Hi everyone! I hope you’re doing well! I’ve been on assignment these past few weeks and working at my other job. The last time I blogged, I was waiting for my Covid-19 test results. Can you believe it took 13 days to get them? The good news is my results (thankfully) came back negative. Anyway…

Today is a sad day here. It’s exactly one year after the mass shooting at Walmart. Twenty three innocent lives were senselessly taken. There’s been memorials in the last couple of days here in El Paso. There’s a movie that’s coming out Oct. 9. I drove around the Walmart area today and cried. It still hurts one year later. I don’t think about what happened as much as I do but the pain is still there. It shook me and my community to the core. Me and so many others remember the day like it was yesterday. It’s sort of our version of Ground Zero if you will. Going back to Aug. 3, 2019…

It was almost like any other Saturday for me. This Saturday was supposed to be more special than others. I was getting ready to take my son to his first quinceanera (15th birthday party). This was a special occasion for his classmate. While I was shopping for shoes for us, I decided to check my social media. Friends of mine were near the area of the shooting. They were warning others to stay away from the area. What?? One friend posted on social media: Friends and family, do not get near Walmart Cielo Vista and Sam’s or the mall. There has been a shooting with possible dead (deaths) and wounded people. Shooter might be in the mall. If you know anyone going near the area (make them) return. Let’s take care of each other. Be careful!

Another friend posted:

18 dead, 64 injured. We were at Walmart having a bake sale. A cop told us to go home. Fortunately, they were at another Walmart in town.

When you see stuff like this on social media, you kind of don’t want to believe it. The news of the shooting eventually makes its way to local news and even CNN! I call my family to make sure they aren’t in the area. One uncle was but he went home before the shooting happened. My parents were at the Plaza Film Festival and my grandparents at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center. The calls, messages on social media and texts start coming in for me. Loved ones from out of town want to make sure me and my family are alright. Besides being shocked and scared, we’re all OK. I decide not to take my son to the party. I go and spend time with my family as we watch the news instead. Me and my boyfriend visit the memorial in back of Walmart a few days later… 

Today I plan to watch one of the memorials online when I get home from work. I also hope to do something nice for someone today…and hopefully more often than not throughout life. I am El Paso Strong! #elpasostrong Take care everyone and I’ll see you soon!