A Journey

[Ali]

I posted this on my personal facebook and I felt like I should share it, pretty much everywhere.

Last year on April 3rd I got a very sad phone call. A good friend of mine's daughter Hope, best friend Bailee had passed away tragically at their house. I've known Hope and Bailee for years now and they were inseparable. You did not see one without the other. Months at a time Bailee would spend every moment she could at Hope's house. I've become very close to Hope in the last year. She's an amazing girl all around and very talented. Singing, dancing, and she's hilarious. Bailee was the same. One of the last times I spent time with her we even listened to the Pups and she declared to go to a show with me. (these girls were obsessed with concerts) I still have the messages on facebook from later that evening and us talking about the next show that they were playing in my area and how she wanted to go, and I would buy her ticket, because she was in her words "A broke 15 year old with a dream". I do bring her with me in spirit to every show though. If you ever noticed I'm always wearing a purple bracelet that has her name on it... well it did, it wore off...

You could only imagine the heartache that came after this happened. She was only 15, a mere month from her 16th birthday, drivers license, dances, prom, graduation.... Hope and her had plans for it all. They'd spent all of spring break together and Easter the Sunday before. They'd written bucket lists of things they'd do together growing up and a bucket list for their summer vacation.

Hope was so torn, and at times you can still see that she is. Bay was truly her other half. With that being said, the bucket list last summer was not complete... I think only a few things were really even attempted. I bought her a nice hand held camera with a tripod in hopes that she would document and keep track of her feelings and adventures. She has a bit, and has shared with me some of her very deepest feelings, for which I'm grateful.

But now, the year mark is upon us. And the bucket list and dreams and wishlists and everything in between are starting to come together. On the 14th they leave to go to California. Something that the girls had as number one on their list of things to do. And that thing is written bold and underlined about 15 times! They were convinced when they got their licenses at 16, they were getting a car, and they were driving to California. They didn't know how it was going to happen or where the money was coming from but it was happening.
Now they're going. Taking along post cards and stopping in every state they go through and leaving the cards somewhere in hopes that people will tell them where they've been. They'll be driving through; Illinios, Missouri, Oklahoma, down to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, thru California, Up to Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and back to Wisconsin. I'm bringing along some post cards with me to Flordia at the end of April too.

I've now embarked on a project with Hope and her mom to keep Bailee and Hopes dreams alive and prove to Hope that there are people who still care and will help keep Bailee Forever Famous. So we created a facebook page, that I'm helping manage, to spread the post cards even further. I invited those of you who are friends with me on facebook to visit the page, some of you may not of seen it, notifications get lost all the time. But to those that aren't friends with me on facebook, I'm extending it out here in hopes that my lovely World Crew family will help me just by giving the page a like or sharing the virtual post card that is on the page.
You can visit it here :


I appreciate any time you took to read this, liking, sharing, or all of the above. <3

~Ali

[Cora]

Aaaaaand cried. Liked the page, shared it, and will get the postcard shared ASAP. This is so sad but so inspiring.

[Daez]

That was beautiful. Liked it, will see about sharing later.

Best of luck on her cross-country drive!!!