Remembering

I’m sure you’ve seen a few posts this morning about 9/11, and that’s expected. It is quite possibly the biggest event to happen to the U.S. in a long time, not simply because of the actual events that took place, but because of everything that has happened since.

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I’m not going to get into all the aftermath, because well…I don’t want to and I don’t think it’s necessary on a day like today.

I still can’t believe it’s been 8 years.

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I can remember just about everything I did that day, as I’m sure most people can. A horrific event like this seems to trigger something inside our brains to remember even the smallest details.

I was actually in my first semester of college and still living at home since my school was only 15 minutes away. I remember hearing something quick about it on the radio as I was pulling up to school, but they didn’t know much at that point.

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I had my yoga class (yes, for college credits) that morning and by the time class started, we were all just sitting in our room watching the news. I will never, ever forget seeing that second plane hit. I still cannot describe what I felt at that moment, watching something like happen right before my eyes.

Classes were cancelled for the day and they were urging people to get out of town, so I headed back home. I remember spending most of the rest of the day flipping between the news and Trading Spaces with my best friend Megan.

My dad, sister and I were also supposed to go to an Aerosmith concert that night, which was cancelled and understandably. People around us were so scared that something would happen where I lived because of the big naval bases there, but thankfully, nothing did.

About a year later, I was near DC for a youth group retreat and our house parents for the weekend lived close to the Pentagon so they offered to drive us past it. The husband actually worked in the Pentagon, but was not in the office that morning.

Even almost a year later, to see the side of the building just gone…are beyond words. To be driving by a building and just be able to see down the hallways should not be possible.

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I didn’t lose any family members or friends in this event, but I know people that did. I know they’re still hurting, as is this nation.

I just hope that healing is on the way.

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And although I haven ever been to New York, it is still strange to see older movies that show that skyline. The memorial is beautiful, though.

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In a little more fun news, here are the noteworthy games for the weekend – come on, you didn’t expect me to not talk about football, right?

12:00 PM ET Syracuse at No. 7 Penn State

12:00 PM ET No. 19 North Carolina at Connecticut

3:30 PM ET No. 9 Brigham Young at Tulane

3:30 PM ET No. 18 Notre Dame at Michigan

7:00 PM ET South Carolina at No. 21 Georgia

8:00 PM ET No. 3 USC at No. 8 Ohio State

 

*Make your picks in the comments if you’re doing that.

 

Do you remember what you were doing 8 years ago?

16 comments

  1. Ugh, I remember that day so well! :( I was getting ready for school and I can still hear the loud scream my mom let out downstairs. We’re from NY and our whole family still lives out there so it was definitely a day of worry and sadness.
    I know what you mean about seeing movies with the old skyline…SO weird!

  2. Beautiful post, Brandi . . .

    I was in my first week of school, too . . . in NYC. It was really scary, but the solidarity everyone showed was incredible.

    You need to come up for a visit! A food blogger should visit NYC at least once :-)

  3. I was a senior in college and had class that morning. I got up and my feet were cold, and my morning routine was slightly off. I didn’t turn my computer on, nor the TV. The radio wasn’t playing anything good so I just turned on a cd. My roommate and I were supposed to go to a baseball game that night for our last hurrah before she went to London for a semester.

    I got to class a few minutes early and was putzing on the computer. A few people walked in and were talking about the first plane crash into the WTC. It was a media class and so we were all on it. I remember finding one of the first AP articles, if you could call it that, on the Washington Post. It was maybe two lines at most and didn’t give us much more information. We did a lot of searches that morning online just to get more info on what was happening.

    I remember sitting in a meeting during lunch just watching for a friend of mine because his Mom worked in the Pentagon. It just so happened that his little brother was visiting her at work that day. Thankfully neither of them were hurt.

    I know I just watched TV and would sit and cry. My parents came to visit that Saturday and made me switch the station from CNN because I was just getting so upset (not that switching it to MTV was any better since they were doing a lot of live broadcasts from NYC).

