5 years ago today

The world was stunned when planes hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. I don't think anyone will ever forget exactly where they were when they received the news of what was happening. It's like when Kennedy was shot to our parents. Many of us saw the second plane hit the WTC live on TV.

I was home, the kids had just left for school. Dad was here for a few minutes to bring my dogs back (he walked them every day). I was just ready to give him a ride to the store to pick up his medicine, when my cousin calls screaming about planes and WTC. I had no idea what she was saying. "Turn on the TV!" I did that and saw the second plane hit live. Dad and I just sat there, stunned.

My in-laws were on a bus trip to Atlantic City, NJ, so of course, I tried calling them immediately. No answer. Strange. I keep trying all day and kept getting more and more worried. Eventually, my MIL calls and says that FIL had heart problems and was in the hospital. She's hysterical, but says not to worry. Wrong answer. I jump in the car, go get my mother and we rush there. I couldn't think of anything else. I just had to go.

Over 12 hours later, we're pulling into their hotel parking lot. Three days later, he's released and we bring them home. (He had to have surgery a couple weeks later) Hubby had just started a new job and would have been fired if he left. I had just started at the paper as a staff writer, but didn't really care. I called the editor from NJ and said I wouldn't be in for a bit. Luckily, they understood.

It was so eerie driving on the interstate that day and night. There was practically no traffic and signs were everywhere that NYC was closed because of a "major incident." We had no idea what to expect, but I just HAD to go.

The really weird thing about it, my daughter had said just that weekend that we would be on the beach on Monday. Well, I live in PA and there is no beach. I shrugged it off, but it really hit me when I was standing on the beach, looking at the ocean on Tuesday just what she said.