Eighteen years ago, I got off the No. 2 train in downtown Manhattan and saw a crowd of people on the street corner watching one of the Twin Towers in flames.  I still remember what I wore that day – a black top, red skirt, and black sandals.  The only information that anyone had at that point was that a plane flew into the building. 

Soon after I walked to my desk, the second plane hit. My coworkers and I got into a state of calm panic.  We closed all the windows as the smoke welcomed its way inside.  Phone lines started to tie up so it was hard to get through to anyone.  We were told to go to various locations within the building.  Then the first building collapsed.  At that point, everyone was told to evacuate.  I couldn’t understand why we were being told to go outside when it wasn’t any safer out there.  As everyone went outside and split in different directions, I found myself alone trying to figure out which way to go.  I can’t say I was feeling scared, rather fear was taken over by numbness, loneliness and confusion.  I will stop my story at this point – I was one of the lucky ones.  I did manage to get home by walking the Brooklyn Bridge and my black/red outfit was all white by the time I did. 

Like myself, everyone who was alive that day has their own story to share, no matter where they were.  Those who lost their lives and their loved ones of course suffered the most.  There are also those who have suffered stress disorders and other health issues caused by the events of that day. 

Many first responders have lost their lives over the years because of 9/11 related illnesses. Through major efforts from advocates, comedian Jon Stewart, first responders, and others, the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund was just recently extended to 2090. The World Trade Center Health Registry still continues to monitor and provide services to those who lived, worked or were in the downtown NYC area that day.    

So how do we explain what took place on September 11th 2001 to our children today? Kristie Kiernan Bouryal has written a children’s book series to help seven to eleven-year-olds understand the catastrophic event by focusing on the heroes of that day:

• 9/11 Courage and Tributes
• Remembering Heroes
• My Buddy’s a Hero – And I Didn’t Even Know It

Here are some other 9/11 related books for children.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” —Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl

Have you ever wondered if you are indeed getting the best result when you type in “the best” (of whatever it is) on Google?

I am not much of a cook, so I appreciate simple and quick recipes.  There is that occasional baking from a box and maybe something made from scratch once a year.  This weekend, I got an urge to bake cookies after reading May I Please Have a Cookie to my son.  Rather than taking the easy way out with the pre-made Nestle or Pillsbury cookie dough, I thought it would be nice to do it the old-fashioned way.

I wasn’t sure where to start, so I reached out to my trusted friend Google and typed in “best cookie recipe” and went for the first search result.  After following the recipe to the best of my limited cooking abilities, here are the results!

Taste test:

• Husband – he gave it an 8 out of 10.  He went for a second one the following day, so it must not have been that bad.
• Son – I am pretty sure he would give it a 10.  What kid would give chocolate anything below that?
• Me – I gave it a 5.  I think I prefer the pre-made cookie dough.  It really is eye opening when you make something from scratch and realize what goes into what you eat.  I couldn’t believe how much sugar I had to put in!  I think I would rather have that occasional treat without knowing the sugar content.

So, did I get the best cookie recipe from my quick Google search?  My honest opinion is no. The search continues.  If you do have a favorite cookie recipe, please share.

In other cookie news:

• For those of you who are in NYC, Levain Bakery has opened up another location on the Upper East Side. As they continue to expand, DC may be next.
• Waze users can now get driving directions from Cookie Monster. 
• If you like coffee and cookies, Nestle just released espresso chips.

And of course, here are some cookie books for the little ones:

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff
• May I Please Have a Cookie, by Jennifer E. Morris

As of Sunday, June ^20th 12:20 PM Eastern Time, one Bitcoin was valued at 10,692.80 (US Dollar). It was steadily on the rise the past few days.  One bitcoin has more than doubled in value since earlier this year.  It almost reached 20,000 in December 2017 before it dropped again, so hopefuls are standing by and wishing it will go up again.  People are going through a buying frenzy right now as they don’t want to miss out on a potential great opportunity (“FOMO” – fear of missing out).  It is also leaving people to wonder when the next big crash will happen and questioning the moment to pull out.

Before I go on, for those of you who are new to this, there are three terms you may want to familiarize yourself with:

• Bitcoin –  a form of cryptocurrency that was first released in January 2009.
• Cryptocurrency – a digital asset that is decentralized, passed from person to person, encrypted, found all around the world, and does not require the input of personal information.
• Blockchain – a database of every transaction that has ever happened using a particular cryptocurrency.

Here is a link that explains how this complex system works in more simple terms: What is Cryptocurrency?

And what exactly can you do with Bitcoin? You can use it to purchase goods or services, trade it, or hold onto it.

Not only is Bitcoin’s value rising, but so is the amount of attention it is receiving from mainstream media and celebrities.  The number of Google searches are up there along with Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian (who was given her first physical coin last year).

The types of investment opportunities continue to change every generation.  You can only imagine what your child will be investing in one day!

You can actually introduce your child to what Bitcoin is – check out Blockchain for Babies, by Chris Ferrie.