3:00 pm ; I am terrible at phone calls and keeping in contact with people, I just got off the phone with a good friend and possible future racer, Natasha – then i ordered a gross number 9 at burger king before what i thought would be a long night at work
3:15pm ; I am driving down rt 40 and one of my friends from back home pops in my head.
" Awe Becca!, I really need to give her a call and see how her mamma is doing, { when i left her mom was in and out of the hospital }, I really miss her, and she would really love these bracelets I'm selling for my fundraising, Becca, I couldnt wait to hear her on the other line and ask her about kite ( an inside joke between us) and find out about this new boyfriend she has! Oh how i miss her! Her smile, and her amazing hugs everytime we saw each other. The last time was on St. pattys day and she was wearing these big ole green glasses and a huge afro!. Haha, Oh, how i Miss lynchburg. – ehh, ill give her a call tomorrow I dont work until 5, that way we could catch up for awhile plus i really like this song"
3:17pm ; I turn up my jams and go on my merry way up the mountain to my new job at Nemacolin Woodlands.
3:49pm ; I slide my time card, sign the sheet, stop in and talk with Annie and Jill as they eat Grill Cheese sandwiches. Jill is about to head out to the beach and is super excited and poor Annie, so stressed because her job is eating her alive right now! They decide they need to head over to the Caddy Shack for a food tasting , I tell them to have fun and walk through the double doors into the Wildside, down the hallway into this huge room filled with games, bowling, a climbing wall, a huge bar, huge live snakes, fish, and exotic parrots. This is cool, people here are cool, i like working here! I make my way back to the server station, set up icecream, fill up ice, put the nozzels on the coke machines, make tea and coffee, – all the duties of a opening server- things i have been doing i feel for life. But its okay, I like it!
4:15 ; first table! yes, bring on that tip! 2nd table.. double yes!.. its going to be a busy night. ! nope not at all… it was actually dead after that. I think i had 3 more tables, and the last one stiffed me.
It was a weird day, I was sad. Crystal this awesome cook told me I wasnt myself! No, I wasnt I had a lot on my mind, my back and stomach were doing something weird. I was craving food. I started to begin to worry about my weight and how i had to stop eating so unhealthy and get back into my healthy kick again. So i ate some chocolate mint icecream haha. Then me and crystal were being taught by some of our Jamacian line cooks how to talk like a Jamacian – It was fun. Im not fluent yet, but im getting there mon ! 🙂
9:00; got cut, printed out my paperwork, met Annie in her office, talked for a few minutes. Slid my time card signed the sheet- walked down the hallway to the double doors and outside where the lightening was insane, not raining just crazy lightening. It was weird. Got in my car, started it up, and made my way down the mountain. All the while thinking of all the people I need to call like Cristian, Meredith, Nancy and Caroline. How i had to get some info together about the world race to talk to the mission board so they might support me. Look up people in Pittsburgh to give me shots. I should look up the side effects to some of these shots too! Should I go to eddies tonight? I'll see John, Danielle, Josh, Dennis and maybe Kelsey, oh yuck that picture she tagged of me. I need to talk to her about that. I wonder what Beth is getting into tonight? I have to go home and change… nah its an "in" night. I want to just go home. Get to my dads house, all I can think about is watching all the twilight movies. I recently saw water for elephants – robert pattinson and taylor lautner was on a late night show that I watched earlier that week, def. celebrity crushes. I wanted to see them again. haha, i hate even admitting this. But I did, I watched all the twilight movies that I could find. robert pattinson reminds me of this guy i know- so after that I got on facebook. Random people were online.
