At the end of 2017, Ryan and I took an incredible trip to New York City. At the top of our list was visiting The 9/11 Memorial and Museum. It felt like an odd thing to get excited about seeing when I thought about the devastation and loss that that day brought, but we knew it was a must see.

We got up early that morning to get in line before the doors opened. Shivering with hot coffee in hand, we waited with the growing group. When we made our way inside, there was a reverent and hushed tone to everyone’s voices. I held Ryan’s hand tightly as we began our guided journey through the museum listening to the audio from our headphones and reading every bit of information we could. It was an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. I wanted to soak in every detail that I could and be present in the moment. I only took photos of some of the bigger, more iconic things that either hit my heart really hard. Some things I didn’t photograph simply because I felt it was such a sacred and intimate thing to only be experienced in person.

If you’ve been, you’ll remember the room with the glass floors that projects photographs, names, and sometimes personal details of individuals who lost their lives that day. Ryan and I sat for a while in that room holding hands and paying our respects. Today, I go back there in my mind and think about all of the families who lost fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and so many more. To each and every one of them, we will never forget.

The Slurrey Wall

“The Last Column”

The Survivor Staircase – Stairway B

Impact Steel – steel beams where the first plane hit

A piece of the antennae from the top of one of the WTC towers.

Broken and mangled elevator shaft from one of the WTC towers.