Letter #16 - Susie Q

This letter went out to another BTS friend - Sue.  Sue was another person I didn't really start to get to know until later in the week, and even at that point not all that well.  She knew I was into photography and invited me to come visit her in Wisconsin some fall when the colours were at their peak so I could get some good shots to add to my collections... I didn't think much of it, but then on a whim, Austin & I decided to take her up on her offer and drove all the way up to Door County (so far one of the prettiest counties in the country, that I've seen at least!) and spent some time with her.  It was an awesome trip, and we had sooo much fun with her!  She and her boyfriend have also been to visit us once down here since then, and we try to keep in touch as best we can.

Writing to Susie immediately brought to mind images from our trip there... brilliant fall colours, fresh autumn air and bright warm fall sun on walks through the woods and through cute little towns.  It also allowed me to spend some time remembering our lovely evening chats.  Sue is a sweet, sweet lady, and a wonderful hostess.  She has had many challenges in her life, and sometimes I think the hugeness of her heart gets her in trouble (as many of us sensitive types can relate to), but she is kind and loving and I am always glad to hear from her.


I hope that this year brings her resolution to some of the questions she's had of life, and I hope that our paths cross again soon.  Who knows, WI isn't really *that* far away... maybe we can do a 2011 fall trip again!

Letter #5 - Kent

I'm still not quite caught up, but tonight I made time for another letter.  Tonight I wrote to my friend Kent, another BTS buddy.  Kent and I are only about 6 months apart in age and he is devastatingly handsome.  Tall, blonde, gorgeous.  He is also an incredibly talented, competent, smart and confident guy.  For any number of these reasons, I spent the greater part of the week in Scottsdale kind of avoiding him.  Not entirely on purpose, but there was something about him that both intrigued me and intimidated me (not in the romantic sense, despite his looks... Austin and I were 2 years strong at that point!)  The second to last day of the seminar, he and I ended up being partners for one of the exercises.  I have no idea what the exercise was, I can't remember a single word we actually exchanged, but I remember from that point on I couldn't figure out why I had spent most of the week not talking to him.  We shared several conversations and one rockin' dance (the memory of which is the only reason I can stand the song sexy back lol) between that exercise and the closing of the program, and I have tried hard to keep tabs on him ever since.  He has built several extremely successful careers for himself (while simultaneously working on his degree) and is not hard to follow, which sometimes makes me wonder if I had even half the impact on him as he had on me.  Sometimes when I reach out to him, I wonder if I'm just a slightly more familiar face in the crowd, or if he really remembers who I am.  Some friends are like that.

Writing my letter tonight to Kent took me back to the fun of those last few days in Scottsdale, where everyone felt like family and was sad to think of the week coming to an end.  He also is a person who keeps me inspired (and sometime jealous, I'm not gonna lie!) to be all I can be.  After all, he's 6 months younger than me and has achieved so much in his life already... there's no reason I can't do the same if I put the time and energy into it!  I doubt I'll hear back from him (though he may surprise me with a hi on facebook or something) but I hope I do.  If not though, I still hope he keeps on achieving, and keeps sharing it with the world, coz I'll continue to follow his endeavours, and I'll continue to be inspired (and a little jealous) as he continues to soar.