Every year, I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was teaching 7th grade math in a science classroom in a small New Jersey town. It was my first year teaching middle school. Parents flocked to the school to get their kids and I just couldn't understand why they would do that...school is safe, right? What I came to learn was that nothing was safe that day. I couldn't believe what had happened...it was like I was in a bad dream. Everything changed for me after that. This video and song brought me to tears. Never forget...
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6 comments:
I was at work at EDS at my desk when my boyfriend at the time called me and told me to log onto cnn.com because a plane hit the WTC. I assumed it was just an accident. I went into a closed door meeting and came out 2 hours later to discover the horror. I had a panic attack right then and there - hyperventilated and had to be assisted by my colleagues wiht my head between my knees and a brown paper bag. Even though I'm from Michigan, a member of my church was killed in the WTC - he was there on business that day. I'll never forget that day and the days following.
LIFE IS A GIFT. That gift was stolen from 3000 good people on September 11, 2001 by twisted ideology.
That day was my late day so I was the last one into school. I was listening to Imus when Werner Wolf came on saying he had just seen a plane hit the Twin Tower. No one of course knew what was happening at the time. I saw the head custodian, Jim, first at school and told him. The rest of the day we worked to maintain a normal day for children whose world was turning inside out. We had so many children of NYC police and firemen. This day changed our world forever - and not for the better
We were about to head out to the track for gym class and our PE teacher suggested we stay inside instead. She was one of the first to have heard the news within our building. We weren't allowed to turn on the TVs (not that I had cable or anything to get any news) so that it didn't scare our students.
I remember it took me forever to get home that day..even here in MI. I remember just sitting and watching TV all night, in disbelief.
My 2 biggest fears in all of it were my brothers. My oldest brother was on a US Navy Aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean on his way back from a 6 month deployment. We were terrified they'd turn around and head immediately back to the gulf. Thankfully the ship was in ill repair and they HAD to come back to port before they could even consider heading out (which they did less than a year later). My other brother, here in MI, is a firefighter and he was ready and willing to go to NYC if they put a call out for more help. I was so glad he never went.
Seeing everyone's photos and memories of that day across the web today has made me tear up multiple times...one of those days we'll certainly never forget.
I was working in a school 9 miles from the Pentagon. The ground literally shook.
I don't think the sky could have been bluer that day or the world more silent.
My one son lived 20 blocks north of the WTC. My other son lived 5 miles from the Pentagon. My mother lived in southwest Pennsylvania. I'm not exaggerating when I say I thought the world was coming to an end that day. All of my loved ones were endangered. It took me weeks to have restful sleep. I only found solace by listening to Benedictine Monks sing Gregorian chants. I will NEVER be the same. I will never forget.
It still seems like a movie to me. Almost uncomprehendable.
Such a tragedy.
I wanted to answer your question on my blog real quick. About the $$$$ savings on our backyard.
I sort of added up all the work and the whole back yard cost us about $3,000. Thats wood, gardening supplies, nails and hardware, paint, having our concrete poured, and sod. It took about 4 months of course weekend only because we work all week.
It seems insane but over time and with the awesome help of friends we got it done.
We priced the pergola's alone at lowes and home depot to have someone come out and make one for us would have cost us about 3-$4,000.00 alone. That doesn't include our retaining wall, and flower beds and concrete being poured. The concrete was about $700.00. The flower beds were about $300.00 total, thats edging, mulch, plants and so on.
I would say we saved a good $4-5,000.00 dollars give or take a little. I need to add it all up and total our savings.
We saw a tiny little archway made of wood that you put out in a garden or something at Lowes today. They were asking $1,000.00 for it. I about lost it. I was in shock. I could spread my arms out and touch the entire thing. It was that small. But you don't have to build it and so apparently people pay for that? Insane.
We probably spent that much on the lumber for our pergola and the entire thing is pretty big.
It was definitely a large saving. My husband who built it all might have a thing or two to say about weather it was worth it or not though :)
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