Day 254: Twelve Years Later. Where Were You?

It's hard to believe that twelve years have passed since the 911 attacks.  I remember every detail from that day like it just happened yesterday.

My work schedule had me traveling to Iowa City on September 11th.  One of my residents had a very important doctors appointment.  Important meaning that a lot of prep work had gone into this visit and we couldn't cancel or be late.  

For some reason we had kept the radio off in the van during our commute to the hospital.  Conversation kept us engaged in one another all the way up to the main entrance of the building.

As we entered into the parking lot we noticed a lot of people running around.  My first thought was that there was a big accident of some sort.  After all I was at the hospital.  Although there weren't any ambulances around.

We got checked in and found a seat in the waiting room.  Everyone was crowding around the tv, so I found a path in which I could see the screen.  At that moment the first tower was hit.  Everyone's expression was frozen.  Some were crying, some were using their cell phones, and then there were those in a state of disbelief.  I fell into that category.

It felt like we were all watching a really bad movie.  Then I immediately thought of home.  We had just moved into a new place and there wasn't any cable yet.  I wanted to step outside to call my boyfriend, but the nurse had just called our name.

It was very hard to focus on what the doctor was saying.  I could tell by his body movements and the tone of his voice that he to was a bit shaken.  His professionalism stayed in tact for the entire visit.  I thanked him for that.

Before we left to return home I found my way to a phone.  It was positioned in a tiny cubicle down a long hallway in which it made my voice echo.  How do you make a call and say that we are being attacked?  That subject wasn't covered when I was in school.  I suggested to my boyfriend that he goes across the street to watch the news on the bar's tv.  Little did I know that we would be spending the rest of the evening at that bar watching until they closed at 3:30 in the morning.

The next day we signed up for cable services.

*****

I hope to visit NYC someday.  It's very high on my bucket list, number one actually.  Did this event change that?  Nope.  I've never been in an airplane.  This day will always be on my mind when that day comes.  I will get there someday.  And then I'll get a chance to pay my respect at Ground Zero.  

This image was captured today on a visit to our local shopping Mall.

Until the next photo...

~Jennifer