    Years later when I met my boyfriend I found out that his Dad was supposed to be on one of the flights, but at the last minute he decided to go against company policy and changed flights. That impulse saved his life that day.

    We will always remember.

  4. That’s such a thoughtful post. I was in college, and I remember going to my Shakespeare class and my teacher saying that she was thinking of not giving us our pop quiz because of the morning’s events, but then she gave it to use anyways. Pretty insensitive. My heart goes out to all those who lost someone.

    On to football… I just have to put in my pick for Connecticut… go Huskies! That’s my alma mater!

  5. I remember being in college (still sleeping) and my phone was ringing off the hook and I couldn’t understand why so many phone calls were coming that early…. until I got up and we turned on the tv in utter disbelief. My dad was staying across the river from the Pentagon for a work conference on that very day and we couldn’t get in touch with him… it was so incredibly scary. He saw the entire Pentagon incident occur basically from his hotel and thankfully stayed out of harms way.

  6. You post was so well spoken. I remember vividly being in classes. Before class we had hared that a plane had hit the first building but we thought it was a small plane and was an accident. We went through our class and when it was over there were signs telling us all to head to the chapel for a prayer service. They told us what happened and set up a large screen TV in the campus center for students to watch the coverage (we didn’t have TV’s in our rooms). I was glued to the TV for days after and could barely focus on school when classes were back in session.

    I remember being in NYC while in seminary and Hunni wanting to take me down there to see it. We rode the path and as we passed it I got very emotional and nauseaus. The memories were still so vivid.

    I didn’t actually lose anyone but I have many friends who did and many friends who worked there for The Salvation Army and still have a hard time remembering it.

  7. 8th grade, gym locker room drinking at a water fountain when a friend told me to look at the tv because ‘the towers fell’. I didn’t even register it and thought it was a joke… until I watched the gym room tv.

  8. 8th grade, gym locker room drinking at a water fountain when a friend told me to look at the tv because ‘the towers fell’. I didn’t even register it and thought it was a joke… until I watched the gym room tv.
    thanks for this post!

  9. gosh it’s so crazy to think its already been 8 years. I remember the day like it was just yesterday. I was in the 8th grade, and i remember i was just getting back from recess, and we were all told what had been happening, and they canceled lessons for the rest of the day and we watched the news! My heart goes out to all the families!

    http://saladdiva.wordpress.com

  10. Of course I remember. My dorm building shook and my bf (now ex) at that time called and woke me up, asking if I was OK. There’s a lot of other memories but I’d rather not relive. Its’ easier to talk about when you weren’t actually there.

    I heart NY. Always.

  11. Hi Brandi

    It is a very sad day. I live in central NJ and know of a few people who perished. I go into the city quite a few times a year and there is always that fear. I give a lot of credit to people who work and live there. I pray it never happens again. Anywhere.

    ……………

    My picks this week are going to be good. I asked my nephew to help me.

    Penn State
    North Carolina
    Brigham Young
    Notre Dame
    Georgia
    USC
    (still hoping for a donkey prize)

  12. i lived in nyc – i’ll never forget that day…

  13. We will always remember. What a nice post you put together. I was at school, in the hall way getting ready for classes to start when one of the history professor came running down the hallway–he had just seen the coverage… such a frightening time.

    Transitioning to football–I keep falling asleep with all of the these late games and always miss the ending!
    Penn State
    BYU
    N. Carolina
    Michigan
    Georgia
    USC

  14. today is my little brother’s birthday…
    and on his birthday 8 years ago, i worked at baskin robbins in our mall. so i made his birthday cake. and then they closed the mall. the boy didn’t get a cake on his birthday that year…

    but no one ever forgets when his birthday is now…

  15. Brandi that was such a beautiful post I do not think any of us will ever forget where we were that day.

    The only important pick for tomorrow is OSU beating USC! I love college football have fun at the game!

  16. I was in college too. Our classes were cancelled as well. I sat in the kitchen with my mom and dad watching it all happen. What a sad day.

    btw- so fun to get free stuff, huh?

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