Where were you?
Two days before our ultrasound, which would hopefully show us the gender of our first child, my husband let me sleep in. I was 4 1/2 months pregnant, working 40 hours a week on my feet in a deli and I had come home the night previous, absolutely exhausted. I was shaken out my peaceful slumber the next morning, earlier than I had anticipated. Groggy and cranky, I painfully opened my eyes intending to tell Tom to let me sleep longer. But I stopped when I saw his face streaked with tears. I had only seen him cry once before this. Something was terribly wrong. I sat straight up and he told me one of the Twin Towers in New York City had collapsed.
His classes had been cancelled and I did not have to work that day. So we stayed at home in front of the television watching the details unfold, in disbelief.
I rubbed my belly often, wishing my child would be entering a less turbulent world, but determined to teach him/her well about loving others in spite of our differences.
Over the next few weeks I collected many local and national newspaper articles pertaining to that terrible day and have since scrapbooked them all to share with my children when they are older. I doubt any American will ever forget where they were or how they felt when they learned about the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
:heart: 
Well its been 17 days since my son has swallowed his quarter and not out yet. We...
My Grandpa died on the 9th. We got in the car and drove to Idaho Falls to be with family. I got up the morning of the 11th and my Mom told me to go look at the TV. I told her no. You see, my Mom doesn’t watch TV unless there is something important going on. I went in and watched for a minute, but then I walked away. I did not want to watch as these horrors unfolded. I turned the TV back on many times that day to see what was happening, but mostly, I tried to keep my almost 3 and 1 year old sons busy and not let them catch a glimpse of what was happening. I was trying to work through the grief of loosing a loved one and helping my mom deal with the loss of her Dad.
I was getting ready for work. I will never forget sitting in my living room with my husband and my children, watching the towers fall and thinking my world would never be the same again. I had a 9-month old and a 3-year old and I wondered over and over what their futures would hold.
I worked for the government and needless to say, everyone already there was sent home and I didn’t go in. My husband’s classes were canceled too. A friend of his from school, who didn’t have any family nearby came over and spent the day with us so she didn’t have to be alone.
That morning I’d gotten on the internet before leaving for work and I saw a thread on a web forum that said something like, “TWO PLANES JUST CRASHED INTO THE WTC!” I turned the tv on and watched the buildings burn.
I then left for work, listening to reports of the Pentagon being hit and a plane going down in PA on the car radio, and wondered, what’s next? The White House?
I stopped to pick up my carpool partner, and she hadn’t heard yet. I walked right into her house and told her to turn on her tv. She and I sat on her couch and watched the towers fall.
That was when I thought to call my parents. They weren’t up yet and hadn’t heard. My brother at the time lived in DC and would sometimes work at the Pentagon. But he wasn’t there that day. He was at another government building and everyone was freaking out, wondering if they’d be a target, too.
I remember vividly driving across Lake Washington on our way to work later, and the skies were clear of airplanes. It was eerie.
I am so glad your brother wasn’t working there that day.
We will always remember!
I was wondering if you are going to keep playing Heads Or Tails? That was the topic for today…
Thanks for sharing your tender story. I happened to be on our couch nursing my newborn, our first child, when I flipped on the TV and saw the horror unfold. My heart still aches for the scenes I saw.
I was with my husband and 4 month old daughter (#1) on a houseboat on Lake Powell. It was a work retreat, and we didn’t have cell phone coverage or television. We had NO idea it had even happened.
The next morning, when we pulled into the docks, people were telling us about it and we were all speechless. It was actually hard to believe, and it wasn’t until we stopped at a gas station to watch it being replayed over and over on the TV that we really believed it had happened.
The entire drive back to Provo was agonizing. Our aunt and uncle lived/worked in Manhatten, and we expected the worst. When our cell phone finally worked (AFTER Spanish Fork canyon, of course), we were able to find out that they were both fine.
The next week was spent in front of the television, horrified at what had happened.
I was at work when I first heard that something had happened. At first, I honestly thought it was some kind of joke. I’ll never forget it.
I was also pregnant and home in bed with morning sickness. DH had already gone to work when I found out (he’s a flight attendant, too). I was sick with worry when I couldn’t get in touch with him.
I was so relieved when he finally called and said they closed the airport right before his plane was about to take-off. It’s a day I’ll never forget.
I was working in a lab at school finishing my Masters Degree work. There were a couple of my friends also working there that day. Our prof came in and set up a radio, very somber and very carefully he said “something is happening. A plane has crashed into the WTC.” We stopped our experiments and looked across the lab benches at each other. He left the room and returned with a small tv. We watched and listened. My closest friend at school began to shake when the towers collapsed. She started to sob because one of her high school buddies worked in that building that just crashed down. We tried to reach him by cell phone. Nothing worked, of course. I sat in the hallway and held her hand as we dialed frantically. He finally called hours later. He had been late for work and had never been in the building. We both cried in relief!
- Cheryl and Kailani, I am so glad your loved ones were safe.
- Stacey, that is amazing. Amongst the tragedy there were also many miracles.
I did not know anyone who lived in New York at that time but my heart still aches for such a great loss of human life and the family and friends that were left behind.