My youngest daughter just got married this past June of 2004. My son in law Jeremy is like a son to me. His brother, Jacob 19 has a beautiful girlfriend named Amber also 19.

I received new this morning that Amber was in a car wreck last night and was killed instantly. She was driving back to her college dorm with her best friend, Elena also 19, when the tire blew out and they hit a tree head on. Both were killed instantly. It will be a closed casket as she was unrecognizable.

As if that wasn't horrible enough, Jacob had just proposed to Amber and they had set a date. The rest of the family did not know yet. They were planning to tell them this weekend.

I had met Amber when my daughter Erin got marred in June. Amber went to the bachlorette party with us and she was a sweet and beautiful girl. The whole town of Lake Wales, FLorida is devastated. Both girls were very well known. I am heartsick for both families of the girls and for Jacob as well. He is in shock and destroyed.

Keep them in your prayers.

Life is so short sometimes. Isn't it?

Aww I got goosebumps when I was reading your post of where you found that footage. I had something similiar happen. My father passed away when I was 19 during the summertime. Holidays were extremely special in our family because my father was all about getting in the holiday spirit. He would bake and bake and make cookies, candies - the whole 9 yards at Christmas that he would pack up a special tin for each one of us kids. Maybe a year after he died when I was moving I came across one of those tins - I opened it up and there it was - still in physical pefectness - an entire tin of my father's goodies. Its like the only thing I have from him besides pictures. I keep that tin in my nightstand and occasionally I take a look at it and take a moment to be with my father again It feels like they're speaking to us even after they've gone - just a gentle reminder that they are still with us. That's something very special.

Losing someone is never easy, but the sorrow of losing someone so tragically at such a young age is almost unbearable. Penni, you, your family, and the loved ones of the two young women who were lost are all in my thoughts and prayers. So so sorry for your loss.