Where were you when the world stopped turning?

Everyone has a story.

I was in my dorm room my freshman year at Texas Tech University. I was sleeping through my 8:00 am history class {shocker}, and I remember my roommate's phone ringing over and over and over. She finally picked it up, it was her dad telling us to turn on the TV immediately. I sat up in bed and stared at the TV in disbelief... it looked like a movie. At this point everyone was still unsure of what was going on, we just knew a plane flew in to one of the towers of the World Trade Center. A few minutes after watching, the 2nd plane hit.

We spent the morning at the dining hall in Stangel-Murdough, another dorm on campus. It had the best food and a huge open space with tons of TV's, so that's the only place we could really think to go. Deep down, we were all freaked out because we were only 2 or 3 weeks into class, away from our families, and had no clue what to do. The dining hall was eerily quiet considering there were a few hundred students packed into the tables. We must have sat there for 3 or 4 hours, just watching. We were watching when the towers collapsed and cried along with the rest of the world... I remember the exact  feeling... knowing that our lives would never be the same.

When I found out there was a 5k that took off from the Pentagon on 9-11 that raised money for the firefighters, police, and EMS who participated in the rescue of the victims of the Pentagon, I signed up right away with a few friends. I'm glad I did... it was a really cool experience.

The crowd during the Star Spangled Banner

Pre-race

Crossing the finish line with Janice

We all made it!

I was such a humbling experience to read the messages on the t-shirts and read the posters that the spectators were holding up that thanked us for honoring their loved ones. That's what kept me going. It reminded me how lucky I am to live in the best country in the world, and I'm thankful for the brave armed forces that fight for my freedom every day.