Sunday, August 23, 2020
Dayla light up the room everywhere she went. Her personality drew people in. What I loved about her is her youthful/ goofy take on life and how she'd be cracking jokes or pulling pranks( what you'd expect from one who was born on April fools day). Everytime she'd look at me with that huge smile or cackling loud laugh it was impossible for me not to laugh along too. In high school is where I noticed how competitive she really was. I had won first place ribbons in several track and field events and her 2nd or 3rd in her first year to join me at Glenmary and it made her blood boil! She threatened me she'd take me out the next year. The next year came and everyone had grown taller(especially Dayla) over the summer except for me. She blew me away in every event that year and several years after! We carried on at camp silver sides and played basketball showing off our skills to the boys ( thank goodness we had different taste in men or it could've gotten ugly lol). I used to love playing baseball against her and would brag " that's my cousin" wishing we could play on the same team. It was when I moved to red deer with liam that our crazy cousin bond had turned into something even more special as we ended up spending most days together. So I was heart broken when she moved to where a huge part of her heart belongs....Australia. We've been talking about once a week to at least a couple calls a month on messenger where each time she would tell me how her life was going the good and the bad. One night she said she got locked out of her appartment somehow and was freezing in her car. I was like "oh no!"...until I asked "well how cold can it really be?" And chattering her teeth she replied 27. "Wait! Plus 27?" I asked."Yes" she said."You've gotten to used to the scorching heat there and I fear you'll never come back!" She would tell me about her days on the beach or a snake on her deck or crocodile she'd cooked with etc and the longer she was out there the more I noticed a slight Aussie accent coming through. I knew then that it really was her home and a place as hot as it is there and everything wants to kill you from sharks to snakes, spiders and crocs only a tough girl like her could survive and love it...I'd probably sizzle up the first week or be constantly on the lookout for scorpions or something venomous that may come my way. I said I would just stick to our all time favorite movie we watched over and over again called "Australia"...go figure! Almost every other call she would say" Courtney sing you're on speaker phone my mate wants to hear "I'd hear her say " my cousin has an amazing voice" ...no pressure at all. I would eventually give in cause she wouldn't stop asking until she got her way. I tried to get her to write music with me but that didnt seam to excite her as much as me. Dayla has always been such a talented pianist and saxophonist it always made me envious . We did however rock la bamba on her piano together though. Oh how aunty Sue was patient and understanding with dayla rocking the piano upstairs and tasha and I singing " I think were alone now by tiffany over and over downstairs and the boys running around. I have to thank Aunty for bringing her home so I could enjoy another moment with her and stories and amongst the serious talks we fit in more laughs. She had such a huge heart for a tough girl who played on the guys football team and I dont think I've ever seen her cry... I recall going to Vancouver with her on a whim. My mom and hers were not wanting us to drive there on a spur of the moment in the late evening so we decided we'd go camping In chilliwack down by the river instead. So i get my sweatpants on and ugly sweater and sleeping bag etc jump in the car and we were off. I gave her directions and was like "Day! You missed the turn off for the river!!" She smiled and said " oh we're not going camping! Were going to Vancouver bahaha!" Omg?! She seriously almost took me hostage going to the big city in my ugly camping get up lol I wasn't impressed. She was a very spontaneous girl. And I can't forget about driving past hastings street where she saw the homeless and drug addicted people walking around there like sad lost souls. She found somewhere to park instantly and I was like " oh hell no Dayla! Anywhere but here please stop anywhere but here!" She got out of the vehicle and talked to a couple people asking about why they did the drugs or if they were ok etc then just walked over to the pizza place and ordered 2 xlarge pizza and she said to me "help me feed these people they're skin and bones " we went up and down the street hanging out slices she would say things like " here have a slice . Don't do drugs" and" drugs are bad here have dinner on me its free" Millions more stories that I will share and love to hear in time. I'm really just trying to embrace them and cherish them instead of missing them and feeling a huge loss. I will never forget her wild and spontaneous and unfiltered comments I can't forget her amazing chef skills I will never forget her laugh I will never forget her sense of humor or smile And I can almost see and hear her walking into the room now wearing those cowgirl boots and a miniskirt. Most of all thank you aunty Susan and uncle Murray for giving us the wonderful gift of Dayla . I will never forget Dayla And I will miss her as long as I live Crazy cuzzy Courtney Ps- I promised you Dayla that I would quit smoking and that's a promise that I intend to keep . So that's just another way that you've changed both Liam and my life forever. Love you always
