Thank you again for letting me know about Laura. I found the website, and wanted to let you know how much seeing the video meant to me – it was so good to remember her laugh, and her dances!
I am so grateful to have counted myself friends with Laura. Even now, after as many years as it’s been since we’d talked, I know we would have picked up with the same jokes, the same closeness. She was a spectacular person with so much love to share.
I am attaching one of my favorite photos of Laura. It was taken right after she completed her first full cross-country day of three-day eventing with Jenny, and she’s walking with Peggy, describing how a particular jump went. The expression on her face is pure Laura: completely involved in the moment and loving the experience.
I carry Laura with me – I still have so many expressions (talk don’t cook rice…thinking never made anyone happy… just for examples) that I regularly use. I tell the “driving backwards on I-10 to get to the on ramp” story whenever I’m in a “dumb things that turned out ok” situation. When I’m at my desk and I tilt my chin to get my neck to pop I think of Laura doing that after a study session – she would get so focused she’d forget to move – and she’s the reason I call all my pets “popper” when they need a nickname. I’m not the only one, but I will keep the memory of that part of her life alive. Did she ever tell you she chipped a tooth on a vitamin C tablet? I think of her whenever I take extra C during cold season…