September 11th.

I remember what I was doing this day in 2001. I was just waking up to get ready to go to UNLV. My Mom had came into my room to tell me to turn on the news. It was around 550 am . I was looking at the news and they were reporting a fire at the World Trade Center. I saw people that were waving out of the upper windows for rescue. I remember feeling horrible and that this isn't real. I was remebering when I was 16 and was lucky enough to take a tour of World Trade Center and getting to stand on top of the roof where the antennas where. I sat there glued to the television and thinking this is out of a movie. Then as I heard commentaries I saw the unthinkable...

I was thinking..'OH NO!' My heart just sank. I rememebered that day that me and my mom were sharing my car, because hers was under repairs. She had dropped me off at the Institute..and I was in Brother Rowberry's class. Brother Rowberry was a Chaplain for the Air Force. And it was such comfort for all of my classmates to sing patriotic songs, and to talk about what was going on this day. It was like the world had stopped. And it truly did. Strangers were friendly.  I remember there was alot of chatter on the campus about what was going to be hit next, because by then, the Pentagon had been hit and so had another plane gone down in a field in Pensylvannia. We felt like we were being under attack. UNLV rumors were flying, we heard...they were planning to attack the Stratosphere, and the strip because this is the city of sin.

Something else that was really odd before the attacks and during was in my World Literature Class. The week before we had started reading this...

The Quran

The terrorists were muslim. And the Quran was the scriptures for the Muslim people. There were alot of prejudices during this time towards Muslim people, but I respected Muslims and there beliefs,  and they were not responsible. It helped me to understand the muslim religion, not the attack itself. I also remember going to my Anthropologie of Aging class and I remember my professor said that this was our defining moment for our generation. And it would become a different time too.

I remember leaving campus early that day, I couldn't stand to be there. I wanted to be home. And when I got home I felt like I needed to do something other than watching replays of the Towers being hit and collapsing. So I stood in line...

At least I could do something. But for me, I was so sad. It was so healing to be standing with my neighbors and trying to do some good for someone. We felt united. During that time, for almost a week there were no aircrafts of any kind. It was very strange for the skies to be so quiet. Patriotism was everywhere. I miss that today.

But today on the anniversary of 9/11 we have images of these...

A piece of the beam from the WTC. On display at Freemont Street.

I hope someday to visit.

~September llth is also my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary. They would have been married 40 yrs today. Happy Anniversary, not a day goes by that I don't think of you. I love and miss you so much.~