She would wrap gifts for friends, for everybody in the family,” he said.

And she was a perfectionist, particularly at the office, where her good manners and character made her a valuable worker. “She used to like to go to work,” her father said. “Every morning she would get up very early, and never be late. If she would be late, maybe she would’ve saved herself.

“But she was never late. They took my life away.”

I spent a good part of this past week, looking through different sites, to learn more about Daniela. Notes such as the following, make Daniela more than just a name or a picture, she was a real person, who touched the lives of those who came in contact with her.

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It is a shame that this had to happen to you. We never had a conversation, but our faces were familiar to each other, so the day never ended without a quick smile to each other. We went to high school together and i remember your bangs and red lipstick the most. Well, just wanted to say you are in my thoughts as well as the others who lost their lives that day. May you rest in peace.

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Already a year has gone by, and you still touch me the way you used to. Your smile, Your laughter, Your Aura always brought brightness to my life and everyone who surrounded you. You are a very unique and special person which made you worth more than words can say. I am sad that you are not here with us anymore but I am happy that you were part of my life at one time. A piece of my heart will always belong to you and no one can take that away.

Love,Stooky

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Daniela was a sweet and beautiful girl. She always had a smile on her face. She was the type of person who wanted her family and friends to be close to her, and would often suggest small get togethers. Daniela would also be comical on family videos, which looking at them now reminds me of what a good person she was. I will miss her.

Your Cousin
Anna

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Many more tributes to Daniela can be found here.

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Ah, what a week. I have tried to keep to my “schedule”, and though I have not gotten some things done, I have accomplished others. So for todays Thursday Thirteen

What have I moved…

1. Food Storage. We got new shelving for our food storage and I have moved most of the cans to the house

2. My Closet. At the apartment we have walkin closets, which is good, as we do not have any storage. So, getting into my closet, is sometimes an adventure in itself…but this week, I actually found the floor, and the back wall.

3. From Youngest room. Toys. Not all of them, just some to give him something to do, when we are at the house. He has actually been very helpful…though at times his running around the house is a bit much

4. From Eldest’s room. Clothes, books, bookshelves and other non-essential items. I think we have worked out the “cat problem”. As none of my cats can go outside, and the doors will be open most of the day of the move, I have decided that Eldests room should be moved before the actually move date. We will put most everything in her room, leaving the bedding as it is now, so that the cats can be put into the room and the door shut, and they will be able to be left without to much stress.

5. Coat closet. This probably was the easiest part of the move. There isnt much in the closet except the coats, some boots, and tents. This took about an hour and I feel like I actually accomplished something.

6. Holiday decorations. I have boxes and boxes of decorations. At times I have had to find new places to put things after the holidays are over. Some of the stuff is under Youngests bed, some in the laundry room…I am just happy to have it all in one place.

7. Clothes. It is amazing how much clothing we had in our apartment. At this time we have moved about 15 boxes/bags/plastic containers of clothes to the house. At this point we have also brought 11 bags to GoodWill, Salvation Army, and a local church thrift shop.

8. Some craft stuff. I brought at least 5 plastic containers of fabric (I really need to get sewing) Cross-stitch kits, yarn (2 containers, and a bag), and a box of odds and ends.

9. Books. I have a large set of shelves in my current livingroom. I designed them, just for this apartment, which means that they are 8 foot tall (I have 9 foot ceilings at the apartment) and I will not be able to use them in the house, unless I have them “altered” to fit into the house

10. fragile stuff. Today, my goal is to bring over the breakable things that I dont let anyone but myself move. I figure that if I were to drop a box or if something were to break, I can only be mad at myself.

11. Patio chairs and table. I think that it is about time for me to get some of the stuff off the porch, so they will also go over today

12.Junk. We have some stuff that I am not ready to go through yet. Mostly because of the time it would take to go through the stuff. So, it will have to wait till I get settled some more time

13. Lastly, I rewarded myself yesterday. I said that if I moved all the holiday decorations, and the stuff in the coat closet, that I could put together the Dinningroom Table. I now have a room that actually looks like a room

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I dont intend to post what I do every day of this move, but this post is needed for several reasons.

I look around and see so much I have yet to do. And yet, if you go to the basement of the house, it seems like I have moved so much. It is going to rain today, I am going to get some things ready to move on Thursday. I also need to get more “supplies”, boxes from the market, and some more crates. If I can get the coat closet, and the holiday decorations done, I might reward myself by putting the dinningroom table together. I also have the TV thingy to put together.

I made the phone calls yesterday, to get the services put in my name for the house. We plan to be out of the apartment by the 23rd, which will give me time to clean the apartment before handing over the keys.

We did find something yesterday, that was totally unexpected. We moved a book shelf out of Eldests room and behind it we found a fairly large spot where the wall is damaged by water. The only thing I can figure, is that there is a problem with the siding on the outside of the building and that the water has rotted the wall. I will call management tomorrow, as I do not want them to blame this on me. They have a bad habit of doing that sort of thing.

I have been sitting here for about 45 minutes, in complete shock and disbelief. I turned on the TV and went directly to Animal Planet. Just after that I saw the black screen with Steve Irwins name on it, and the dates 1962-2006.

I have always loved watching Steve Irwins programs and it is so sad to hear of his passing. Animal Planet has a wonderful tribute to Steve Irwin and the work that he has done. My prayers are with his wife, Terri and his children, Bindi and Bob tonight.

I do not like moving, I know I am not alone. When we move, we take about a month to do so. First moving non-essential things working up to the furnature, which is the last to go. Fortunately, I have not moved very far, each time I have moved, so I can take my time.

So, last night, we made two trips to the new house, starting with things like clothes that we dont need now, and stuffed animals that will not be missed. Most of our closets are full of stuff we havent seen in a while, so half the stuff, we also can throw out.

New moves, for me at least, usually mean, that we can get a couple new things. So last night, I went through the fliers, and checked online for a few things that I would like to get. The things I wanted, I was able to find at some really good deals. We have hard wood floors in the entire house, so I looked for rugs that I could use in some of the rooms. I also found a great looking (at a really great price) Dinning room table and chairs. My Youngest will not be able to keep his bunk bed, as it is to high, and the ceilings are lower, so we checked on a bed for him. We did find the bed that he would like, but will have to wait till the end of the week to get it, as they dont have it in stock.

Finally, we will not be able to use our 8 foot high shelves that I designed. I am not sure what I am going to do with them at this point, but I will see what I can do, when we figure out how much room we have once the move is over. So… I got a nice TV stand, for the livingroom.

So, for now we are going to keep packing and shuttling the boxes and plastic containers over to the new house.

This evening, my family will be getting the keys to the house! I drove by the house today to take a picture of it so I could show everyone.

An now begins the move. My Eldest is already trying to find a way to get out cleaning her closet.

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!!! Happy Dance !!!

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The last couple days I have been begging pleading with the lady, who owns the first house (not the one I took the picture of). Two days ago, she called me to see if I had found a place yet. I had not and she was a little stand-offish, but I let her know that I do have the money to pay the rent, that I have no debt. So after verifying that I did infact have the money that I said that I did, I was finally able to convince her that I infact could afford to rent the house from her and that I would not be a “risk.”

Tomorrow, the whole family gets to meet her and see the house (good thing they trust me), I give her money and she gives me keys! Yeah!

Thank you, everyone (you know who you are!) for the prayers.

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!!! Happy Dance !!!

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now to fill boxes and plastic containers with everything we own…but we are one step closer to getting outa here!