Carrie and I met my freshmen year in high school, and we cheered together for four years at Courtland. We became close friends during many practice sessions, sleepovers, and football games. The summer before our senior year, we were chosen as UCA All Star Cheerleaders along with Courtney Givens, Michelle Boggs, and Jaclyn Harrison. The five of us were beyond thrilled to travel to London, England in December of 1993 to perform in The Lord Mayor of Westminster’s New Year’s Day Parade. We created some wonderful memories during that trip. It was the first time that we had traveled abroad, and I would like to think that Carrie discovered her love of travel during that trip.

At some point in our fun adventures in high school, Carrie, Courtney, and I began referring to ourselves as the “woodchucks”. It was an inside joke between the three of us that somehow stuck. In fact, I wrote an entire descriptive paper in English class that outlined all of our “woodchuck” adventures in detail. I will never forget our English teacher, Mrs. Mann, shaking her head and smiling at the three of us while she read that paper. We had a fantastic time just being young, discovering life, and enjoying our friendship.

After high school, we lost touch as Carrie moved to Charlottesville to attend UVa, and I moved to Florida to attend college. We reconnected a few years ago on Facebook. I was so pleased to see that Carrie had met the man of her dreams and was living the life she had always imagined. I, too, love the ocean, the sand, and the sun as Carrie did. The next time my toes touch the sand, I plan to breathe in the salt air, listen to the roar of the waves, and pause to remember Carrie’s beautiful, well-lived life and the wonderful memories I have of our friendship.

I've included some of my favorite photos from our trip to London and our senior year.

(Please see photos in Photos of Carrie)