remembering Bridget

My heart is heavy tonight. We just got back from a trip to say goodbye to our sweet friend Bridget. She passed away on Thursday after a tragic accident. We watched Bridget grow up from a sweet high school student in Kirksville, MO to a confident and talented pediatric nurse here in St. Louis. Bridget was Marlie's first babysitter. When I started back working she would come once a week and give me a much needed break. She was amazing with my little girl. Marlie never really got upset when I left, but she never wanted Bridget to go home. In fact one of Marlie's first words was "Bridget".

Not having a good photo of the two of them together to share with you is a painful reminder of how I forget to photograph the important day to day happenings in our life. But, I'll tell you about her.

Bridget had the biggest smile of anyone I know. Literally ear to ear. And she had awesome dimples. She loved to dance. She loved to help people. You could tell that she loved her job as a nurse. She was always chewing gum. Chewing gum and smiling. When it was time to change Marlie's diaper she would say "Let's change your butt." It always made me giggle. She always had her nails done. The last time I saw her her nails were bright aqua. Only she could pull that off. She had some magic touch with Marlie. There were days when I couldn't get her to nap anywhere and Bridget could get her to fall asleep on her chest in an instant. When we would talk and catch up she always told me about her family. You could tell that she loved them more than anything in the world.

I still can't quite believe you are gone Bridget. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to know you.