Has it really been 8 years?!
(because I remember it still like it was yesterday)
I woke up this morning and was feeling pretty lazy after a 10 hour work day yesterday for a conference, followed by a ward activity and then a flag football game. So I decided it would be a sleep in and go to work late day. Rand didn't have to get to class until 11:00, so it worked.
We got up and watched some ESPN and had breakfast. I thought about how it was my brothers birthday and we were going to dinner tonight to celebrate his,
Rands and my birthdays for this month.
I dropped Rand off at class and then headed to my office. As I did, I heard President Bush's voice on the radio and I was a little confused. Then I heard more voices tied into a song I hadn't heard in a while, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson.
And it hit me...
Today is 9.11!
Instantly I remembered EVERYTHING about that day for me.
So I don't ever forget (and I'm bad with journals), I'm putting it here.
I woke up the morning of September 11, 2009 (a Tuesday) and got ready for school like any other day (it was my senior year at BYU).
We didn't have cable in our apartment, so our TV served only as a movie watching device.
As I was heading out one of my roommates arrive home from the gym.
She simply said, "an airplane just crashed into the World Trade Center."
In my head I imagined a small propeller plane crashing into the side of the building,
a small accident, and headed off to school.
I was a TA for a religion professor, Brother Lawrence Flake. I got the office and set my stuff down and noticed a bunch of people collected in the conference room. I walked in and they had the news playing on the screen...it wasn't a small propeller plane. I just stood there frozen, not believing what I was seeing. Just then Brother Flake came walking up and inquired about what was going on. I told him to watch and he couldn't believe it. He ran to his office to call his wife (who was still asleep). She didn't answer, so he told me to cancel his classes and he was heading home to wake up his wife and inform her. The last thing he said as he walked out the office was,
"We're going to war!"
I started wondering what all was going to happen. I turned a small TV on in his office and sat and watched it. I called my parents to wake them up and tell them what was happening
(they were an hour behind in Cali and I thought they'd be asleep still).
But Kevin had been up getting ready for seminary when he saw the news,
so he had already woke them.
My dad and I just sat there on the phone watching everything unfold.
We chatted a little, but mostly we just sat in silence...watching.
I felt like I was watching a movie on TV. I was in Utah and this was happening so far away.
It seemed so surreal. I'd seen similar scenes on the movie/TV scene before.
BUT THIS WAS REAL!
And then it happened...one of the towers collapsed.
My dad just gasped and said, "there's no way they were able to get everyone out in time."
I couldn't believe I just witnessed so many people die. How many were trapped in there?
On Tuesdays at BYU they always hold a devotional, and at the beginning of the school year the BYU President and his wife always address the students. It was immediately announced that the devotional was postponed, but that instead there would be a prayer service held. I walked to the auditorium of the JSB (where I worked) to attend it through broadcast
(it was held in the Marriott Center but broadcast all over campus).
President Bateman gave a short speech titled, "Hope for Peace".
You can retreive a copy
here.Then he offered a prayer for the country...especially those personally affected by the attacks.
The rest of the day just seemed to be in slow motion.
Classes weren't really held; they were either cancelled or you just discussed the events.
My evening business organization class was about 15 minutes long.
Our teacher came in a little shook up. He told us that he had just arrived back from New York the night before from a business trip. He was suppose to fly out of New York that morning,
but he just had a urge to get home to his wife sooner, so he took a flight out the night before instead. He told us about walking through those buildings just the day before.
It still seemed so surreal.
On my way home I grabbed newspapers from the day (one of the major papers here in Utah was an afternoon paper). I knew that paper was going to be big in the events of my life. I still have it.
After a long, very seemingly un-real day, I finally was getting ready to go to sleep.
And then it hit me...it's my brothers birthday.
So at about 10:30 PM that night, I gave him a call.
It was the most somber birthday wish I'd ever given anyone,
"Hey Bri...so, uh...Happy Birthday?"
"Yeah," was his response.
The weeks and months that followed that were so unreal. I read all the papers, magazines, on-line articles about it. I flew home just 10 days later for my cousin's wedding on the emptiest flight I've ever been on (still to this day). Rows were emptly all around me.
As I read a magazine about the events just 10 days earlier, all the details of how these murders pulled off taking over an airplane, while I sat on an airplane waiting for take-off.
The captain then came on the speaker and reassured us that he was trained in combat fighting and our plane was completely safe (to which the few people on board applauded.)
Only a week or so after that trip, I sat at my table in my apartment working on a scrapbook of my cousings wedding while I listened to the LDS general conference on the radio
(again, we didn't have TV). As I did, I again found myself frozen in place as I heard
I was listening to conference before that moment,
but I was LISTENING to it after that moment.
It was amazing to see the things that followed:
patriotism and a turning to God all across this nation.
Almost 5 years later, in August of 2006, my friend Tricia and I took a trip to the East Coast.
One of our stops was New York.
I knew that there was NO WAY I would go to New York and not visit Grount Zero.
One of the BIGGEST things to EVER happen in U.S. history.
I had to pay my respects to this nation, to those who fight for it's freedoms, and to those who lost their lives that day by going there.
