Remembering 9/11

My memories of seven years ago are probably much like everyone else's. Well, at least the same as those who weren't in New York that day. I was in college. I was walking in between classes when someone called me and said "The World Trade Center has been bombed!" I laughed and said, "yeah, that happened like 10 years ago." They said, no it's on CNN right now. I walk to the production center at MCC and find several other people in the control room watching Fox News and CNN. Sure enough, the building was on fire. I watched as the other plane crashed into the second tower and then the Pentagon and all that. I remember sitting there and hiding my face because I was crying. We had the ability to watch several networks at once. I watched as one Fox news reporter was on the ground reporting. Another network had an aerial shot of the towers. Just as the second tower fell, the Fox News reporter started running and then his feed went to snow. I don't know what happened to him. That really affected me.

We (my broadcasting class) decided to shoot video reactions. Not many people knew about the chaos because most were in classes that morning. We helped the production center set up TV's in the cafeteria and the lobbies so everyone can watch. There was an impromptu prayer service at the flagpoles in front of the school around noon. The President of the school was there and prayed with the students about how this day would change our lives forever. A local pastor was there as well. He spoke about remaining strong and unified as a nation. We lowered the flags in support. I videotaped most of it. I walked around and watched as students and teachers sat in the hallways and watched in silence, some hiding their tears, some not. The President cancelled classes for the rest of the day.

I eventually went to work that day. I was working part-time at the TV station then. There was no reason to go there. There was nothing to do. The networks kept broadcasting for two & a half days. We weren't given a local news opportunity until Thursday night, I believe. We all just kind of sat around and moped. Everyone was in a daze for about a week. I don't remember much about the rest of the week. I do remember worrying about one of my co-workers. Clay Miller, our weekend sports anchor, was in New York and had been on a plane that was ordered to land. The emotion of that day and the weeks following were so intense. I remember feeling scared, feeling like World War III had just started and I was going to live through it. I remember worrying that another Depression-like event was imminent. I remember feeling very patriotic, wanting to do whatever I could to help whoever I could. Then I remember feeling helpless. Wondering who, why, and wondering if it was going happen again.

There is Hope!!!!

It appears we have hope. Hope is good! I will be at the beach this weekend. If anyone needs me, leave a message.... I'll get back to you.... One day! Yeah!!! Vacation!!!!!

From The Soup: Funniest On-Air Mistake ever.....

Where did this cat come from!!!?!?!?!? It's hilarious!!!

(I couldn't post the youtube embed link for some reason.)

Did I mention that I HATE HURRICANES!!!!

Okay seriously!! I had to work overtime on Labor day (I didn't get double time because I haven't been there long enough :( )
Mom and I are planning on going to the beach this Friday..... Based on this picture, it doesn't look like we'll be enjoying ourselves... We'll be fighting Ike... If this storm hits any part of the LA/MS/AL coast, I'll have to stay here because I might have to work. I'M NOT HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!!!! We've been planning this trip for 6 months!!!

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH :"{_(*&^%##%^*())_P::>:{{_)(_)((*€$€#@^&*

I hate Hurricanes!

I'm finally sitting down... with no real reason to get up. The last two days have been crazy! On Sunday, I had to go in at 11pm and work overnight. I left around 4:30 Monday morning and went back to bed. I woke up around 11 and went to the hospital for a few minutes before heading back to work at 12:30. I stayed at work till 11:30 that night. Total time in that 24 hour period... 16 hours. This morning I woke up at 5:45 and went to sit with Papaw till around 10am. I came home and took a nap. Went to work at 1:45. Fortunately, Steven is going to do the 10pm show tonight, so I can sleep. I was going to stay with Papaw, but Mom hired a sitter since he is doing much better. That way we can both get some much needed rest. I am going to soak in the bath and then go to bed. Yipee!! The bad news is I'll probably have to do it again next week when "Ike" decides where it wants to go.

Thanks for all your thoughts & prayers during Papaw's hospital stay. He will hopefully get released tomorrow or Thursday.

Some flowers from the bushes in our yard....

Bowling w/ Drew & Gage

This afternoon, we had Drew & Gage with us for a few hours while Becky & Steve were at an appointment. We took them bowling down the road. Wes won both games, but the second game, Drew & Gage tied for second and beat me. Wes & I bowled with the opposite hand to give them an advantage. It worked with me, I was horrible left-handed. Here's some pics.....




