were you there when IT happened? is a question i've been asked over and over again. and i've always answered with great pride, yes, of course i was. the next logical question is always, what was it like? so i tell my story. from my hour long moment-to-moment retelling of where i was and what i saw to my 5-minute synopsis of the entire experience, i've tried time and time again to convey what it was like a year ago today. and every time, i've failed. i can write a book or show you pictures and yet i will STILL fail. for no matter what i say or what images you see, nothing and i mean NOTHING can ever record the intensity of it all.

i am not a true new yorker and i dont claim to be one, but by having experienced that fateful day firsthand, i've built a bond with the city that nothing can break. i am proud to say i was in new york city on september 11th and for a long time afterward because while everyone watched the world change from afar, i felt it right outside my door. a year ago, i thought things could never EVER be the same again. and surprisingly enough, now it almost is.

today, a year later, i am once again watching history being written before my very eyes. i look as passionate emotions have reignited throughout the city. in every person, park, classroom and corner, a mixture of mourning and pride prevails. it is incredible, yet inexplicable. so for those of you who are not here, this is for you. my words can only go so far in expressing what its like to live here, so i will post pictures in hope that you will be able to better understand my answer to what it is like.