More of Mom's Special Moments

Saturday, September 17, 2011

International ACN in Charlotte NC

We left Portland at 1100 pm Wed night and landed in Ga. around 330am
our time and then reboarded and landed in NC at 930 eastern time. .

Watched Secretariat on the longest of the two flights. .
we had a a great time trying to get the headphones to
work, Pinky and I ended up sharing phones, each got one ear!! hehe

Car ride in Charlotte. . 29.00 for a 20 minute ride!!

The Blake. . our room was on the 7th floor. .

Walking to the conference center, we saw and walked by most of the
downtown city buildings. .

Pinky and I went on a tour of ACN headquarters. . Luell and Kathy already
had done it the last time they were in Charlotte. . this is out driver, Bill.

Headquarters..ACN

The souths Mt Dew drink. .

One of our guides, Josh
and lunch was served, and our other guide..a sweet gal!

LOVED their government buildings, lots of freedom quotes. . it was
amazing!!!!

Time Warner arena. . lots of convention time!!

2tall Toni!

Dinner meeting here...

Our group of the Dream team!!

This Mac's Speed Shop was were we got bbq pulled
pork for Pinky and Luell, It took a 25.00 cab ride on our lunch hour,
with a cab driver who was Muslem. . he was pretty
freaked out about the pork. . I got fried dill pickles. . it was NC
cooking and southern bbq flare.

Another dinner meeting here. .at the pizza place below.

9/11 memorial before the meeting started. . it was
wonderful.

Cab ride with as many as we could fit in!!

Lunch in the airport. .

9/11 2011

Its been a week since we we got back from our ACN business trip to North
Carolina. .Charlotte was amazing, the convention was amazing, and we had a
wonderful time. We left Charlotte on Sunday afternoon and had a layover in
Newark New Jersey!! How cool is that?? Never been there, or for that matter, that far east.
We landed and as we were looking out the window, we saw the New York skyline!
I never knew you could see it from NJ. . never thought about it even. . till we spotted the
Empire State building!! And then it hit us all about the same time. . the towers would
have been there, they SHOULD have been there. .and it was 9/11 ten years later.
It was a sobering moment. .we were all thinking about that day when the towers fell..
where we were, what we were doing. . and how things have changed. And yet they
are still the same. . we are still free, we are still living in the best country on earth,
we still believe in God and our future.. we just feel more passionate about it now than ever!!

America United

(Orrin G. Hatch/Janice Kapp Perry, 2001)

We have seen the hand of evil,
We have shared a nation’s tears.
We have felt a threat to freedom
And to all that we hold dear.
Now a mighty wave is growing
As we hear our country’s call,
But the world still waits and wonders--
Will we rise or will we fall?
As we bury fallen heroes
Many broken hearts must heal.
But in the ruin and the rubble
Our spirit is revealed!
America, united, working side by side,
America, united, hope still burning bright.
Those who would divide us, could not realize
That from the smoke and from the ashes,
America would rise . . . united, united!

We have felt the force of terror,
There is sorrow in the land.
Through the drifting dust of chaos
Lady Liberty still stands.
And the miracle of freedom
Gives courage to us all,
For the ones who try to hurt us
Only strengthen our resolve!
We are holding hands together
For we share a destiny.
Through the darkness and the danger
We will always be:

America, united, working side by side,
America, united, hope still burning bright.
Those who would divide us, could not realize

That from the smoke and from the ashes,

America would rise!