at peace

I am very sad to report that Emilie passed away in her sleep last night. She went very quickly - the decision to enter hospice was made just six days before her death. It seemed at the time that she had perhaps months left, but that was not to be. Our hearts break for Steve, Daniel, & Benjamin, and for her parents, brothers, & sisters... but we are so glad she is now free from suffering. As my mother said to me this morning, there is one more angel singing with the heavenly host tonight.

I've been thinking about her constantly for the past few days since we got the news that the end was near. There is so much I could say about Emilie and what a devoted friend, amazing wife & mother, talented writer, and loving person she was. She was a rock for me after Eric's death, after my first engagement ended, during our journey to have a baby. But I suspect she was that way for everyone; anyone who knew her has a "how Emilie made my life better" story. She made my life richer, happier, and more authentic - that much is certain. But she also made it sillier and more spontaneous, as the following memory will attest!

When the series finale of Sex and the City was about to air, Emilie and I were distraught. We both loved the show, but unfortunately, we were a little late to the party - we only got to see new episodes after they came out on DVD, since neither of us had HBO. But we just couldn't wait until the last season was released on DVD... we knew everyone would be talking about it and we just had to be part of the hype. I think there were plenty of Twin Cities bars and restaurants hosting SATC parties where you could go sip Cosmos and watch the finale with other maniacal fans, but for some reason that didn't seem to be an option for us. Instead, we decided that the only possible solution was to find a cheap motel that offered HBO and rent a room for a couple of hours. So, we each threw in $25, stopped off at a liquor store to buy Cosmopolitan fixings, and arrived at a very seedy motel near the fairgrounds that had assured us they carried HBO. We got there about an hour early so we could mix our vodka and cranberry juice, and spent some time speculating about how Carrie and Big would end up (and I think we may have also jumped on the bed - we were so excited!). After sobbing our way through the one-hour series retrospective and the one-hour finale, we emerged from our room, teary-eyed, half-empty bottle of vodka in hand, and left. (Don't worry - we weren't too tipsy to drive.) We giggled all the way home at the thought of what the motel receptionist must have been thinking!

Emilie was much luckier in love than Carrie, however... she was really much more of a Charlotte. (Post-Harry, that is.) I love this shot of Emilie & Steve at their beautiful wedding in May 2003. What an incredible day that was...

I love you & will miss you, my sweet friend. We rejoice that you are at peace.