For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her

Duluth/Massachusets-
In 2003, just before graduating/student teaching. I decided to move to St. Louis for the summer. I would work with French speaking refugees and would get to experience some good Christian Community. I started emailing back and forth with the other french speaker I would be living with. Secretly, I was totally excited that I was going to be meeting someone from Conneticut, mostly because of my unending love of the Babysitter's Club.

St. Louis
A few weeks later, I was in St. Louis when Emily arrived. For the next 7 weeks we worked out of Emily's Saturn (our ministry office). We visited one very needy un-airconditioned daycare of children suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we ate a lot of good mexican and cuban food, we took kids to the zoo, led bible clubs, and translated presbyterian doctrine into french (far more challenging than you would expect). We shared a love of starbucks, and Jesus, people and diversity. It was a challenging summer of learning to be, but it forever shaped the women that Emily and I are 5 years later.

2301 Minnehaha Avenue South
Emily and I lived together in 2 bedroom apartment for a year. We had some culinary adventures (stuffed pumpkin, french fries). We learned a little spanish from Misael, Felipe, and Angela upstairs. Emily wrote poems, applied to grad school and met a man. At the May Day Festival that year, Emily met Matt Krusack, it didn't take long for it to turn into dating and Matt became a regular feature of our apartment.

The Stevens House
After a year on Minnehaha, Emily and I moved to the Stevens House. Together with Wanda, Noel, Maria, Ledor, and Bethany, Emily has been family for the past 3 years at the house. Emily and I spent many mornings before I went into work, and she went onto campus together. Reading or working on our lap tops side by side. "Do you want to go for a walk?" "Would you like some lunch?" "I'm going to do YogaBootyBallet/ TaeBo, would you like to do it with me?" Emily introduced me to the most delicious coffee beverage ever the cafe miel.

Pancho Villa
Emily and the rest of us, have spent a number of hours at Pancho Villa, a Mexican Restaurant close to our house(home of the $40 meat pot). Birthdays, last days of work, long days are all reason to celebrate at the Stevens House and probably each eaten 30 pounds of their ridiculously tasty chips and salsa. Last night, Matt, Emily and the rest of the house went for one last round of treats at PV. Here's a picture of a Em and Matt at an earlier PV party.

Conneticut
Emily flew out this morning, she's off to be with her family one last time before she's married. We miss her already. She's no longer my roommate, but she will always be my friend and my sister. I'm happy for her.

Maine
Next week, ALL of us, Noel, Theresa, Bethany, Maria, Wanda, Kassie, and I are flying to Maine to see the big nuptuals go down. We are PUMPED. We'll keep you posted about our trip.

HERE'S to EMILY, Wherever we may find her. (thanks Paul Simon)