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)

On Saturday night I went on assignment to the Capitol Steps show at the State Theatre in downtown State College, PA. I was one of the only people there under the age of 40, but I still found the show to be extremely entertaining. The Capitol Steps is a political comedy troupe that is made up of former Congressional staffers and they lampoon current political figures. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who’s being portrayed in this photo.

My family got a new puppy in late november. This was the first time I got to see him since I had been away at school. He’s a liver-colored Brittany Spaniel, which we got from Maine from some prestigious breeder, or something. I don’t know, all I know is that he’s adorable. Happy Christmas!