Anna, I don’t even know where to start. All I know is this isn’t fair and the best parts of your life were just beginning to unfold. It doesn’t feel real that you’re not just a text or a lunch at the next school break away. I so badly want to pick up the phone and call you to catch up and to plan our next adventure. Since the 6th grade, I’ve looked up to you, been grateful for our friendship, and loved you. From getting ripped off for knitting lessons, throwing an unsuccessful bake sale on my street, creating a bomb junior dinner playlist of middle school throwbacks, creating a gingerbread Pueblo, making sus jokes when we ran as Activities Chairs, joining varsity golf while being superrrr unqualified (though of course in typical Anna fashion you became one of the best players), to just being loopy in orchestra everyday with you I can’t tell you how much I loved being around you and the way you made me laugh so hard. You were the best lunch buddy there ever was and would without fail always be down for any kind of Asian food. Traveling to San Francisco and Chicago seem light years away now and I would give anything to go back and Fiji water it up with you again. I miss your big smile and your infectious laugh. I miss your sense of adventure and genuine pursuit of happiness. I miss the way you were always there for me (even when I called and woke you up in the middle of the night) and how you always stayed so calm during trying times. God Anna I miss you and I don’t know how this happened. We talked about going to Westridge reunions together and being at each other’s bachelorette and baby showers and now I’m going to your funeral. This isn’t how it was supposed to be. Thank you for being my best friend and for so many memories I’ll always remember. I’ll miss you so much and do my best to carry the memories of us but I hope you’re somewhere tropical running through the clear water, ziplining in some beautiful forest and witnessing the most amazing sunsets. You deserve to be happy and to rest easy. I love you. I miss you.
Mariko De Napoli Via Facebook