OUR MEMORIES
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Halloween-Parade-Costumes
Oh! my sweet Kanda, if only we could go back to the days of costume making
and Halloween Parades. As in the month of October and the last Saturday night
of that month, the weather could be so unpredictable, from the low 30's to the high
60's but we drudged on for about four years.
Hoping to win the First Place Trophy, I can still see your excitement as you proudly
dressed in your new costume each year. As we put our heart and soul into your costumes,
your ideas and my sewing, you learned early in life that competing was a tough game.
Even though you always placed for a trophy, only twice did you win the First Place
Trophy but you always accepted with pride regardless of where you placed.
I wish I could hug you as you model your costumes in your early childhood pictures,
my favorite being STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE and if memory serves me, I believe
that was the last year you marched with the Flora Masqueraders in the Flora, Illinois
Halloween Parade.
While unpacking costumes this past September, right before my eyes was the original
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE costume you so proudly wore taking home the First Place
Trophy. What a surprise that I had stored that particular costume all those years because
it means more to me now then it did when you won the trophy. You were my little girl when
you wore it the first time, but when I unpacked the costume as of late, I sobbed because not
only was it part of a long ago childhood, but a part of what our entire family has lost, YOU,
OUR BEAUTIFUL KANDA MICHELLE.
SEPTEMBER 2004
KANDA'S TRIP TO FLORIDA IN OCTOBER 2001
FLORIDA IN OCTOBER OF 2001
October of 2001, Trish and Jimmy Norton, Kanda, Brandi Mitchel, Mark Lindeman
and Treena Jett made plans to fly to Florida to visit with
Jimmy's sister and Kanda's cousin, Shari Norton Harlan,
whom we lost 7-6-05 due to cancer. Unfortunately Shari is not in
any of these pictures, but I, Kanda's mom wanted to post these
Florida pictures as I just recently received them.
At the time that Kanda made this trip I did not want her to fly since it
had only been a month since 9-11 and I was so worried but as
these pictures show, everyone had a great time,
especially Kanda. Since Kanda only lived less than
three years after this trip, thank the Lord she did get to see the
ocean as she had always dreamed of..
FLORIDA PICTURES TO FOLLOW:
KANDA AND BRANDI
THANK YOU TREENA FOR LOCATING THESE
WONDERFUL PICTURES,
BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF OUR KANDA
SHE WAS SO ALIVE IN THESE PICTURES,
I JUST WANT TO REACH OUT AND HUG HER.
YOU ALL LOOKED AS THOUGH YOU WERE
HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.
I KNOW KANDA REALLY ENJOYED
THIS FLORIDA TRIP
AND
OF COURSE,
WE, TOO, LOST SHARI 15 MONTHS
AFTER KANDA,
HAD KANDA NOT GONE TO FLORIDA
AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME TO SEE
SHARI WITH THE REST OF YOU,
SHE PROBABLY NEVER WOULD HAVE
SEEN THE OCEAN.
