Halloween Eve...

Okay, Okay so you may be saying Halloween Eve?! Well yes!!! When you grow up in New England, Halloween is a BIG Holiday! And in The Thorpe Home, we embrace every Holiday for a time to celebrate!!! Maybe next year, I will be ambitious enough to throw a party! Above are Our Pumpkins! 1 Pumpkin for each person in our family. Alan was a wannabe vampire, Brent's was a Spider, Savannah's was a Ladybug, (after the kids costumes this year) and mine was a T for Thorpe! Below is photos of our evening...

Aunty Christy & Uncle Chris came over...

We carved Pumpkins while watching Hocus Pocus! (A Culotta Fav')

The Kids Played... They got bored with pumpkins after 5 mins.

Our kids got Halloween Eve PJ's (differnet from Halloween day pjs).

Mommy got a New Camera...

After 4 years Our Sony Cybershot died! :(

So introducing our New Camera...

Nikon Coolpix L100 Black 10MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Zoom, 3" LCD

So with that said More Photos to finally come!!!

*911*

9-11 Is always so clear in my mind. What happened, Where I was and What I was doing.

I was 16 years old. I had gotten up like normal that morning. I remember it being a gorgeous crisp fall day. My Dad was commuting at this point, so he was down in PA. Mallory & David were at school. My Mom & Christy were at the Taunton Ice Rink. I had a routine down on the mornings I didn't have to work. I helped get everyone out the door. And then still in my pj's, I would go downstairs and make a mug of hot chocolate. I would then take my hot chocolate upstairs into my parents master bedroom, where I would watch The Today Show every morning. I always watched the news until about 10am and then I would start my schoolwork. (technology is amazing! This is exactly what I watched that day on TV)
The 1st Plane had hit already and at first no one exactly knew what had just occurred. I called my Mom and told her what was going on. I could hear her telling Gloria (Ice Rink manager what was happening.) I hung up with my mom. And then live on TV I watched the 2nd plane hit!

I was sitting there in total shock! I quickly grabbed the cordless and called my mom again. I remember saying "Another plane just hit!! Mom the other tower was hit!!!". I remember her begginning to cry and saying "What is going on?! We are under attack." At this point her and gloria ran down the road and bought a small tv so that they could watch at the ice rink. I sat there glued to the TV. I remember felling extremely overwhelmed with emotions. Horror, Anxiety, Worried, Sad, Upset. I remember pacing in front of the TV when the pentagon was hit. I was a wreck. I didn't really know what to do with myself but just to continue watching. I watched as the 1st tower went down. At this point I was calling my mom back and forth. And then the 2nd tower fell. What I didn't know was that there was a sprint tower on top of that 2nd tower. That would eliminate our cell phones for several hours. At this point the house phone wouldn't work either because of the high call volumes. All I would hear was a busy signal over the next few hours. My Mom did eventually come home with Christy. When we heard that there was a plane in PA. My were immediately worried for my dad. My Mom luckily got a hold of him. We sat there, glued to our TV. The kids were realized early from school. The next few days we continued watching to see what happened and why. It sickened my Mom. 6 years before this had all happened. My Mom & David took the same flight from Boston to Los Angeles to pick us kids up and move. Same times, Same Airline, Same flight Route. Over the next week. Flights were grounded. I remember how eerie it was. Normally you could see planes way in the distance fly overhead. But now it was silent at night. The only sounds were of a the military helicopter flying. (going up and down the coast)


Personally we didn't know anyone in the towers. However we knew many people who had loved ones that did not make it. We knew people who personally witnessed it. It definitely affected our family. It still makes me emotional to this day. My heart aches for all those who were effected. I am so thankful for those who protect our freedom & safety. I know that we will never forget! NEVER!

Visiting Great Grandpa Culotta

One of the main things we did on our Southern California Vacation was visit Great Grandpa Culotta! This was Savannah's 1st time meeting Grandpa! Savannah is known for being a little more shy with people she doesnt know. However it wasnt the case with Grandpa! Even as active as she is, she cuddled and sat with Grandpa watching tv and talking to him! We enjoyed salami sandwhichs with Grandpa, Drumsticks, and dinner on Sunday with him! We wish we lived closer to him! We miss you Grandpa!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

24 Years Ago...


23 was a great year! When reflecting back, I cant help but feel extremely blessed and grateful for all of the memories, and life experiences that heavenly father has given me in the past year. I became a homeowner for the first time! I gained a mortgage payment! I had many first Holidays including Mothers Day as a Mother of Two! We were able to take 3 Family Vacations! We got to go to Disneyland! My children got to see both sets of Grandparents and Great Grandparents! I have a job that I love! I celebrated 4 wonderful years to My Sweetheart! I became a Aunt for the 1st time! We finally paid off labor and delivery for Both kids! haha. I had my first and hopefully my only Root Canal! I had Braces and had them taken off! I was able to attend 2 Open Houses for New Temples in Utah.Was able to feel my Mothers presence. After 4 years of Marriage we finally started a food storage! I learned how to cook new things! I designed our landscaping plans for our yard! I learned new crafts! I reconnected with old friends! And hopefully became a little bit of a better Mother, Wife, Friend, Sister and Daughter.

I look forward to another great year and am excited to see what is in store for myself and my cute little family!

Beach Day 1
Long Beach, California

After the Aquarium & Our Walk along the Pier, we went to the Beach! The kids had mixed emotions... Brent was running toward the waves! Miss Savannah squeled so high pitch, when the waves came in! It took us all off guard! We totally regret not videotaping her reaction. Needless to say Brent is our water baby & Savannah is def a sun tanning baby... haha.

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