I always love the sprinkling in of song references. I get such a glow when I recognize them (not all - I wasn't that completely cool) like I've reinforced my place in the secret GenX club. Fantasy much, Julie? Love your writing - going back and forth between who we were and who we are now seems to imply in equal measures that both nothing and everything has changed. The weirdness of life.
Thanks, Julie!!! I always love your takeaways and appreciate you getting so much of what Iām also coming to understand through writing these things. You are the coolest š¤š¤š
Made me cry, and brought back so many good memories of my time with my college bestie. We were headed into Austin when we heard about 101x Fest that was happening that night. Of course we had to go. Got to see Blind Melon and Smashing Pumpkins. My friend and I drifted apart as our lives took very different directions, but talking about those few years together - man, we lived a lot of life. It sounds like you and April did, too.
Oh! And Blind Melon and Smashing Pumpkins must have been amazing...what year was that? I saw Blind Melon while working for their record label so was especially devastated when Shannon Hoon died :(
1994, I was 21 - perfect timing! My own children got their ādonāt do drugsā education through playing Rock Trivia in the car. Anytime someone like Blind Melon came on, or any of the other too many artists we lost, I would Rock Trivia them, then go on to say, āLead singer - dead or aliveā āDeadā āWhy?ā āDrugsā āYep, donāt do drugs.ā
This is so beautifully written. It brings back great memories. That trip to Yosemite was pivotal in my life, and so was April, and her passing. She looks so young in your dorm room! Thank you for writing this.
Thanks for also keeping her memory alive. That Yosemite trip really did have a lasting impact on us all, and I'm so thankful to Hillel for making it happen. xx
I wish I could share the other pictures I have from that Yosemite trip. I was really hit when you talked about hearing April's voice less and less as time went on. When I close my eyes, I can still hear the way she would repeat my high school nick name, with a different emphasis on each syllable - MI-shelly, mi-SHEL-ly, mi-shel-LY
I can hear her voice again now, clear as if it was yesterday! I think life just took over for a while. And please send me more photos from that trip -- I haven't been able to find any aside from the few that you, Mark, or Hillel have shared through the years.
Alexa, stop making me cry at work! You had me right from the beginning (where I was humming āwe were only FRESH-menā¦ā) and I was stiff with dread as you described April in past tense (āshe was quite possibly the most genuine personā¦ā). Iām so, so sorry. I really enjoyed getting to know your friend through your eyes. This was beautiful š thank you so much for sharing
Alexa, thank you for sharing this beautiful piece that is both memoir and tribute to your friend. I could feel the joy is your remembered experiences. You truly showed us who April was, and also gave us some funny and beautiful insight into who you are. What a lovely read.
Alexaā¦this post! First and most importantly, I am so sorry for your loss. But what a tribute to April, to your friendship and to the lasting impact it had on your life. Thereās something about losing a friend when you are that young that hits different. Maybe itās because we are supposed to feel invincible at that age, and being forced to face up to the reality that getting older is a privilege and not a promise is almost impossible to process. The lucky ones find a way to carry that person and that relationship forward, and youāve found a way to do just that. Beautifully.XO
Thank you so much for reading, Laurie ā¤ļø It really was an intense thing to go through for everyone who knew and loved herāI take comfort in all the ways weāve kept her memory alive. She was just pure magic āØ
I always love the sprinkling in of song references. I get such a glow when I recognize them (not all - I wasn't that completely cool) like I've reinforced my place in the secret GenX club. Fantasy much, Julie? Love your writing - going back and forth between who we were and who we are now seems to imply in equal measures that both nothing and everything has changed. The weirdness of life.
Thanks, Julie!!! I always love your takeaways and appreciate you getting so much of what Iām also coming to understand through writing these things. You are the coolest š¤š¤š
Pleased as punch over here to hear it! And blushing too. Shucks.
As a fellow SoCal Gen-Xer, I was right there with you the whole time reading this. Love this.
Great to have another SoCal Gen-Xer in the house! Thanks for reading... xx
Made me cry, and brought back so many good memories of my time with my college bestie. We were headed into Austin when we heard about 101x Fest that was happening that night. Of course we had to go. Got to see Blind Melon and Smashing Pumpkins. My friend and I drifted apart as our lives took very different directions, but talking about those few years together - man, we lived a lot of life. It sounds like you and April did, too.
Oh! And Blind Melon and Smashing Pumpkins must have been amazing...what year was that? I saw Blind Melon while working for their record label so was especially devastated when Shannon Hoon died :(
1994, I was 21 - perfect timing! My own children got their ādonāt do drugsā education through playing Rock Trivia in the car. Anytime someone like Blind Melon came on, or any of the other too many artists we lost, I would Rock Trivia them, then go on to say, āLead singer - dead or aliveā āDeadā āWhy?ā āDrugsā āYep, donāt do drugs.ā
We did a version of that with our son too š¬šš„ŗ
I'm so glad it took you back and brought up some good memories, Nicole. Thanks for sharing about you and your friend, too... xx
This is so beautifully written. It brings back great memories. That trip to Yosemite was pivotal in my life, and so was April, and her passing. She looks so young in your dorm room! Thank you for writing this.
Thanks for also keeping her memory alive. That Yosemite trip really did have a lasting impact on us all, and I'm so thankful to Hillel for making it happen. xx
I wish I could share the other pictures I have from that Yosemite trip. I was really hit when you talked about hearing April's voice less and less as time went on. When I close my eyes, I can still hear the way she would repeat my high school nick name, with a different emphasis on each syllable - MI-shelly, mi-SHEL-ly, mi-shel-LY
I can hear her voice again now, clear as if it was yesterday! I think life just took over for a while. And please send me more photos from that trip -- I haven't been able to find any aside from the few that you, Mark, or Hillel have shared through the years.
Alexa, stop making me cry at work! You had me right from the beginning (where I was humming āwe were only FRESH-menā¦ā) and I was stiff with dread as you described April in past tense (āshe was quite possibly the most genuine personā¦ā). Iām so, so sorry. I really enjoyed getting to know your friend through your eyes. This was beautiful š thank you so much for sharing
Aw, thanks Lori...I'm so happy to be able to share a bit of her with others. She really left an impact in the short time she was here. xx
Alexa, thank you for sharing this beautiful piece that is both memoir and tribute to your friend. I could feel the joy is your remembered experiences. You truly showed us who April was, and also gave us some funny and beautiful insight into who you are. What a lovely read.
Thank you so much for reading and for the love, Cynthia ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
Alexaā¦this post! First and most importantly, I am so sorry for your loss. But what a tribute to April, to your friendship and to the lasting impact it had on your life. Thereās something about losing a friend when you are that young that hits different. Maybe itās because we are supposed to feel invincible at that age, and being forced to face up to the reality that getting older is a privilege and not a promise is almost impossible to process. The lucky ones find a way to carry that person and that relationship forward, and youāve found a way to do just that. Beautifully.XO
Thank you so much for reading, Laurie ā¤ļø It really was an intense thing to go through for everyone who knew and loved herāI take comfort in all the ways weāve kept her memory alive. She was just pure magic āØ
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