I was just shy of turning 10, and in 5th grade. I was in Michigan, I remember it being a really beautiful day, sunny and warm and not a cloud in the sky. Around mid morning we started hearing announcements over the PA, calling students to the office to go home. They trickled in slowly, but enough that we knew something was up. No one told us, we we're in elementary school. Then I got called out, and knew something was up. I got down to the office and my neighbor and best friend was there. She was in middle school and saw it happen live on TV. Her mom was traveling and she couldn't get ahold of her, so she called my mom to pick her up from school. My mom stopped and picked me up along the way. I still remember the clothes everyone was wearing, the week smiles on everyone's knowing face.

I asked my friend what happened, "is my family ok? Is my dad ok? Is your mom ok? Is my dog ok? What happened?", she told me my mom would talk to me. We went home, my mom sat me in front of the TV, at this point they were just replaying footage of the towers falling. She called my grandma as I read the screen and pieced it together. New York? I don't know anyone there.

My mom got off the phone and explained what happened to me. I remember feeling relieved it didn't effect me, and that we were safe in suburban Michigan - who cares about us? My mom took us to a gas station to fill up our truck "just in case". It was crowded, by the time we got gas it was trickling out. Everyone buzzing around talking about what happened.

I went home, and got in an argument with my neighbor about what the tallest building in the US was. I said it was the Sears Tower. At that point, I don't think I was wrong.