nine.eleven

Wow! It's been 10 years.

I don't remember what I did last week, but I remember so clearly 09.11.01.

I don't think I've ever done a 9.11 post, so the 10 year seems to be a good time...

I woke up, rolled out of bed to head to class (Butler CCC), but was stopped by my dad, planted in front of the TV in disbelief of what he was seeing... I'm almost positive at this point it was just the one tower hit. I headed to class... my college English teacher's husband worked at McConnell Air Force Base, so she had an entire different perspective on what was taking place. Well, this day she taught me what a terrorist was. She taught me that not everyone loved America. She taught me what the World Trade Centers were. And most of all, she taught me that I lived an extremely sheltered life, and now I miss that sheltered bubble I was in before this day. To this day, I can't "not" cry at the National Anthem. She cancelled class because the attacks were still developing.... I didn't have anything else happening that day. I remember my dad asking me to fill my car up, because there was the crazy scare that gas was going to go up $5-10 per gallon. But he changed his mind because the entire city of Wichita was wrapped around every gas station. The rest of my day, I spent in shock, glued to the TV..... still not understanding.

Above is the picture of Pentagon. When Jake and I went to D.C. in 2006, we saw the actual flag that hung from the Pentagon after the attacks. It was amazing, and the size of it was overwhelming.

10 years later, Jake asked Riley if they ever talk about 9.11 at school (I know the 5th graders do at my building). Riley was just aware that it was "Grandparent's Day." With out traumatizing the boy, we just clued him in that there are very bad people in the world and 9.11 is a very sad time in America's history. His only question was, "Why would they make 9.11 Grandparent's Day?" It's amazing that we have been at war for almost Riley's entire existence, and yet he really doesn't know. For now, I'm okay for with that.

Never Forget!