I cannot stop thinking of you even more than i do already these last few days, as the news hits about Swine Flu all over the world. Pandemic, Epidemic the press are not sure what to call it yet. You would of been all over this and in a sick way loved every bit of it. You would be feeding the family all your medical knowledge on all of the public health issues surrounding Swine Flu.
Kate this would of been right up your alley, I wish you were here, i suppose you are as i can hear you in my head.
Stay close Kate, I love and miss you always.

Sarah xx

I went round to my dads today and was going through some old stuff, and I found my diary from 1994. Everyother entry was katie came round, or I spoke to katie today, or katie and I went shopping. One of the entries was about how I found the tape I have of us talking when we were little. And how I couldnt wait until we grew up and had children so that we could play it for them, and how they would find it funny. It made me really sad. Really sad! I promise, I will still play to my kids when I have them! They will find it funny, and I know you will be watching over us laughing with us!
Natalie x x x

Just wanted to say that I am thinking of you today. I always think about you, and had a dream about you a couple of nights ago. Wish i could send you and e_mail wishing you a happy birthday Missing you! natalie x x x

so i am at my mom’s house in colorado – the place where i stored all of my random crap before moving to chicago – and found the motherload of photos.  i have literally hundreds of pictures of kat.  my mom’s scanner is ancient, and i am leaving for the airport in less than an hour, and this was all i could do (this set comprises kat’s first semester as an RA, fall 2000).  i promise that the next time i come here, i will dedicate a day to scanning her pictures for posterity.  enjoy.  nadia (ps. i just realized the quality of these images is terrible… if anyone knows a better way to do this, please let me know… nadiareynolds@hotmail.com – thanks)

I missed you so much today. We just got back from my Grandmother’s house. I got a whole bunch of cool stuff, but I wish I were able to have given you all the stuff I saw this season that screamed your name. Anyway, I miss you always and hope all is well for those who missed you this Christmas as well. Love you~

~Boyfriend

Kate

Most people  don’t know what Boxing Day is. It is the day after Christmas. Around much of the world it is a public holiday, but to me..it’s my birthday. Birthdays  are meant to be fun, but the air is  somehwhat out of it this year, but I know you would want it be a happy Day , so I shall make it that way.

For 27 years, I have had either a big cuddle or a cute /sarcastic card from you- often both. The present was always secondary. Only those who are daughters or fathers  know what it is to have a father -daughter relationship. Like many, our was and always will be special. There was a reason why I called you “Little Andrew” . You publically didn’t like this, but privately I know you enjoyed it. Together we are masters at our inability in opening drawers and never closing them, leaving things out instead of putting them away, being organized to a fault with lists, taking the lead and making tasks happen and of course our passion for quizzes, that started when you were 4 and continued till your last days with us( OK I will confess you were a winner on TV programs and films, acceptable on capitals of US states and over 25 years, you were getting the hang of world capitals!!

So today is Deecmber 26th and we have the family with us to celebrate Christmas  and my birthday. It’s nice to have them around, and we all miss you. However I decided soon after you travelled to your new home, that you would not want us to be down and in sorrow but to move on in a positive way.

And so it has been these past  5 months!!!

Today I received a special birthday present. I woke up to feel the warmth of your soul , the hug only Kate can give and knew that you will always be with me every day , including my birthday. Thank you too for my card and gift. The card is invisible to all except you and I and the gift is priceless- the everlasting memory of “little Andrew” sitting on your perch in my heart forever, your love for me and your total capacity to call me at all hours to solve all of your lifes problems! That is why I always told you the same  words your entire life, including the last words I  ever spoke to you ..I love you unconditionally. I will always remember thise were your last words spoken to me as well.

I still  love you and I hope you will accept my present to you, which is  that you will always be part of our family celebrations and every birthday I am there ready for the card and cuddle we enjoy just to ourselves- thats why father- daughter relationships are so special- and by the way if anyone thinks I am crazy in what I am writing, who cares ? Who is going to argue with me over how I feel. I will always love you.

Shuggie.. all my love.. Dad

Everywhere i go, everyone is wishing everyone Happy Holidays I am saying the words but my holiday spirit is not there and I know it is because you are missing.

It has been so hard going shopping for presents and not buying the Ho Ho Ho gifts for you or picking out  the big gift every year, hoping that we made the right choice and got it right.  So when you open the presents up your face lights up.  At whatever age you were you always went back to being just a little girl.   Sitting with Nick on the fireplace playing prod the present. You watching Brad give out the presents, but before opening your present making sure that there are still more for you to come.

I wrapped the gifts yesterday with a heavy heavy heart not with my normal excitement of counting down the days till all of us sit around and unwrap the presents. Watching all your faces with hopefully happiness that the right choices were made.

Kate I miss you so much right now that it hurts. I know your spirit will be with all the family over the holidays, I am sure you will be spending time watching at mum’s house and then ours.

Sometime on Christmas day I will take my moment with you, I don’t know exactly when but there will be that moment. When we are all sitting around the dining table it will be so hard, but i will try not to cry instead i am going to smile and try and cherish all the memories that i have of so many Christmas’s with you.

Happy Holidays Kate, I love and miss you every day.

Sarah

Im sitting here wishing that it was about 20 years ago. If it was we would be at viewpoint school, and we would be getting ready to go to forest lawn to sing our little hearts out for all of the school and families. Every time I think of it I just see this picture of us in our “winter” uniform with huge smiles on our faces (probably because we were pleased it was done) holding our ferns that we always recieved at the end. And then a couple weeks later my family and yours would be celebrating chrismas together. Some of the best days of my life, I miss them and wish we could turn back time!

Nat x x x

I had yet to meet your brother. It was a little intimidating, I must admit. I had heard all the stories from not only you, but your mother and father. I had, by this point, seemingly been impressive enough for your parents and sister; yet, I felt that the approval of big brother would be the toughest to accomplish.

It was Thanksgiving day. I wanted to make a good impression. I wanted to bring something to put on the table. I wanted to make you proud, I guess. You told me not to bring anything. That wouldn’t fly with me, because I just HAD to bring at LEAST something. Why you wanted me to bring candied yams and marshmallows is still beyond me? So, I decided to bring a part of my family’s tradition to your family’s table. Being Italian and all, pasta was naturally my choice. But not just any pasta. Oh, no. This had to be special and impressive. No, this occasion called for homemade lasagna.

I spent the night before, prepping and putting everything together. I found just the right sausage and put in just the right amount of seasoning. I had everything ready as we left for your mother’s house. I had even cooked it just half way so that I could finish cooking it after we arrived. We walked through the front door and exchanged handshakes and hugs with your family. I threw the lasagna in the oven and we started putting everything on the table.

You sat to my left, Brad across from us. I’ll never forget the sarcastic pronunciation of “lasagna” and the semi-disgruntled face he had. I guess it’s understandable; not many people have lasagna with their turkey. Looking back, I must admit, it may have been a little over the top… but again, I wanted so desperately to impress your brother. Thinking I had struck out with the lasagna, we went on with our meal. We hung around a bit longer, and I don’t recall anything much more eventful going on that evening.

A few days later, to my chagrin, you received a call from your brother. The message you relayed was that Brad was thankful that I had brought the lasagna, because he had been eating it for 2 or 3 days straight. Success!

I don’t know where this story is going, but I needed to write something. This Thanksgiving, I’m working. And as I sit at this desk and write to you, I think back to that Thanksgiving. I speak to you every night and have you in my thoughts always. I hope that you will visit me in a dream again sometime soon. I never really remember my dreams, but I never forget the ones with you in them. Thank you for everything we shared. Thank you for watching over me. Thank you for making me a better person. Thank you for helping me grow up. Thank you for showing me another side of this world. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for the love we had. Thank you for the most beautiful picture I have ever seen. Thank you for that last kiss we shared. I’ll never forget you, Girlfriend.

Love,

Boyfriend

Dear Kat,

I suppose I have been putting off writing this for awhile.  I can’t stop thinking about you… already I think about you every day, but lately, the word “twilight” has been popping up in the most random places— in books, magazines, newspapers, that new movie preview… the other day I flipped open an art book and the first word I saw was “twilight” … it’s very weird.  What’s up?  What are you trying to tell me?  I had a dream about you a few weeks ago… it was very realistic and very hopeful—you were sick, but it was “going to be okay.”  I don’t remember why I thought that or knew that.  I woke up and for a minute couldn’t shake the dream… I thought it was real for a second, and everything WAS going to be okay.  And then I remembered… that’s probably the worst part.  Going along in the day and then remembering.  It still takes my breath away.  I miss you.  I regret all the times I could have picked up the phone and didn’t, because now I can’t, when I want to the most.  I hope to see you in another dream soon, my friend.

Love,

Nadia