Lockdown

In high school, my friends affectionately called me "West Sider" because I was one of about 5 students at Alta who lived west of the freeway. So naturally, when I met my Granger-class-of-'96 husband, I just knew we'd have lots in common, seeing how were both from the west side. :) He was quick to set me straight though. Perhaps I'm not an east-sider, but he won't let me claim the west either. He says I'm from the south side.

Let me add that I did formerly harbor a bit of prejudice against West Valley. You know, just the normal stuff that, honestly, a lot of people here in the Salt Lake Valley tend to think. West Valley is run down. West Valley has a lot of crime. A lot of white trash people and immigrants live in West Valley. Then I moved here. I live in a really classy, new neighborhood full of exactly the kind of people that I want my kids to grow up with. I'm proud of the businesses and programs here in West Valley, and I'm proud to live here. Hopefully with that disclaimer, my husband won't take offense at the rest of my blog. It's just too perfect to pass up.

I took the kids to Granger High School today where my mother-in-law works as a lunch lady. She has an awesome relationship with her co-workers, and they love to see the new babies, so today was "show off the new grandchild" day (which we carefully planned to coincide with yummy Thanksgiving lunch day). We were sitting there, enjoying our lunches, when the principal came over the loudspeaker to announce that the school was on lockdown. Yeah... lockdown.

Not knowing the nature of the threat, but knowing all too well that I recently read two separate books about school shootings, I gathered the kids close and tried not to show fear. I was very relieved to find out (thanks to the walkie talkies worn by the janitorial staff who had been lunching with us) that the threat was on the outside of the building. Still, Granger's lunchroom is kind of a circular room of which about half is huge windows. Even though rationality suggested there was nothing to be afraid of, I have to admit that my mother hen instinct kicked in, and I couldn't hold my kids close enough.

And, of course, Dylan got hungry in the middle of all of this. I hadn't planned to feed him while we were out, so I was completely unprepared to have to nurse him in a lunchroom full of strangers. I tried to stall him, but he told me in no uncertain terms that he had to eat. Being an incredibly private person, I opted to use a back office in the lunch prep area to feed him, but that meant leaving my two other boys back in the room with all the windows. My stupid overactive imagination kept threatening to run away with me the whole time I was feeding him. Thankfully, after about 10 minutes of being away from my kids, the lockdown was over and we got to go home.

3 years at Alta without a hitch. One lunch at Granger (okay, I admit, I've been there 4 or 5 times before, but still) and I get stuck in a lockdown. Sorry, honey. It had to be said.