I was at work at Red Lobster getting the dining room ready for lunch. I was vacuuming booths, making lemonade and iced tea, and making sure that the servers (which included me) would be set up for success. I was listening to my walkman radio (remember those? Pre-Ipods?).
The news broke in with reports of the towers being hit. I didn't get it at first, but I went and talked to my manager. We didn't have a tv at work, so I went back to cleaning and listening to the radio talk about what was happening. When I realized it was airplanes, I called my mom. My dad was scheduled to fly home from out east, and I wasn't sure where. He was fine, just stuck. When the other manager came in, she filled us in on more details. We opened at 11, but it was obvious that lunch would be slow, so I headed volunteered to go home.
My husband of 5 months wasn't home, so I went to my moms. She had the tv on, and for the first time I was able to see what had happened. When Nick was finished work, he came over. By this time we were a little tired of the same things being said over and over and over. It didn't feel like anything new was being discovered at that point. So Nick and I took my 3 year old brother over to the park. It was refreshing, and rejuvenating. After all, he had no concept of what had happened.
When I made this page, back in winter 2001 I wrote: The Day that changed a Nation. How little did I know.
Pre-9/11/01: I could meet my dad at the gate when he was returning.
Post-9/11/01: I had a hard time meeting him anywhere near the airport.
Pre-9/11/01: Canada was a birth certificate away.
Post-9/11/01: Canada was a passport and 8-10 week waiting period away.
Pre-9/11/01: I wasn't concerned about what I packed.
Post-9/11/01: I check my liquids, and prepare for a fight over formula going through the x-ray.
These are just 3 ways I can think of my life changing. Everyone has their own opinions, and mine is that a 3 ounce liquid restrictions isn't keeping the terrorists away.
So, for today, I'm going to try to remember that feeling I had spending time with my brother and husband at the park. My dad will be on a plane again, but only to Arizona. Hopefully, my husband and I will be at the park again, but with our son. And Canada? Well, it's now a passport (for me and Nick), and a birth certificate (for Matthew) away.
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