Carrie Day
Man, I love this picture. This so us. All three of us. Me, Carrie and Amy. Lord knows what we are singing. The picture was taken at Nick and Crystal’s wedding in October of 1999 where Carrie and I were bridesmaids (if that weren’t obvious from the matching dresses). Aside from her own wedding, this is probably the last time I threw down with Carrie like that. She moved to Dallas after college and we just didn’t keep in touch. I kept up with her through Crystal mostly.
Today marks 1 year since we lost Carrie to brain cancer.
I didn’t blog about it at the time. I tried to. I had some pictures up and a blog all worked out in my head but when I’d go to write it I just couldn’t. I don’t know why. I think part of it was shock. I knew she was sick. I knew they’d found a tumor a few years ago. But somehow, in my head, I thought it was ok. Like, Carrie would just be ok.
Crystal called me a few weeks before she died to tell me she’d taken a turn for the worse. I wasn’t home and it took me a while to get back to her. Between work and planning a trip to Cabo for my brother’s wedding, I was just busy. When I finally did talk to her, I didn’t have any time to see her before my trip. I got the call that she’d passed in the airport when arriving home.
I think, too, it’s how she died. It wasn’t a freak accident that sometimes happens to someone so young. It wasn’t the fault of another person. It was cancer. My friends shouldn’t be dying from a disease like that. We are too young. That’s what happens to adults, not us.
When I think in my head that she was 35 and I was 33, we sound like adults. That’s an adult age. I was 12 years old when my mother was 35. But to me, we are still kids trying to make our way. She’s always going to be the chick that could rock the halter top, mini skirt and thigh-high platforms when we went out for Crystal’s 70’s themed bachelorette party and I will always be the chubby yet adorable chick with the tiara and glitter and big mouth.
Carrie was handful, I’ll say that. She was a bombshell. Tall, super athletic, long hair, tan. She had a big personality, too. She and I clashed on more than one occasion, but that’s what happens with two big personalities. She liked to be in the spotlight, just like me. And she liked things her way. Just like me. She was super competitive, too. Which I am, but in different areas than she was. But beyond all that, she was caring and funny- so sarcastic which I love. She loved to have a good time and she loved her friends.
Nick suggested that today be “Carrie Day”. He thinks we should all go out and do 3 random acts of kindness in honor of Carrie. I think that’s fabulous. As much as I know she’d want us to be thinking of her today, she would want us to be happy and remember all the good times we had together.
We miss you, Carrie!
-Ali
PS: J-E-L-L-O!