Tonight I have to work because we are doing weather cut-ins every hour. Yeah!! (Sarcastic!!) Hopefully the storm won't effect us and we'll be able to get back to normal over the next few days. We'll see....

MOM'S 50TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

This morning, Wes and I surprised Mom with a cake and flowers during her Sunday School class. She had no idea we were coming. It was great!!!!

Something else that she didn't know was that I also wrote on her car windows!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Not Again.....

cnn.com

Phoebe's strange habit.....

Phoebe has somehow developed the strange habit of "licking" Wes' flipflops. She will stick her head under the strap and lick the shoes. I don't why she's doing this. I don't know if it feels good on her tongue or there's something about these specific shoes that "tastes good." (GROSS!!) It's weird, but it's the funniest thing to watch.

Papaw was doing okay today. He still a bit confused, but was a little stronger this morning when he woke up. He slept pretty good last night, only waking up once. Please keep him in your prayers.

Writer's Block #5

"Describe a time when you were afraid of something that wasn't real."

I made this one up because for some reason, this memory came to me today as I was sitting with Papaw at the hospital. (He's doing fair by the way. Very confused. His temperature is down though.) I don't know why I started thinking about it. Here goes....

When I was a young thing, about 8 or so, my brother and I were at home with a babysitter. I won't mention her name because, well, I don't know why. It's not her fault. Anyway, it was getting late that night and we were watching a TV movie. Pete had already fallen asleep (he was about 3 or 4 at the time) and I begged to stay up and finish the movie.

The movie was called "David." It was about a little boy (named David) whose parents were separating and competing for his love. I can't remember all the details, but it seemed that the parents were trying to get David to want to live with each and both were doing things to get him to "love" them more than the other. The boy's father decides to take little David to Disney World. On the way there, Dad goes to a convenience store and buys a gas can & gasoline, matches, cigarettes, and some sleeping pills. They end up a hotel room for the night to rest up for David's big day which he is overly excited about. Dad gives him a sleeping pill, telling him it will simply help him sleep better. He takes it and promptly passes out on the bed. Dad then pores gasoline all around the room and on the bed around David. He pores a trail of gas out the door and into the parking lot. (You can guess what happens next). He lights a match...

In the end, Dad goes to jail and David miraculously survives with severe burns all over his body. (In reality, he wouldn't have had a chance.) I don't know why Dad did this awful thing. Maybe because he thought that if little David was disfigured, Mom wouldn't want him. Or maybe he was selfish, thinking that if he couldn't have him, no one could.

I guess I was at an impressionable age then, because from then on, I was terrified of someone coming into my room while I was sleeping and poring gas on my bed. At times when I couldn't sleep or would hear noises at night, I would cry. On a regular basis, I would go to sleep with either an arm or a leg (or both) hanging off the side of the bed so I would be able to "feel" it. Of course, I was perfectly safe and there was no reason for all this anxiety, but my young mind didn't know any better. I think I did this off and on for years. I eventually began to think I was crazy or something. I knew I was being ridiculous, but in the back of my mind, that small amount of fear made me subconsciously let my leg hang off the bed. I eventually got over it. But I still think about it on occasion. Remembering how scared I was. Looking back, I think it's a bit ironic that the little boy's name was David. Maybe that's why it effected me so much. Either way, I'm over it now, if you're wondering.

I do have random, anxious thoughts about things on occasion. I'll find that my mind begins racing with all these scenarios of things that could happen and how I'll react to them. Things like what would happen if a family member had a car wreck and was seriously hurt, or what if Wes was at school and someone was there with a gun, or what if my parents get hurt at work. How would I find out about the event? Who would be the one to tell me? What would I do? How would I react? (Think about how you found out about 9/11. Where you were, how you reacted.) Sometimes, I'll have a physical reaction to these thoughts, usually when I'm alone. Of course my mind only races like this when I'm driving, trying to sleep, etc. Times when I'm not mentally engaged. My new friend Juliet told me the other day that she does this as well. I'm sure everyone does this in some form. But I'll bet that not everyone is driven to tears from these baseless thoughts. Don't think I'm crazy, it doesn't happen every day. But it's more often than you would think. Sitting in the car for a while or forcing yourself to sleep late at night, your mind starts to race and the "What if?" scenarios start coming. Then later in the day, my mind goes back to that thought and I'll think to myself, "What's wrong with me?"

I don't think my anxiety and this movie experience are related. Well, maybe just a little.