Katie Ann Hurley

KATIE ANN HURLEY TOLEDO

This last week I was thinking a lot about Katie; thinking that I wanted to feature her this week and then I heard, from her sister, that Katie was in the hospital and very ill. I am always amazed at the way intuition works if only we would listen. Thank goodness for her sister Kori! I would love to say that I would have followed my intuition, but I can not be certain about that. There have been plenty of times that I have ignored it only later to learn that I should have gone with my gut. It is sort of a team effort sometimes, so if all of you that read this send prayers, or good juju her way I know that the good energy would be appreciated.

I have known Katie, since elementary school. She moved to Rexburg from Rigby and we became friends. I had never known anyone like Katie. She was independent, feisty, and smart, super smart. She could do anything she set her mind to and she did it with confidence. I remember wondering why she seemed to be so good at everything. I would soon discover that it was her persistence and fortitude.

Katie was the first woman in my life to exemplify, explain, and encourage feminism. How? You might ask does an elementary school girl know anything about feminism. She did! "Anything a boy can do I can do better." I can not tell you whether she actually said this or if it is just a left over impression about how she played when we were young, but I know that I never felt like anything we did was a boy thing or a girl thing it was just a thing we wanted to do. The funny thing is I bet you are imagining this little tom boy. But...Katie was girly. She loved dresses and all that jazz. Her exemplification continued through the years. She went to college to be a nurse and then went on to get her masters degree. I learned from Katie that being a feminist did not mean hating men or that as women we had to do the same a man's job just to prove we can. I learned from her that it just means that we should do what we love and not feel guilty about being the best or not being the best. She taught me that I can be independent, feisty, and smart and that does not mean I can not also be caring, vulnerable, and soft.

Katie also taught me to love my sister. This sounds weird, I know. But... before I was friends with Katie, Rana was a bother to me; she was pesky and always wanted to be in my space. This photograph was pretty much my take on the subject. Katie however, was different with Kori, she liked hanging out with her, and since Rana and Kori were friends and Katie and I friends we were together all of the time our friendship became an interesting dynamic. We got each other because we understood the annoyances and the benefits of being a big sister. Katie taught me how fun it could be to not only be a big sister, but to have your sister as a friend. If any of you know me you will know how close I am to my little sis, and I feel it is because Katie made it cool to be friends with Rana.

Katie was also my cultural liaison growing up. I remember wanting to learn to play the violin because she played the violin. I was not good at it... I think this is when I learned that I could be an appreciator of music for my talent because I loved listening to her play the violin and the piano. I was lucky to have her in my life. We would listen to Micheal Jackson, Les Miserable, the Gease soundtrack, Phantom of the Oprah, The Beatles, and classical music; it all depended on our moods and how hyper we were allowed to be at the time. She was one of the few friends that I would get so hyper with that my dad would always talk about pealing me off the wall after she went home. For someone that is as low key and mellow as I have always marveled at her ability to endow me with tons of energy.  I imagine being her children would be such a fun experience!!

Finally, Katie...I want to tell you how much you mean to me. You have always and I mean always been a good friend to me. I wish, I try not to do this too often, but I wish I would have utilized your friendship more. I wish I would have allowed you in a little more. I wish I would have been a better friend to you. I am thankful to you for allowing me to be a part of your life. I remember your being so sweet when you got married; making me feel such a part of your special day at a time when it was difficult being single. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for being an example of a strong smart woman with goals that both fail and triumph.  I have always felt loved by you and that is something special. I hope you feel my thoughts and love. Get well soon my friend!