I pray to never forget.

I finished spring term last week on Thursday. I was so excited to be done with the stresses of school. My mom and I planned a fun vacation to Las Vegas to spend a few days with her family. Our plan was to leave Thursday and be there around 8:00pm. As time passed, we realized we were not going to be able to leave on Thursday due to some things that came up at work and just little extra items of business. We woke up early Friday morning and were off. We arrived in Vegas around 2:00pm. My grandma had called to see where we were and my mom said that she sounded like something was wrong on the phone. Soon we found out the devastating truth to the worry in my Grandma's voice. We walked in the door to her house and she said "We've had a loss in the family." My mom hurried and set her stuff down and didn't want to hear it until we were prepared. My grandma proceeded to tell us that the previous night, Thursday night, my 17-year-old cousin Austin had passed away. Complete shock overcame my mom and me. If you've never experienced the death of a loved one, you can't imagine the feeling that takes place over your whole body. My mom and I, in complete shock, asked what happened. The basic story is that Austin and his step-brother were walking about 2 blocks from his house and some boys in a car started harassing them. They decided they needed to get home, so they started jogging. All we know is that Austin said something about his asthma, then he tripped, fell, hit his head, and he was gone. His step-brother called my other cousin Daniel (16-years old, just younger than Austin) to come do CPR because he had just been certified as a lifeguard. My uncle Robert received a phone call and of course rushed to the scene. After trying to revive Austin at the scene, they tried again at the hospital with no success. Autopsy results won't be back for a couple of weeks to determine the exact cause of death. I now have three cousins that have died in the past two years: Kimberly (25), Danielle (20), and Austin (17).

What I thought was going to be my fun-filled vacation of swimming, tanning, and family parties, soon turned to family gatherings and funeral plans. I offered to sing at the service and because of this, I didn't want to let myself cry all weekend until I was done singing. That didn't work out so well. Saturday night I was crying so hard in bed that I literally could not stop. It's uncontrollable sometimes. The service was Monday and everything went so well. It was beautiful. I'd never really been to a non-LDS funeral and it was so wonderful to hear the faith in God that everyone had. The fact that they believe Austin is with God and in a better place is a miracle. Here are some of my favorite pictures from his facebook memorial page:

Such a cutie!

So adorable!

Left to right: Daniel (16), Uncle Robert, Aunt Chancey, Austin (17), and Tyler (13)

The Three Musketeers!

This is Austin and his family when his mom, my Aunt Bonnie, got re-married.

They love each other so much!

This whole experience has taught me so many things. First of all, it is so strange to think about the fact that my mom and I were supposed to arrive in Vegas on Thursday night. We would have been there. We would have gone to the hospital and seen Austin one more time. There must be reasons why we weren't supposed to have been there at that time.

The last couple months of Austin's life were different. He showed so much more faith in God and a yearning to be close to Him. The last status he had on his facebook said "Patience, endurance, and hope are all the things I need to heal." My mom and I both had conversations with him on facebook last week telling him how excited we were to see him and the family. I told him how we were going to "party it up" and have fun swimming.

Life is so precious. The memories we make with friends and family are so important. Sometimes we don't know what plans God has in store for us. Let your loved ones know how much you care about them. Tell them "I love you." The last words Austin said to his dad were "I love you, dad." That meant so much to my uncle. There is no time to waste. We can't put relationships with people or God off until tomorrow because tomorrow may never come. Take time to re-evaluate your life. If there is something you might regret or want to change after you pass away...do it NOW! Austin was such a wonderful son of our Heavenly Father and I will never forget the wonderful memories we have together. Keep his family in your prayers!