September 11: Where were you??

John and I went out to dinner on the 11th and we talked about where we were when the twin towers fell. Since neither of us probably kept journals back then I decided to turn our discussion into a post.

Victoria:
I was a senior in high school attending Penticton Secondary School (Pen-hi) on September 11, 2001. I was sitting in the library waiting for school to start. I always got to school early because I would get a ride straight from seminary at the church to the high school. I was talking and laughing with Irene Pastulovic, one of my classmates. I remember everyone gathering in the computer section of the library, there was some kind of commotion that caught my attention. We went in to see teachers and a few students watching the news on a tv. I remember seeing the buildings smoking and then seeing one of them fall. It just seemed very surreal and I didn't really understand what was happening. I remember Mr Hannah, my history teacher, just standing there shaking his head with his hand over his mouth. None of it seemed real and I didn't comprehend the gravity of what had just happened when I saw it.

John:
I remember we were living in the Sloan's old home, renting it out waiting for our new roof to be completed--due to recent fire damage. I was attending BYU but living in Elk Ridge until I could find an apartment. I was downstairs in one of the bedrooms, sleeping on a mattress on the ground when my mom bursts through my bedroom. I can't remember exactly what she said, but it was something to the effect of "John, you need to come up and watch the news. There has been a major terrorist attack that will change the world forever." Together the two of us ran upstairs. It was hard to believe, watching the screen with the smoking tower, imagining an airplane crashing into it. And then, as if watching a replay I saw another plane smash into the second tower. Was I seeing this right? I thought to myself. The image I was watching said live underneath it, could the second tower have been hit too? I told my mom, but she said it was probably only a replay. Then seconds later the news lady confirmed that, yes indeed, the second tower was hit... The rest of the morning was more of a blur for me. I remember staying home from school and watching the news all day wondering what this all would mean, how things would end. It was a scary day, I don't think I'll ever forget it.