Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2005, during Mattie's third birthday party. That year he had a Blue's Clues themed party. For the first several years, I had specially designed cakes made for Mattie's birthday (to reflect the theme) at a bakery in Silver Spring. It was a journey for Mattie and I to go and pick up these cakes, but it always signaled that his party was coming! That year, I designed a Blue's Clues treasure hunt game that everyone had a great time participating in! It was also the year I hired a magician to entertain the kids. The magician was a George Washington University student and he even brought his pet bunny, for the magic show, but also for the kids to pet and experience.
Quote of the day: Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest. ~ Debra Ginsberg
Last night at 12:45am, we were awoken out of a deep sleep to the sound of a fire alarm. It was startling and there was an intercom in the room directing us to get out. We literally gathered ourselves and opened the door (after Peter checked the door for heat, and looked out the security hole in the door to see if there was fire) to our room and we located the staircase down. Several of our hall mates were also leaving but some said they were calling the front desk to see if they had to leave their room. One woman told me that the front desk said that the issue was a false alarm in a garage. That made no sense to me, so we proceeded out.
Once we walked down six flights of stairs and vacated the building, guests seemed confused and didn't know what to do. Peter literally led all of us to the front of the hotel in order to check in with the front desk for information and updates. So a pack of people were following us. The front desk reported that a smoke detector went off in a guest room, but that everything was fine to go back to our rooms. So which is it.... a false alarm in a garage or a problem in a guest room? Peter asked her how do we take the stairs back up to the guest rooms, because with hundreds of people standing around the elevators were going to be full. Literally she had NO answer for us, she didn't know where the stairs were. Again Peter found them and again a group of people followed us up the stair case. When we got up six flights of stairs, I literally found our next door neighbor now in the hallway. She asked me if she had to leave her room because she had a baby sleeping? Honestly! There is an emergency and you have a baby and you are wondering what to do? Fortunately she was lucky this was a false alarm otherwise she and her family would have been in real danger.
The hotel's management of this potential issue was POOR, and the sad part is a similar incident happened to me years ago when I stayed at this hotel with my parents and Mattie. That false alarm happened at 9pm. So to me this happening twice indicates to me a PROBLEM. What I do know is I am NEVER returning to this property again because to me it has many issues and is managed poorly.
The tour we took today truly did not cover any of Ft. Lauderdale's history. Which is a shame. They focused on homes and yachts. Which is also fine, but at the fast pace they covered them, I can honestly say I don't know much about most of the manisons much less who they belong to! I know the guide rambled through homes now or formerly occupied by Burt Reynolds, Nick Nolte, Gloria Vanderbilt, car dealer Mike Maroone, hot dog impresario Oscar Mayer, Sen. Herb Kohl, the Wisconsin Democrat and heir to the Kohl's department store fortune, and members of the Anheuser-Busch family, makers of Budweiser.
Huizenga repeated his business success with Blockbuster Video, acquiring a handful of stores in 1987, and becoming the country's leading movie rental chain by 1994. Eventually, he would also build and acquire auto dealerships, from which in 1996 he formed AutoNation, which has become the nation's largest automotive dealer and a Fortune 500 company, and remains his most recent major business venture.
1 comment:
Vicki, you are an amazing tour guide. While I am only reading what you have seen, I often feel a little part of your adventure. I certainly learn a lot. If I were wealthy, I would not put my money into purchasing things. Things don't make us happy nor do they give a feeling of accomplishment. i will never be monetarily wealthy so Indont need to mull over what I would do.
Your birthday planning for Mattie was wonderful each year. I feel certain he & his buddies had great fun. I loved your birthday picture of Mattie,
Your quote will leave me pondering as I often do about loving someone. I do believe our greatest love is for our child or children. It is a different kind of love than we have for our spouse which is also very special. But with our child, we love so unconditionally and without any expectation! That kind of love leaves our hearts open to pain that is incomprehensible. Whether, we admit it or not, every parent fears something happening to their beloved child even if it is only on a subconscious level. For parents who loose a child to cancer, their fear becomes a reality. The unconditional love for your child never goes away but all the joy, hope for the future goes away. It is all so unfair.
I love the memorial, you made for Mattie on the beach. Thinking of you & Peter
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