One of the first things I remember seeing as we came to the site was this wall of names of those who had died that day (not just there, but at the pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field).
The site of Ground Zero was under construction...it almost didn't even look like anything more than a construction site.
But then there was an American flag in the middle, reminding you that it wasn't just a construction site.
As you walked around to the other side
(where they had rebuilt the subway station through the site)
There were more signs posted:
There were numerous signs like these below that were
a detailed timeline of the events of that day.
There we were, in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world, surrounded by hundreds of people...and it was incredibly quiet. I don't doubt that many people were quiet out of respect;
but I can't help that so many were alot like me...remembering and reliving in their minds
where they were and what they were doing that day.
I know some people think this song is a little cheesy, but I happen to think it was very heartfelt.
Everytime I hear it I'm immediately transported back to this day in history...
I'm sitting in Brother Flakes office, starring at a small TV, holding a phone with my dad on the other end of it...in silence.
Hardly ever do I hear it and not get teary eyed,
just like this morning as I pulled up into the parking lot of my work where
and I just sat, listened and remembered.
"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
By Alan Jackson
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry
Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?
Just incase my mind ever fails me,
this post is so I always remember where I was that day!
Here's a better view of this waterfall. We could see this mountain from where we were staying.
Wild roosters and chickens: EVERYWHERE!
Here's a chicken with her little chicks; again on the side of the road.
GORGEOUS beaches with hardly anyone on them.
Seriously, it's about 3 PM here and the beach is practically empty!
Here's another 'screensaver' shot. 
There were three of them.
I was so excited about swimming with the turtles that I had to call my niece and nephew the next morning (with the time difference it was too late that night) to tell them that I went swimming with 'Crush' (Finding Nemo). She got on the phone and I said, "Ellie, guess what we went swimming with yesterday." I thought I'd really be impressing her with the turtles.
Outside the place were tons of geckos. I kept waiting for one to talk like the Geico gecko, but it didn't happen. They were eating up all the mosquitos, so that was nice of them.
The next day we decided to go on a hike we had heard about.
We got to hike along the trail to this view much of the first 2 miles: the Na Pali Coast.
So you come to Hanakapiai Beach after 2 miles.
The only assumption I can make about all the people below in this picture at the beach is that they can't read...because I thought the sign above was pretty clear!
This is where we began the trek inland.
We are fans of the show 'Lost'.
This is me hiding from the 'black smoke'!
And we finally did make it to the waterfall.
And of course, we had to take a swim in the little swimming hole.
And we also took some with the water camera as well (not as good of quality).
I loved that I had my chaco sandals (and my water hiking shoes).
I'm also really glad I packed our hydration packs. So nice to have these!
These trees are all over Kauai (I think all over Hawaii in general.)
Here we are at the end of our hike, 8 miles later!
Here's a map of the hike:
After our hike we decided to go check out Queen's Bath.
Queen's Bath is basically natural pools carved into lava.
These little crabs (well, they varied in size) were all over the place.
It's usually pretty safe to swim in here when the tide is down. 
After Queen's Bath we decided to go to this beach we had been told about by my parents, as well as a local woman we sat by on the plane flight to Kauai.
And we found out why: it's hiding and not many people know about it.
We just chilled and watched the outrigger teams paddle by (about 6 of them).
I also continued my search to find my niece a cool shell.
But upon closer inspection I realized that the shell was still occupied.
Oh, and Rand left a little note for me in the sand.
Seriously..we had a private beach all to ourselves to watch the sunset!
So how does a jem like this not get filled with people?
At first we didn't know if we'd enjoy it as much as a raft trip...but in the end we LOVED it!
We were able to just chill on the boat, visit with other people, had a hot dinner served to us.
We could chill out on the front of the boat where the 'trampolines' were. 
Before actually getting around the corner to the Na Pali coast, there is this US base located there. If you've heard in the last week that the US is sending more equiptment to 'Hawaii' that will detect missiles and such because of N. Korea, this is where they are talking about. 
And then we began our the beginning of our Na Pali Coast tour.
Right at the beginning we came across these little guys!
There were tons of them and they were all around the boat.
I was pretty excited about it and had to get some video.
These fish were all over by the boat. We had to swim through them to get off or on the boat.
Then it was back on the boat to continue the tour.
This picture was to catch the waterfall behind us. 
Seeing these caves just made us want to kayak the coast even more.
If you've ever seen 'Six Days, Seven Nights', this is the beach that Harrison Ford and Anne Heche run up and through as they are running from the pirates.
This picture below isn't a picture I pulled off the internet or from a 'Natural Wonders' book...
So this beach below is one you can camp on.
GORGEOUS!
Right as we turned around to head back it began to rain behind us and created a rainbow!
This is a better picture...you can see it across the whole center.
This was our captain: Captain Rick.
He also let us drive the boat.
Which then began a wave of people on the boat requesting the same.
Our attempt to catch the sunset between the clouds. 
We loved this catamaran tour. The crew was awesome, the food was delish, the weather perfect, the snorkelling fun, the dolphins a plus and the scenery unbeatable!
It wasn't bad...but we realized that ideally this place is for beginning surfers.
