10 Years

I, as well as all of you, are being inundated with 9/11 visions and stories. It is hard to believe it has been 10 years already. So many things have changed.

• 10 years ago I was a bright eyed college student at the University of North Texas.
• 10 years ago my biggest worry was getting to class on time and what I was going to do on a Friday night.
• 10 years ago, I had not met my husband, I had never had a grown up job.
• 10 years ago I was innocent in so many ways.

I still remember waking up that morning to an already alive television set. As I rolled over to check out what the Today show was reporting, I saw a horrific vision that will be burnt into my mind until the day I pass on. It was the second plane going into the World Trade Center. In my sleepy haze, I thought this had to be a movie. But as I slowly realized this was real life I shot straight up in bed and screamed for my mom. I then realized my parent's house phone was ringing. It was my father, who was already at work, calling us to alert us to the news. My mother ran in my room, telephone in hand and we both watched in horror as our nation was attacked and changed forever.

As upset as I was, I still felt the need to continue on with my normal commute to Denton to attend classes. As I was driving on 360 headed north, it came over the radio that a plane at hit the Pentagon. By the time I was north of the DFW airport, all airplanes had been ordered to land. It was the most amazing site seeing what seemed like 1000 planes circling waiting to land.

My 9/11 story isn't amazing or all that interesting but I wanted to share. I however cannot adequately express the deep sadness and heartache I felt and still feel when I think about all the images from that day and the days and weeks that followed.