September 11, 2001

I wanted to post this yesterday, but never turned on the computer.

We all need to remember September 11, 2001...It is a day that has forever changed American History. Terrorists attacked us on our land - BIG MISTAKE. Yes, we all mourned the loss of all the innocent lives - but we did what we all do best - Proudly wore the Red White and Blue and stood together as one Nation to fight the ugly wrong doing of the terrorists. It's hard to believe it has been 10 years already.

For me, this day is a day of remembering, sorrow, but also joy and excitement for the future...Let me explain the events of this day as they affected me...

I was getting ready to start my junior year of college at Hastings College. It had always been a dream of mine to study internationally. For as long as I can remember I've had the bug - finally this was the year I was going to fulfill my dream. I was going to prove to myself and everyone else who doubted - that I CAN DO THIS!!! The morning of September 11, 2001 I was at the airport with my family getting ready to board the plane for the long flight to Ireland. I was flying from Omaha to Houston to Newark to Dublin. Once I was in Dublin, I would find the train and make my way to Letterkenny, Ireland - I was going to spend the year studying at Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

From what I remember I boarded my flight in Omaha (headed to Houston) around 7:30am CT (8:30am ET). As many remember the first plane hit Tower 1 of the World Trade Center at 8:46am ET. I was already in the air (so maybe I left at 7:00am - I don't remember Timeline of the 9/11 Attacks). What I do remember was crying myself to sleep on the flight - I was already homesick, wondering if I was doing the right thing, was I going to make it?

I woke up feeling the plane starting to descend, as we were closer to the ground, the pilot came on the PA system and said "we are starting our decent, many of you may be able to tell that we aren't landing in Houston but rather we are landing in Dallas. We'll explain once we have landed and are at the gate."

I start wondering what was going on? Why are we landing here? Why aren't we in Houston? So we finally land and are taxiing to our gate and the pilot comes on the PA again..."here's what we can tell you, the World Trade Center has been attacked. We don't have a lot of details, but we were instructed to land our aircraft at the nearest airport.”

With that said, the ENTIRE plane went silent. I know its cliché, but you COULD have heard a pin drop. No one moved. No one said a word. The pilot had to come back on the PA to tell us that we had to get off the plain and to “…please take all your belongings as we don't know how long we will be here. Please go into the terminal and there will be people to help you."

With that I started crying all over again. I'm not completely sure I really understood what was said or if my tears were more from the fear and homesickness all over again. I remember talking with the lady sitting next to me on the plane and telling her what I was doing and where I was going. She was very sweet and tried to comfort me. We both gathered our stuff and silently everyone got off the plane.

Once inside the terminal I recall seeing the TV’s showing the planes flying into the WTC buildings. At the time I didn’t know if it was live or replays. I was in complete shock. I knew I needed to call my mom and let her know that I was okay. Let her know where I was, I knew she was going to be worried and wanting to know. I found a pay phone and after a couple tries the phone started to ring. It was one of the greatest sounds to hear my mom. I started crying all over again. I told her I was okay and that we were in Dallas, but that I had to go get in line because they were trying to re-book everyone on new flights. I really don’t recall much more of the conversation than that…

When I got back in line there were a few couples in front of me that I remembered seeing in the airport in Omaha. What helped them to stick out was 1) they were part of a larger group and 2) they all had violins or fiddles with them – and a few were playing in Omaha. Well, while we were all in line waiting to get rebooked on new flights, they started talking to me.  I honestly don’t recall how the conversation went or even got started, but I do remember that one couple was from Hastings and their children all went to Hastings College and the other couple was from South Dakota (I think) – I don’t recall their names at the time, so from here on out they will be referred to as the fiddlers and fiddle couples. They were all headed to Ireland as well and were supposed to perform in a fiddle performance or contest. Once we realized we were all headed to Dublin and were actually on all the same original flights, they swept me under their wings and made sure I got on the same flights as them out of Dallas.

Once we learned from the airlines that we weren’t going any where that same day, they put us up in a hotel. Once we got to the hotel, the fiddle couples continued to keep an eye out for me – made sure I ate something, made sure I was getting re-booked on flights, etc. What was really surreal about this hotel stay was that I felt like we were all more in an apartment complex or dorm rather than a hotel. Everyone was looking out for each other. People were keeping doors open and interacting with each other.

I know when I got to my room all I wanted to do was sleep and watch TV…I remember watching anything BUT the news coverage of what was going on. I wanted to know, but being alone I didn’t want to watch any of it. So instead I watched I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, things that would help take my mind off of what was going on.

I got to know another couple that was in the room next to me, I forget her name right now but for some reason I think it was Chrissy, she was a couple years older than I was. I do remember that she was dating the guy she was traveling with and she was on her way home to her daughter. I also remember that for the next couple years we would call each other on 9/11, just to touch base – on the 1^st or 2^nd anniversary of the events, this gal and her boyfriend got married…it was such a moving time in their life that it caused them to realize the important things.

I ended up staying in Dallas for a week. The fiddlers would play their instruments at the pool each night, trying to lift everyone’s spirits, it was quite nice. Towards the end of the week and after multiple rebookings of our flights, the fiddle group decided they were going to try to find a van and drive back to Omaha – this was also around the same time that my family and I decided it was time for me to come home and that they would make the drive from Omaha to Dallas to pick me up. When I mentioned this to the fiddle couples they told me to call my family and tell them not to come, that they had room for me in the van and that they would drive me back to Omaha.

Finally, after a long week I’m going home…

Unfortunately, I never did make it to Ireland. I had to make the heart wrenching decision – play the waiting game and see if/when the international air travel resumes or go back to school in Hastings. By the time I made my decision, Hastings had already been in session for a month and Letterkenny was just starting – but I still didn’t know when I’d find a flight.

But the story doesn’t end here…remember I said that I also look back on this day with joy and excitement…Jump forward a few months – I’m now in 2^nd semester classes at Hastings. One of the adjunct professors approaches me and mentions that he knows of a great internship opportunity if I’d be interested. So, around March or April, I head home for a weekend and interview for this internship – with the then-Omaha Classic. If you don’t know what the Omaha Classic (now Cox Classic) is, it’s a wonderful stop on the Nationwide Tour.

I spent the summer of 2002 as an intern with the Cox Classic. A year or two on the PR Committee and then was asked to be a volunteer director on the PR Committee. Of course I said yes, I loved this tournament (even though when I first interned I knew NOTHING about golf)! The best part of all of this is that I met this wonderful guy at the tournament…maybe about my 2^nd or 3^rd year with the tournament. But we didn't really get to know each other until 2005/2006. What’s even crazier…in 2008 I got married to this wonderful guy! So I do believe that I may not have met Lou if I had actually made it to Ireland.

Yes I still think about the “What if’s…” and wonder what my time in Ireland would have been like, but I’m also so very happy with where my life is today.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected in the tragic events of September 11, 2001. I hope the families that lost loved ones have been able to find peace. God Bless America