As a way of acknowledging it and honoring those who were there, I thought I would share where I was and how that day affected me and ask for everyone to continue to pray for all those affected.
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Thursday night Jason's brother and sister-in-law came to visit for the weekend for a wedding and were staying with us Thursday night. So they arrived here via car around 4:30pm and Jason was flying in around 7:30pm in Denver. So Phil, Laura and I visited for a while before I headed off to get Jason from the airport. Before I left, Phil and Laura told me they wanted to go to see the midnight showing of Batman so I told them which movie theater was the closest and they purchased tickets through Fandango. I picked up Jason and all four of us all headed to dinner and drinks at a local outdoor patio in Aurora just a few minutes from our home. When we got home around 10:00pm we all went to bed but Phil and Laura just for a nap before they went to the movies.
At around 3:00/3:30am I remember waking up to Cooper barking but then fell back asleep. When I woke up again at 6:00am I had about 4 texts, 2 missed calls/voicemails and about 4 emails all asking if we were okay and something about a shooting. Though I was half asleep, I finally read one from my sister-in-law that actually explained what happened, (10 dead, and many more shot in an Aurora movie theater seeing Batman at midnight). I started freaking out because I knew Phil and Laura were at an Aurora theater and again, half-asleep I remembered Cooper barking but also remember there still being a light on when that happened so were they really home? I had my first panic attack in over a year unable to breath and my brain wasn't really comprehending what had happened until Jason reassured me that they were home and in bed.
The rest of the morning was a lot of rushing around with an accelerated heart rate. I had an interview (more on that later) set up for 8:00am but also wanted to respond to all those who had called, texted and messaged me plus I was glued to the TV as we learned more of what had happened. My day had to continue and I went to the interview but it was a very sad and confusing day and weekend...and we're all still looking for answers.
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Through all this I learned that Jason and I are so loved by friends and family. I cannot express what it felt like to wake up to that many texts and messages and then have them continue through the day as more people learned about it. Yes, of course I know friends and family care about us but being so far away from "home" I definitely feel very alone and feel this way a lot of the time. This tragedy reminded me that we have loved ones who genuinely care about us regardless of how far we are from all of them.
Through attempting to process my own feelings of the week I've realized it felt so close to home...literally in proximity of where we live now but also for anyone and everyone no matter where you live. We've all been super excited to see a movie that is coming out, we've all been to the movie theaters, we have all made last minute decisions to go to a movie or something else where others have asked you. We've all waited in line for our popcorn and picked out "the best" seat. We've all sat in anticipation of what what going to happen next on the big screen.
For us, I would say I'd never find myself at a midnight showing on a Thursday night, but having family in town who wanted to see it, there was a good chance we'd have gone with them had it not been for the interview in the morning and me being a baby about getting enough sleep. Even with the movie theater, there's a theater that's super close and another I'd have probably sent them to before Century 16, but had we been up at a brewery Jason and I both like we very well could have sent them to Century. It's not so much of "oh we could have been there" because we live here, but because anyone who's reading this could have been there. This was something that an everyday person could have been to.
I'm so thankful that Phil and Laura weren't at that theater and that we all were okay, but there are still so many hurting and will always hurt. There's still so many who are still in the hospital, who may have incredible medical bills, who are missing days of work, days with family. A man missed seeing his child be born. Those who lost their lives, their days cut too short and families who never prepared for this. So many other things these individuals and families are going through that I will never understand or even begin to understand.
My prayers go out to everyone affected by this and to all who reached out to us, thanks so much for caring. Love you all!
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