Remember

So, I heard the question today...where were you when IT happened? Do you remember?

Holy cow. Do I remember?

How could I forget?

I wanted to take a moment to remember, and to write this down so that the children will know where they were...and what we were doing on that day.

On September 11, 7 years ago...it was a day, like any other.

Mikayla was in preschool and Troy was working in DC at the firm.

Troy was working so much at that time that I had been driving him to work in the mornings just so we could spend some time together (holy cow, how sad is that?!?).

Well, Mikayla had to be at school at 9:30 am and I was going to drop her off and continue on to take Troy to work.

As we were getting ready, I turned the tv on to listen to the news...and was frozen at the destruction on the screen. One of the twin towers was ablaze as the tv annoucer explained that a plane had just crashed into it.

The plane had crashed at 8:46 am and I had turned the tv on some 10 minutes later. Somebody on the news was speculating as to whether this had been a terrible accident or an act of terrorim.

And to my horror, as I was WATCHING the tv, LIVE, listening to this speculation, I ACTUALLY witnessed the second plane crash into the second tower of the world trade center AS IT HAPPENED.

I remember just feeling like the world had stopped spinning. I really wanted to stay home and not let Troy go to work, or take Mikayla to school...but you know my work-a-holic husband. He just had to get to work.

So...after pulling myself back together, we drove to the preschool and dropped Mikayla off...and the twins and I and Troy proceeded to drive downtown.

I kept telling Troy that I didn't think that this was a good idea, and that I really wanted to go home...but we continued on just the same.

We were listening to the radio...and as we turned towards the tunnel between Virginia and DC, and we heard them announce that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon.

My heart stopped.

I looked at Troy and said, "Can we go home now?"

By this time we had entered the tunnel, but upon listening to reports of bomb threats all over DC, and other potential disater at every turn, we made a quick decision to turn around...but the only exit we could take was the one that took us towards the Pentagon.

As we came out of the tunnel, we could see the huge plumes of black smoke rising from the Pentagon.

We made it to the road in front of the Iwo Jima War Memorial when we were stopped by the military police, who were turning everyone around...so that no one could go toward the wreckage.

We managed to turn up towards the memorial, and exit back onto the freeway. What had been a quick twenty minute drive into DC, turned into an hour long ordeal to make it home.

When we arrived at the preschool the kids were outside on the playground.

The parents started to arrive in droves to pick up their children and the poor preschool teachers didn't even know anything had happened.

We got Mikayla and returned home.

We didn't leave the house for days.

It was so sad, and horrible.

I watched the news for hours on end afterward...afraid to turn the tv off...afraid to go outside.

I lost something of myself that day.

And I mourned and continue to mourn with all those who lost loved ones...and I promised that I would never forget.

We live in an amazing country...and I was so proud of how we pulled together as a nation. We were truly united.

So when someone asks, do you remember?

How can I answer anything other than an emphatic, yes. Yes I do.