They were always funny, ... She could always make me laugh.

I am still trying to process the experiences I had with the hurricane. The hardest part is that I tell my story from first-hand experience.

These are the words that I keep coming back to. This was when I knew the situation would be out of our hands.

[How it ended: When Amy sent her friend Christmas cards in 2001 and 2002 and didn't hear back, she didn't worry. She knew her friend was busy with her children; so was Amy. But when Amy's dad died and the friend only sent a condolence letter to Amy's mother,] I realized it was probably deliberate, ... I'm not going to wrack my brain wondering what offended her. It just slowly dissolved. If she doesn't want to hear from me, I'm not going to bother her.

[The friendship: With a high school friend,] my alter ego, ... always daring to do what I was too inhibited to do, which is why I enjoyed her company.

The future is way up in the air right now.