This weekend commemorates an anniversary that still sends chills through my spine. It's a day that I think changed a lot of us, especially here in the Capital Region. So close to home, it was inevitable to feel the impact all around us.

Sunday will mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

Where were you that morning? What were you doing? We all remember. It's hard to forget.

I was fresh out of high school, embarking my first semester of college. Normally I wouldn't have been at school that early on a Tuesday; I scheduled my classes based on me not being a morning person, yet there I found myself on campus. I wrapped up a softball physical to participate in Fall ball and headed back home.

Gabe Palacio, Getty Images Entertainment
Gabe Palacio, Getty Images Entertainment
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It was still pretty early, but news of the first plane hitting the North tower was breaking. I had gotten home and turned on the television. Honestly, it wasn't for the news, it was for Regis and Kelly. I remember being frustrated that the news was on basically every station. I was a dumb 18-year old and remember, my morning was already thrown off and now my show wasn't on. Thinking about that now makes me shake my head.

Then it happened.

Live on national television the world watched the second plane hit the South tower at 9:03am. I stood in my living room speechless and stunned. This couldn't be real. I mean, that was fake right? The explosion didn't event look real...or did it? As the news coverage continued and the details started to slowly come out, I, along with my Dad who was on a break as a school bus driver didn't know what to do. Would there be more attacks? Would it be closer to home? The Capital building, maybe? They'd already hit New York City and the Pentagon, what's stopping them???

We finally got a hold of my Mom, who was working in a middle school library at the time as word spread there with every available Tv on the news.

Everyone was doing the same thing that day: holding their loved ones close and worrying about our world, our safety, our future.

New York Commemorates 13th Anniversary Of September 11th Attacks
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September 11th, 2001 and the days, weeks and months to follow, there was a feeling everywhere you went. I can't be certain that it was everywhere in the country or more specifically the Capital Region simply because we are so close to the city, but you could feel a sense of care, a want to help, togetherness and pride. Flags were waving high wherever they could be hung. Red, white and blue worn proudly.

Slowly, things changed and I'm not quite sure why. Right after the attacks, people seemed nicer and more polite to each other. Almost like we realized we were all in this together and in order to survive it, we had to work together. Doors were being held, strangers smiled and said hi to each other, we were there to help if someone needed it and maybe I was just seeing things, but that's what I remember. Maybe we're numb to it or we just have grown comfortable again, but I wish, if anything that resulted from these attacks we could get back to that togetherness.

Remember what's important and complain less about the little things that, at the end of the day, don't matter. At the end of the day, we are all in this together.

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