remembering september 11, 2001

it was five years ago. i have a horrible memory, but this day i will never forget. there have been a few of these days in my lifetime that i do remember...the space shuttle Challenger explosion with teacher Christa McAuliffe onboard, the tragic car accident that killed Princess Diana, the tragic plane accident killing JFK Jr... these are moments in history that i remember shook us all.

but nothing compares to the tragic events of september 11, 2001.

rusty and i had recently purchased our first home (just a few weeks prior). no kids. i was working for a small, private graphic design firm. that morning was no different than any other morning. i rolled out of bed after sleeping in as late as i possibly could and started getting ready for work. turned on the "Today" show as usual while eating my breakfast. all of a sudden....breaking news about a plane hitting one of the world trade center towers. wow...i thought....how could a plane get off course like that and run into a building? as i watched the footage, i called rusty to tell him what happened. i then called my dad to make sure he was watching and i also called my boss, steve, to tell him to watch. then, another plane hits the second building. my eyes were GLUED to the tv. this was no accident. this was intentional. i could not believe what i was watching. i was scared, i was shocked, i was numb.

i eventually made it in to work (late). we watched the news all day at work. needless to say, not much work got done this day. i remember how my heart literally felt like it was sinking as we watched both towers collapse. the chaos, the tragedy, the enormous disaster that was taking place was almost more than i could bare. tears rolling down my face as i thought about those lives that were gone. and then to hear about the other stories....the plane crashing in pennsylvania and the one that crashed into the pentagon. it was all just too much. was this for real?

for days following, i continued to stay glued to my television just like every other american. i knew my country would never be the same after that horrible day. every night for a few weeks i was scared to go to sleep. i was haunted by the images that i had seen. the fire, the smoke, the debris, the faces of those mourning loved ones, the people trying to find their loved ones, the massive destruction in NYC. and just the thought of these terrorists getting away with what they did....i was worried about what was next.

we have come a long way since then. i thank the men and women who have sacrificed their lives to help protect this country. and i thank the ones who lost their lives on that devastating day. we will certainly never forget that moment in our nation's history and we will never forget the heroic stories and tragic stories that took place....five years ago.