Its about 3 am now and Im clicking the refresh button, like statuses were going to change that much. Not really, I came across my friend Audra's status…it was talking about death and if any Logans people needed her she would be there. LOGANS PEOPLE!!!!! why?!?! I worked there, they are all like family, tim and anna popped into my head, one of my best friends Mark he came to mind, please tell me they are all okay. My heart was racing. Audra!! Audra!! what happened?!? …the words " are you sitting down" came across the chat.. my heart was racing so fast. "Becca Almond, she was at Panther Falls, she fell, she broke her neck…, she died. "……
NOOOOOOO NOOOO NOOOOOO!!!!! the tears flooded! I just thought about how I needed to call her. Why didnt I call her at that moment? A song came on, a song! I picked a song over a friendship?!?!!? I could of heard her voice one more time!!! What if God needed me to call her at that moment to distract her and then she wouldnt of fell . Why didnt I call?!?! I cried for a long time, I was the only one up it was so early in the morning, I couldnt get ahold of anyone, I couldnt sleep.
– Here I am, questioning yet again. Why?! This girl, so young so beautiful. So full of energy and life. The happiest of all happiest. Always smiling and always making you feel so loved. Why had I not spent more time with her? She invited me so many places and I found other things to do. Im a terrible friend. I have this scene in my head that I cant stop replaying of how it might have happened. Where is she, can she see me? Becca, I hope you can hear me, i love you girlie. Always. I need to be in Lynchburg, I need to be there for her, for mac, amy, johnsee, ria, mark ;my logans family. I just cant believe this. How tragic. She had your heart the moment you said hello! We started just about at the same time at logans. We were immediate friends. But thats what Becca made, immediate friends. She just came across a hair bow one time. She knew i would love it. She bought it for me. Thats how Becca is, She just thinks of everyone else. I came to work and she gave it to me, " love you girl i thought of you when i saw this.." Wow. there are not people like rebecca. She was one of a kind. You never saw her without a smile on her face. She was all for love and peace. a hippie for sure!!! 🙂 She was nothing short of amazing. Perfect and loved in every way. I'll never forget her. EVER.
The truth is, we honestly never know when you going to see someone ever again. Why am I letting so many people walk in and out of my life without offering or showing them how much i love them, or how much God loves them. Just look at my day- it was a regular day. I did nothing incredible, or showed anyone i genuily cared and probably didnt do anything out of my way to be nice, It revovled around me. 🙁 This thought arises in my head alot, and Im not proud of it. "Well I am going on the World Race in October, Ill do it everyday, Ill make a difference then." No, now is the time. why am i waiting? Im getting so wrapped up in fundraising and working so that I can make enough money to go. Im consumed with life here in the US. All these people I love are here. Here in the US. Im walking away and leaving for a year, and who knows if they are going to be here when I get back?!?! God wants more from me than this. Would God be proud of me, of how many people Im leading to his kingdom? No,not at this moment, No! Im not promised tomorrow either, Do i want to stand infront of him when I could of done more and didnt?!?! I m ashamed of who I am at this moment. I want to do more. More isnt waiting until October, its waiting on the next 5 minutes. What am I going to do to make a different in the lives of the people I love in the next 5 minutes…..
My dearest world racers, in this pre-race, limbo, time line, deadline stage we are all in; We are still called to be missionaries here, while we are waiting for God to take us on our next adventure. Dont forget that like me. – Dont just do the stuff until we can leave. Do it now. We are still called to love here and make differences here. – I need to be reminded of this daily. Noone is promised tomorrow or the next 5 minutes. praying for you all and love you.
I love you for ever and ever becca. You have impacted my life in so many ways. I cant believe this has happened. I cant believe the world has lost you. You will be in my heart and mind as far as this life will take me. Im sad, so very sad. But this is for a reason, a reason i wont understand here. Im going into this world race with another perspective in mind thanks to you! I can only hope that I can show all these people as much love and joy as you showed everyone here. love always amanda nicole.
p.s. now you are higher than that kite! way higher 🙂
* tim, luke, matt, megan, me, becca, mac, abby and tj.
Don’t brag about tomorrow,since you don’t know what the day will bring. prov. 27 :1
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14
Look at those who are honest and good,for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. Ps 37:37
People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. Ecc. 9:12

