[phisigduchesscv]

It's normal in my family as soon as we get up in the morning to turn on the tv to a local news station. My alarm had gone off and I had just hit the snooze when I heard my mom turn on the tv and then I heard her yell for my dad to get up that the WTC was on fire (didn't know that a plane had crashed in to it yet). At that point I put my tv on just in time to see the second plane crash in to the other tower. All I could think of was "oh my God we've just been attacked". We immediately got on the phone to call my sister and brothers who all live out of state. I also texted message my boyfriend and then tried calling him about the news. Then the news starts talking about 2 other planes going off course and then that the pentagon has been hit with a plane too. After that it was a lot of calling family and friends back and forth with the news and talking about all the rumors various news channels were reporting.

I have one brother in the Coast Guard stationed near Norfolk, VA and the base was immediately locked down and on the highest level of alert. My other brother, who lives in Washington State, called to tell me to put on BBC America ( I have different tv company then my parents do). I was watching their coverage and they actually showed a video of the plane that hit the pentagon. I've only seen it the one time and it's never been shown on American tv, I guess it may show some national security measures. If I didn't know a couple of other people who saw the same thing i would think I had had a nightmare of it.

I remember just sitting in front of the tv in shock as all this was going down. I do have to say it was the oddest thing flipping to every channel on directv from shopping channels to sports to animal planet and everyone was broadcasting the attacks on tv. i have never seen anything like it before. Finally when it came around to 8:00 when I should have been in the office I called my boss and told her that I would be late and didn't know what time I would be in. She knew a plane had flown in to the WTC but didn't know about all the attacks.

I don't think I will ever have the memories erased in my mind of watching the towers collapse. this is truly the "where were you" of my generation (generation x) even above and beyond the shuttle explosion. Pretty much any generation born since Kennedy was shot or when the shuttle exploded this it the where were you time. I finally forced myself to go to work but ended up answering questions about what had happened since we didn't have tv feed in the Admissions office. Finally the Campus President announced that Governor Davis was shutting down all state offices and that the campus was closed. I drove home and just sat in front of the tv not still not believing my eyes.

I do remember everyone in my family telling each other we loved them. It's not something we normally do although it was always understood without saying the words. At that time they needed to be said. Then we just prayed our hearts out.

This Wednesday CSUDH is going to read off the names of the Californians that died in the plane crashes. After each name is read a bell will sound. Then a Patriotic quilt is being unveiled at the university. Finally at 8:00 Wednesday night we will hold a candlelight vigil.