i'm updating today about last weekend- and how i went to boone with my wonderful fiance mr. jeremy rahm :) i had been having a hard week ...really missing my friend Leigh-Lane... and he knew that by us going there- it would help my heart a little bit. first of all i'll tell you a little bit about leigh-lane... so you will know why i miss her SO.
i met LL in august 2004. i'd just moved to appalachian state and she was my RA. i wasn't too sure about her at first because she turned me in for burning incense lol because she thought it was pot... it wasn't. that time. HA. jk. anyway... we became great friends for the year and a half i knew her. anytime i was feeling down she ALWAYS had something positive to say. she tried SO hard to get me to write for the newspaper... even though i didn't think i was good enough to do that. she listened to all of my boyfriend drama... family drama... depression ...etc. if i was down- she always found a way to lift my spirits. she told me motivational stories- we played games- made art- ordered pineapple pizza- listened to damien rice & norah jones... went on road trips- planned events...and she even nominated me for student of the month- and i won! :) these are all of my personal stories of LL...
to the appalachian state community ...she was a star. she volunteered for shelter rock, habitat for humanity, attended a church in boone, founded people fighting poverty, was the RA of the language and culture community, a coffee barista at the school coffee shop, curator for the art gallery, etc. i can't even begin to list everything she contributed to in the time that i knew her. her presence in the lives of anyone that met her...was a real blessing.
On December 14 I moved out of the dorms at applachian state- I had decided to move home... things were just ...not going well there anymore- i needed discipline- i needed my family...i felt all alone. there were many contributing factors to this... but i remember at 4 am... i went to LL's room and talked to her...and shared a cookie. :) i promised that once i packed my things i would come say goodbye before i left town. i never said goodbye.
we talked on the internet later that week and i told her i was sorry i didn't make it back up to her room and she said "its cool man... i'll see you when you come to visit."
she died 10 days later. she was making christmas eve dinner with her mother and collapsed in her kitchen from an aortic aneurysm. my friends argued over who would deliver the news to me- and poor erica had to do it. i threw the phone and got angry because i believe that is the only real emotion i identify with haha... and she told my mom what had happened. i felt like my world stopped- but she inspired so much in me. after her death ..a lot of things were put into perspective. i visited her mom and read thru some of her journals- and her mom sent me some of her journals to help me with the whole grieving process. the last thing she ever wrote was "my heart longs for peace." ...i believe she is with God and that she is happy.
here are a few things from her journal that make my heart so happy.
"there is something to be said for familiar things- for handshakes that go on way too long- but i'm honored to be a part of. ..and early morning art saturdays for art shows. i knew he was my very good friend because we could wear each other's glasses."
and here- a list of things she loved
"skinny turtle mochas w/ whipped cream & chocolate and caramel sauce. rainy days and flip flops, new pens, new friends, colored glass. uncut grass. leaves changing colors and shapes and crunching under my feet. water glistening and streaming over a now smooth rock. photography of far away places with bright colors, evening sunlight warming bricks, fleece socks! homemade dinnerware. soft plants, chinese food in a box with movies and icecream, sunlight through trees"
okay- enough of that. here are pictures from BOONE!! i'm SO happy i got to go there! :)
okay, hope that didn't bore everyone! :) i'll be updating again soon with thanksgiving updates! the good, bad, and the UGLY. ha.
love to all and happy holidays!
xoxo
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