What happened in Boston this week is something that no one in America will ever forget. Especially for those who were there and were fortunate enough to make it out safely. And then with the explosion just two days later, the entire country is shaken to a core. Just seeing and hearing of both of them is heartbreaking, but imagine what it felt like to actually see them both happen, in person. These explosions were 1,875 miles apart, yet Joe Berti felt both of them.

Joe Berti had just crossed the finish line and was looking for his wife when the first bomb went off. He frantically started looking for her and thinking of the rest of the group he had been running with. When the second bomb went off, he knew exactly what was happening. Joe, his wife, and his friends were some of the fortunate ones who were not hurt by the explosions.

The next day the couple started their trek back to Austin to return to their two girls and continue on with their lives as normal as possible. Joe started back at work on Wednesday with a day long meeting in Dallas, and a long trip down I-35 home. As came upon Waco headed home, he noticed a thick black cloud of smoke. All of a sudden he felt, and saw, the explosion.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. He pulled over and took a picture and as he did so, debris started to fall on his car. Thick black smoke began to cover the highway. He held his breath as he drove through it, and called his wife as soon as he could to spare her the worry. When a reporter suggested the Joe stay home for a few days, his wife responded We need to keep him moving. Maybe he just needs to stand in an open field.”

When asked about how he was feeling about being at the scene of both incidents, and the toll its taken on him, Joe said, "People keep saying, 'Don't you feel unlucky?' and I was actually the opposite — saying not only do I not feel unlucky, but I feel blessed that my wife could be 10 yards from the explosion and not have a scratch."

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