I met Danielle in college. I had transfered to Smith, which was like heaven on earth to me. One of the first people I met there was Danielle. She ushered me in. I started playing on the rugby team, which was a lot of fun. During one of our first practices, the whole team went for a run, and I ended up in a group with Danielle. As we neared campus--we were off campus, heading back--Danielle says, "Is anybody up for another run?" And I thought, "Is this girl crazy? Is she nuts?" But I found myself saying, "Yeah," just because I wanted to be in the presence of this incredibly dynamic person I had just met. And that's pretty much how it was for me with Danielle from then on out. Every time I was around her I felt like life was really happening, taking place.

That summer we drove out together to school from the Midwest where we both lived. I went to pick her up in Chicago, and when I got there, she says, "Hey, wanna stay another night? Why don't we leave tomorrow and just drive through the night, because I have tickets to see Bonnie Raitt." And the next thing I know, I'm in this red convertible that she's borrowed from somebody and Danielle is driving us to the Bonnie Raitt concert. It was great.

She was all about grasping life and taking opportunites as they came. It's one of the things I most appreciated about her. I am going to miss Danielle a lot, and I am thankful to have known her in this lifetime.