New Years and a Sad Start

I have had quite an interesting start to my new year. It really hasn't been everything I was hoping for but maybe I can get all the bad over with now before I go back to school on Monday. Palmer and I had a great New Year's Eve, which included dinner at Bonefish Grill (an amazing seafood restaurant,) then we went to the Sunset Station to play some air hockey before the movie started, we saw TWILIGHT, and finally we ended 2008 at a party at David and Caitlin's apartment. We left soon after the fireworks because Palmer had to work at 6:30am New Year's Day.

I started my New Year's Day by writing down all of my New Year's resolutions, (I have 10 of em'!) Some of them are simple things like being on time and other are a little more tough to commit to like making school my #1 priority and working out at least 3 times a week. I thought I was totally on track and excited to start a new year but then I heard the terrible news...

On Saturday I got a terrible phone call about my friend and neighbor, Cade Cripps, getting into a car accident while him and his girlfriend were traveling to Boise. I was basically in denial or shock and had to call my mom to make sure the news was true. Sadly it was true; Cade and his girlfriend were killed in the accident. I think I am still in total shock. I haven't really let myself believe that the whole thing is true. I'm still waiting for Cade or someone to call him and tell me it was all just some confused information. I called my mom again Sunday just to ask her again if it was for sure the truth. As the days pass and I hear from more and more people, I am being forced to realize that this tragedy did truly happen. Isn't it so strange that when anyone gets terrible news like this they instantly try to remember the last time they saw or spoke to the person? As I was racking my brain trying to remember when I last spoke to Cade I was flooded with memories of Cade throughout the last 4 years. I remembered getting up at the crack of dawn to go jogging with him before our first period class. Our morning jogs consisted of me actually sprinting to keep up with Cade's log strides, (Cade was 6'5 I believe.) I remembered Cade letting me constantly borrow his big old gray truck during basketball season. I remembered Cade growing out his curly hair until he had this ridiculous afro puff hairdo. I have a bunch of great memories to remember Cade; I just wish what I think every person wishes when there hear terrible news like this, that I could have seen him one last time.

This weekend I am driving to Elko to attend Cade's funeral service and then rushing back to start my spring semester. I hoping that my year will turn around after all that.