12 years

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow is September 11th. It has been 12 years since our lives changed. How has it been 12 years? Wasn't this just a few years ago?

I will never forget that day. I was in my Foundations of Inquiry class in the basement of Milner Library at ISU when the first plane hit. I found out about it in my algebra class immediately following. We had a test that day. By the time I made it to my political science class the second plane hit.

I don't know why I continued going to class, I think it was just habit at that point and we really didn't know what was going on. In my political science class, our professor educated gave us an entire lesson on Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. It was terrifying and something I just couldn't wrap my mind around.

When I returned to my dorm, my roommate Jamie and I sat glued in front of CNN. Then we watched in sheer terror as the towers fell. We watched thousands of people die in an instant and there was nothing anybody could do. I felt helpless. I felt hopeless. I felt numb.

Then the rumors started that it wasn't just going to be New York and D.C., that the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania was meant for Chicago. Chicago...my hometown. The city where my sister was currently working. I remember calling her in tears. I wanted to know that she was okay.

Being 18 and trying to comprehend everything that was going on was just too much.

A few days later I went to the prayer vigil on campus. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of us on the quad with candles. It was such an amazing sight.

Fast forward 12 years and it's still fresh.

Tonight as a part of honoring the people of 9/11 we flagged the lawn in front of our building. We are actually doing an entire week of service projects, but tonight was the main event that we had. We chose to honor photojournalist Bill Biggart. I didn't choose him randomly, I was pretty deliberate in my decision. I do not even think I offered any other options.

So why Bill? Well, this summer my sister (yes, the same sister I called in tears on 9/11) and I went to D.C. and visited the Newseum. Inside they have an exhibit on 9/11 with a piece of one of the towers and coverage from that day. There are interviews with people moments after it happened that play on loop and then there is a glass case with a camera, press passes and film canisters. That glass case is everything they found from Bill Biggart four days after 9/11.

Bill was a photojournalist and was simply walking his dog with his wife when the first plane hit. Being the journalist that he was he ran home for his press passes and cameras. He was going to capture the story.

He was there when the first tower fell. He came out from the dust cloud, called his wife and said, "I'm safe.

I'm with the firemen." He told her he'd be home in 20 minutes. 20 minutes later the second tower fell.

What Bill did that day is something that our faculty strive to teach our students. He had a passion and commitment to his craft that cannot be taught in the classroom, rather it can only be experienced.  Teaching our students about Bill and his contribution will hopefully give them some perspective on their field.

On this 9/11 I urge you to learn about someone that fell in either New York, Pennsylvania or D.C. If you see a first responder tomorrow, smile, say thank you. Above all, remember, honor and live. Live for those who are no longer with us. Live for those that are overseas fighting to give us each day that we have.

Just live.

Amanda Goes to Washington....The Final Chapter

I was pretty impressed with everything that Cathy and I saw in a short amount of time this past Friday, but I will say the entire time we were on the tour we were freaking out because the list of "to-see" things was growing by the second. Saturday was going to be a busy day.

We started our day with a beyond delicious breakfast at Art and Soul. Cathy had their breakfast and I had the lemon buttermilk pancakes with a side of some crazy thick delicious bacon. I made a valiant effort with the pancakes but it looked like I didn't even touch them. Nonetheless we were properly fueled to begin our adventure.

We started our day at the Newseum, which has an amazing view from the top:

Yup, that's the Capitol behind us (and the Canadian Embassy, aka Leann's home).

Our main reason for visiting was the JFK exhibit.

There were three separate sections to this exhibit. There was a section on the photos and photographer, the day Kennedy was shot and then there was a film about Kennedy and his relationship with the media.  They were all fascinating and worth the price of admission. 

We also saw a section of the Berlin Wall while we were there. 

I, personally, do not remember the Berlin Wall coming down since I was still pretty young. That being said, it was still pretty awesome to see this piece of history up close and personal.

There was also a section on 9/11. If I thought the JFK area was emotional, I was not prepared for 9/11.  

Seeing a piece of the tower surrounded by the front pages from the day after was a lot to take in. There was also the belongings of a reporter who went to capture the story and did not survive.  They also had a film playing with the first reports and the reporters that covered it. Cathy and I had to walk out, it was just all too much. It still feels fresh.

The rest of the Newseum included newspapers throughout history, a workings news studio, lots of interactive exhibits and one of the coolest things, in my opinion, the front page from every state and a few countries.

It is so neat to see the front page from various states!

They also had a pretty awesome gift shop, just ask my sister.

Thankfully, she did not purchase those. I'm also shocked this photo came out as well as it did because I was laughing so hard, it should have blurred.

Our next stop was the National Museum of Natural History. 

I think this was one of the busier stops we made. There were just a ton of people. All of the animal rooms were really neat and the bug area totally creeped me out. However, my favorite stop was the Hope Diamond.

And yes, I was the a-hole that said, "I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end!" Side note, my sister is not a fan of the Hope Diamond because it is surrounded by 'bad juju'.  

After exploring the museum and subsequently the gift shops, we headed to the sculpture gardens for lunch and some walking around. 

After the gardens we went into one of the art gallery's and I was able to see a Monet up close and personal. SO amazing! 

At that point we knew our day was done and we had to high-tail it back to the hotel to meet our shuttle for the airport. 

While our joint trip ends there, my trip continued at the airport. I shared my flight with, I don't even know how many, WWII veterans. They were on a day trip to DC to see various memorials, including the WWII memorial.  All of them had on matching shirts and hats that said they were vets. They also were wearing buttons that had a photo of them from when they were in the service. This alone made me smile.  Then the waterworks started. 

The gate rep from AirTran announced she was going to board our flight and that there were veterans from WWII on our flight. They would be given priority boarding as a thank you for their service. That's right, business class and priority customers would have to wait for these men to board the plane. I teared up.

When we landed and exited the plane I saw a bagpiper. Bagpipes alone make me a mess, but to know that he was there for these men turned me into a hot mess. As each man came off the plane the bagpiper played one of the military songs. 

If I wasn't already close to ugly crying I then saw what was waiting for them past security. There was a group of people lined with the American flag and signs that said, "thank you for your service!" I cannot remember the name of the group that does this, but whoever you are thank you. It was so amazing to see these men honored for something they did so long ago and that it still matters to people today. 

Talk about the perfect way to end a trip.  All four days were amazing and I am so glad I was able to spend that time with my sister. Thanks for tagging along Tay Tay!