{where were you when the world stopped turning}

9-11
10 years ago today America changed
This past week the media has been making tribute to 911, every time I listen to someone telling their story I have thought I should right my story of 911. Part of me think, why? My life was not directly impacted by a loved one's death that day, nor has anyone close to me been fighting in the war that has ensued since. So the answer as to why I am writing this is so my boys will know my memories of 911, however circumstantial they were.
As I sit here typing I am reminded of the day I asked my mom where she was when John F. Kennedy was shot. I'm not sure what prompted me to ask. She was sitting in class at Bryan Adams High School. She remember them letting the class watch TV the rest of the day.
9-11-01
I was living by myself in Valley Ranch (Irving, TX), I had my own apartment, going to school at The University of North Texas and working nights at Kirby's Steakhouse. 9-11 was a school day so I was up getting ready for class, the Today Show on in the background so I could casually listen to the news. I must have been just about to walk out of the apartment to drive to Denton because I was picking up the channel changer to turn the TV off as Katie Couric was reporting something strange and unknown was happening in NY, I remember the TV showing a clip of the tower on fire, no facts were known. I turned the TV off and headed to class knowing I would catch up with the news later in the day. The next thing I remember is being on 35 driving North, radio on, barley any cars on the freeway, reports of the other tower being hit and again, no answer as to what was happening. At this point I remember a surreal feeling come over me possibly anxiety due to the unknown, but knowing that something big was happening. As I kept driving to class they reported the pentagon had been hit, I was closer to school than home, do I even go to class at this point? I wanted to watch the news. I got to campus, but the parking lots were bare, I walked through the Union, everyone was standing still staring at the small TV's. At that point I just felt confused so I walked to class because it started at 9:30; 10:30 NY time. Ironically, it was my undergraduate counseling class, a small class, even smaller since many people had chosen to stay home. I remember the instructor coming in, casually sitting in one of the desks with us and asking us what we wanted to do. Did we want to 'process' what was going on or did we want to go home because there was a rumor the campus was most likely going to close for the day. After a brief discussion of what we knew about what was happening, we agreed to all head home, to watch the news. The rest of the day was spent watching channel 5, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, and Tom Brokaw reporting as information came available. At some point in the afternoon Farrah came over to watch the news with me as well as my good friend at the time, Dylan. There was not much said, just watching in disbelief at the overwhelming unknown terror as it unravelled through the media.