I got this idea from a fellow blogger (Thanks Amber). It’s been ten years since the terrorist attacks and I have never really recorded what that day was like for me. So, here it is.
Josh and I worked together for a company called Lexis Nexis. He worked on the second floor, I was on the third. We had arrived at work at 6:30 that day because our bosses both allowed and encouraged us leave to attend college classes during the day, as long as we worked our required 8 hours. I was sitting at my desk, had just turned on my computer and my desk phone started ringing. I picked up the phone and my early-bird mom was already at work and told me that one of the towers had been hit by a plane. I quickly found CNN and watched as the second plane hit. I ran down to find Josh because I was so anxious and worried. I slowly wandered back to my desk and every computer in every cubicle was on some sort of news station. No one was working. I sat down at my desk and cried and watched CNN until Josh came at 10:30 to get me for class.
Josh and I took a history class together at the community college. We did everything together for the first few years we were married. It was so fun. We walked into our history class and our instructor, instead of teaching us the lesson he had planned, talked about his father in WWII and talked about the Nazis and the evil of the world. He brought the gauge from his father’s plane. Then someone pulled the fire alarm.
I tried not to panic as we were all evacuated and told to go home. Josh and I went back to work and found all our co-workers gathered around a small TV in the lobby of the building. After standing there, trying to see the TV and being sad and anxious, we were all told that we should just go home; no one was working anyway.
Josh and I went home and watched CNN all day. Then, we went to see Josh’s step-mom. She was alone that night because Josh’s dad was on the East coast and was trying to get a flight home. She was feeling anxious and so were we.
We lived close the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. We were used to the sounds of airplane engines filling the air. That night, Josh commented to me that it seemed weird that there were no planes flying overhead.
I remember the feeling of overwhelming sadness that I had never felt before. It was something bigger than me...something bigger than I could even comprehend.
Yesterday, Josh and I (we still do everything together), went to Walmart to get new tires. Josh and one of the mechanics went outside to look at the van while I stood at the counter. I overheard one of the other mechanics talking to a bunch of his co-workers. He said, “I don’t care about the firefighters and police officers who died that day. I pay them to do that. That’s their job.” I stared at him. I was shocked and so, so disgusted and maybe he could see it on my face. He looked at me to agree with him, but then turned around and left. I wish I had thought quickly enough to respond to him before he walked away.
I will always remember that day. The thing I will remember the most is the overwhelming sadness and fear I felt as the towers collapsed before my eyes. There are images and lines that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Someday, my children will ask me, “What were you doing on 9/11?” So here it is…what I did the day of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks.
Then he saw a cat.
He just kept looking and looking. He loved the big tires and just couldn't get enough of the trucks.
The nice firefighters let him drive the truck too. 
He started crying when the firefighter tried to take him out of the truck. The firefighter set him gently on the ground and LJ was upset, so the captain firefighter guy came up behind him and put him right back up. It was cute.
The captain followed LJ around and then said, "Don't worry so much mom. He looks like he'd make a great firefighter. And our mama's our proud of us." I'm sure they are proud of their boys.
