50 Things About Wo

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! Last year was the worst year ever for our family, so we are hoping this year will be much better. New Year's Eve was very difficult to get through. I made dinner at home as usual and we watched the New Year's shows on tv. I saw all the people on tv laughing and smiling and I wondered when we will ever be happy like that again. I hope so much that one day we will be able to laugh and smile like that with joy in our hearts rather than sorrow. It really broke my heart to know that 2013 was the last year Lauren will ever know. She had so many plans for happy times in 2014, especially her getting married to the love of her life. I pray every night that she is happy in Heaven, but I have a hard time believing she is happy without Gio or her family. Since the holidays are winding down, I hope we will be able to feel some better, but I just don't see that happening quite yet. Lauren is constantly on our minds and we feel such a sense of loss and heartbreak. Since this blog is about Lauren, I thought it would be kind of fun to tell you more about her. So, I will tell you 50 things you may or may not know about Lauren. Here goes!!

1. She was born on March 6th, Mark's birthday!

2. She hated mushrooms.

3. She loved watching shows on the Disney channel.

4. She hated clowns and was terrified of them.

5. She could hit a baseball really far.

6. Wo loved to swim and could swim like a fish.

7. She was 5'9" tall.

8. Her favorite colors were black, red, and white.

9. She loved boy bands like 'NSync, O-Town, and One Direction.

10. She always had a smile that could light up a room.

11. She always wanted to be Italian.

12. She once dyed her hair black.

13. Wo loved mac and cheese.

14. She couldn't stand people that were fake or out for their own glory and could spot them from a mile away.

15. Lauren loved to bake, especially cookies.

16. She loved anything blingy and sparkly.

17. Her favorite flowers were red roses.

18. The cologne she liked the best was Lucky.

19. She loved spending time at her Grandma Tommie and Papa Ron's house.

20. When Lauren went shopping and found something on sale, she wouldn't just buy one. She would buy one in every color.

21. Lauren always wanted a Scion XB.

22. She did not like scary movies and was the most scared of Michael Myers.

23. She liked to drive fast and take corners even faster!

24. She loved Coach purses and thought she found her dream job when she landed a job at a Coach store, only to realize she hated high pressure sales and enjoyed working in the stockroom the best.

25. Diet Mountain Dew was her favorite and it was the first thing she asked for after her first surgery.

26. She did not like school at all and was so happy once she graduated.

27. She always looked up to her big sister, Kristen, and loved her very much.

28. She bought tons of high heels but rarely wore them because she felt like a giant.

29. She had a passion for beauty, and could put make-up on and look beautiful like no other. She also had a natural beauty and looked great without make-up as well.

30. She did not like when strangers got too close to her. She would give them the "back off" look.

31. She had the messiest bedroom I have ever seen.

32. She had a knack for sewing and could just whip things up.

33. She wanted to have 6 boys and name them all Italian names.

34. Lauren loved candy, especially super sour candy.

35. She loved huge earrings and is the only person that could pull them off without looking totally ridiculous. If I had to guess, she has over 200 pair.

36. She loved her baby brother, Ryan, and would do anything for him.

37. We have three dogs, but her favorite was Penny. Penny would always sit right with Lauren when she was sick and sleep all night right next to her in her bed.

38. Wo never complained when she was sick. She was always the strongest one in the family to deal with her cancer and always believed she would get better.

40. She always wanted to be a cashier when she was little and wanted a real cash register.

42. She broke her arm twice. Once when she stood up in a baby swing as she was going away from me and fell out and once when she was climbing up the front porch to get away from a dog while on roller skates.

43. She thought her Aunt Linda and Uncle Wayne were hilarious and loved them so much.

44. She loved when Gio's Mom made her espresso and she got all hyper.

45. She had great friends and loved having parties with them at Gio's house.

46. Her laugh made everyone else laugh.

47. She loved to shop and would come home with things for all of us that she knew we would love.

48. She welcomed the new people that came into our family, Bruce, Steph, and Katie, and loved them like family.

49. Her favorite person in the whole wide world was Gio. I think this year would have been their 9th year together. They were so adorable together. I loved him like he was my own. I still do, but never see him anymore. They were to be married Feb. 23rd of this year. It would have been the happiest day of their lives.

50. Family was everything to Wo. And she was everything to us.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with Lauren. I could go on and on with little nuggets about her. She was so much fun to be with and we will never be the same without her. God bless our dear daughter in heaven. My hope is that nobody else ever has to feel the pain we are feeling. I wish you all the happiest, best year ever. Thank you for continuing to read my blog as I keep Lauren's memory alive.

Love,
-Pam

Last year. Wo was so excited for the future!