10 Years Ago.

I've seen a couple of these over the past week and thought it might be a good idea to take down what I experienced on 9/11 before it completely vanishes from my memory.

I would like to think that 9/11 is a date that I will never forget. It didn't really impact my life personally too much. I didn't know any one that died, I didn't even know anyone in any of the affected areas - NYC & DC mostly.

I was a sophomore in high school. I don't remember anything in particular about that morning. It was just a normal morning. Between two of my classes, I ran into Sarah, who I had known since I was a toddler. She told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center buildings and how crazy it was that she had just been there over the summer. I didn't think much of it. I guess I thought it was weird and I just went on my way.

After that, things become a blur. I'm pretty sure that an announcement was made of the loud speaker at school about what had happened. Things started to sink in about how serious this could be...

I remember sitting in health class with the television on seeing them play the footage of the planes hitting the buildings over and over again. The people running, debris in the air. What else would happen? The teacher limited our news viewing time because she thought we still needed to get through that day's lesson. I guarantee that I don't remember a thing about the actual class that day.

The day went by. More info was released. More scary video footage.

I played volleyball in high school and we were supposed to have a game at Dassel-Cokato High School. The schools decided to keep all scheduled events. There was a big thing about how everything that was happening was very important and a huge deal, but we shouldn't let it affect our lives. It was assumed that whoever had planned these attacks to disrupt the way of life here in the US. Well, it did...

I went and played that game. I don't remember if we won or if we lost. It didn't really seem important at that time. My dad had come out to watch the game and he decided to take me home with him. We stopped at a little place to eat called the Ox Yoke Inn. We ate and watched the footage on the TVs there.

I'll never forget the many, many cars lined up to get gas at all of the gas stations. Everyone was so worried that there would suddenly be no gas or gas would shoot up in price, I'm not really sure. After I got home with my dad, we did take his truck and the family car (which was also what I drove to school) up to the local gas station to fill both of them up just in case.

My day seems so insignificant compared to those that were out there helping. Scratch that, it was insignificant. All of the video footage, photographs and stories poured out for days, weeks, probably even months. Watching and reading that still makes me tear up and honestly, I hope it always does.