Couple to marry on 9/11: "If we don't take back that day ... the terrorists win"

Another profile I wrote for Yahoo! News went live this week. This one is about a young couple getting married on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

My favorite part of the interview was when the bride told me that, after a moment's hesitation about the date, they decided to go ahead with it anyway:

"But the more I thought about it," Briggs says, "I was like, 'You know what? If we don't take that day back at some point and start celebrating something else, the terrorists win.'

"We grieve that day every year. I'm honored to share that day with all of the people that lost their lives, the people on the planes, the people in the World Trade Center, and the military. Especially the military."

Click here to read their uplifting story.

9/11 remembered: A retired NY firefighter focuses on hope instead of hatred

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview a truly inspirational person. Lee Ielpi lost his son Jonathan, a New York City firefighter, when the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001. But instead of focusing on retribution, he's determined to make the world a more understanding, more hopeful place.

"On September 10, I was still retired," he told me. "My wishes were to go fishing and hunting and hiking and camping and enjoy the outdoors and travel.... But 9/11 changed many people, not just me."

"My life changed. I had to put most of that on the back burner," he said. "Someday maybe I'll get back to fishing and hiking. Right now, we feel it's more important to continue this mission we're on."

That mission is one of peace and understanding. Ielpi is the co-founder of the Tribute WTC Visitors Center in New York City. Thanks to his efforts, about 2.2 million people have walked through the center, led by more than 450 people with firsthand knowledge of the way 9/11 changed the world.

My interview with Mr. Ielpi is part of a series of in-depth articles at Yahoo.com marking the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11; that picture, above, is a snapshot of the Yahoo News page showcasing Mr. Ielpi's story. You can can read the rest  below, and you can see the entire mosaic of Yahoo.com 9/11 articles here. (Keep checking that link for more!)

A sweet, appreciative post about working moms

One of my co-workers sent me this post by City Mama, and it was so on-point that I just had to share it with you:

To the mothers who work,

The ones who know that staying home with kids is work, too, but who choose who work outside the home because they need to (and, maybe, wish they didn't) or they like to (and, maybe, wish they didn't).

The ones who would like to slow down. Just a little.

Read the rest over at Citymama.com.

Breadwinning women and balloon wedding dresses

I have two stories on the Yahoo.com home page right now, and both are fun and fluffy (a bit of a departure from the news and politics I've been writing about lately).

First up: Those birthday-party animals have nothing on these dresses made entirely out of balloons.

And next: What do Kim Kardashian, Gisele Bundchen, and Katy Perry all have in common (besides being gorgeous, rich, famous and female)? They all out-earn their husbands by quite a bit.

Click the links to go read the stories at Yahoo.com!

A field trip fit for a king: Hammond Castle

Hammond Castle, Gloucester, Mass.
(Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

Last week, my youngest kids and our best friends piled into the car for a family-friendly road trip to Hammond Castle, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. My 6-year-old daughter is at the princess stage, my 4-year-old son loves knights and dragons, and I've always had an interest in Medieval history, castles, and the like.

This royal outing was so much fun that I shared it with my readers of the Boston Globe's "Bring the Family" column today. You can read the article at Boston.com, but these pictures also tell a good part of the story: