The morning of September 11th started like any other day, with my mom walking to the bus stop with my sister and I. My dad was already at work, having left before I came downstairs for breakfast. I didn’t think anything of that, it was completely normal.

As the day went by, kids in my classes started being picked up from school. We didn’t know why, our school made the decision not to inform us of the events that were taking place, despite the fact that they knew that so many of us would be affected by them. We knew, however, that something was up, as many of the teachers looked very sad, in addition to our missing schoolmates.

Upon finally arriving home from the bus, I was met at the door by my mother.

Sobbing.

I asked her “what’s wrong?” And she responded, “New York’s been attacked, the Twin Towers are gone.” My immediate thought was, “is dad okay?”

Thankfully, my dad had a meeting in Princeton that day, and was nowhere near the city. As soon as I found that out, I asked about my uncle, who was a bond trader for Morgan Stanley. I knew that he had worked in the World Trade Center, and fortunately, a couple months earlier, Morgan Stanley moved their trading floor to Midtown. He ended up spending that night asleep under his desk because they stopped running the trains.

Most of us returned to school the following day, with whispered conversations on the bus and in between classes about what we saw on the news the day before. It didn’t register for most of us as seventh graders what it really meant. But for some of my classmates it did, they weren’t in school that day. They were at home with mothers or fathers; praying that their parents would call them to say that they’re okay. Many of them never got that call.

Now, living 4 blocks from the Pentagon, I am reminded every day of how lucky I am that my father had to attend a meeting in Princeton, and that Morgan Stanley moved their offices uptown. Driving home today I passed Arlington National Cemetery and in between the Pentagon and the Potomac River, and saw the two American flags out front being flown at half staff.

It made me think about the people who weren’t so lucky. Who don’t get to hear their parent’s voices on the phone. Who sent their loved ones overseas to protect America.

And it makes me believe in the power of the American spirit, that those less fortunate than I am are able to get up in the morning and go about their business like they would have beforehand. Never forgetting those lost, but not letting those losses defeat them.

(Photo Credit: @johndeguzman)

I took this from the Steamship Authority dock in Hyannis, Mass., while waiting for the ferry to take my sister and me over to Nantucket. I’ll be on island for 10 days, and will hopefully be posting some new pictures while I’m here for you! Enjoy!

Bangkok is an unbelievably interesting place. An up-and-coming city that has a tremendous amount of history packing into it, even though it’s only about 200 years old. There’s a really neat mash-up of new and old, I counted over two-dozen different skyscrapers under construction, casting shadows on hundred year-old temples. Pretty cool stuff. My only regret was that we weren’t able to venture outside the city. Since we were only there for what amounted to 4 full days, it didn’t make much sense to travel beyond the city limits. But I definitely hope to go back to Thailand at some point in the future.

Anywho, here are the rest of my keepers. A couple might actually have been taken by my father, I can’t remember.

Following President Obama’s announcement, thousands of Penn State students rushed to Beaver Avenue to celebrate the event. The celebration was incredibly peaceful and happy, police involvement was minimal beyond them putting out a small fine and redirecting traffic. It was an enjoyable and emotional event, with some pretty cool photos just waiting to be taken.