HOLLY HEMBREE 2

I found the following paper that my son wrote. He does not know that I have read this. It brings tears to my eyes each time I read it. I only wish that the boys could have the chance to have even more memories.

Off The Edge
By:Aaron Carey

I can still replay that dreadful day over and over in my head like a slow motion instant
replay. It was September 16th, 2008 and it began like any normal day. I woke up got ready for school and prepared myself for a day that I won't soon forget. School was going the same it usually does and as i reached the lunch room I take a seat at the table and began my meal. My cousin walks by letting me know she is on her way home but, not knowing why her mother was here to get her. I thought that was a little unusual so I began thinking what could be happening.
Then a girl comes out the office points to me and says, "Aaron they need you in the office." With a look of confusion and fear I grabbed my bag and walked slowly to the door. I saw my uncle was there also and at that point my heart sunk quicker then the Titanic because I knew something was out of order. My uncle grabbed my shoulder and said, "Aaron, your grandparents were in an accident" my face was filled with fear and shock as I looked over and my aunt and cousin both had tears flowing down their cheeks. As my lips trembled I asked, "What happened? Are they okay?" His eyes began to water up and he looks me in the eyes and says, "No, Aaron your grandparents were killed" my face turned blank and I was shaking and sweating.
The next thing I remember was leaving the school and as I walked to my car my knees
shook and my gut was tied in knots. It seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion as I approached my car. I opened the door and climbed in and then placed my head on the steering wheel as salty tears began to slowly drip down my face. I started up the car and drove to meet my family and as I pulled up I wiped away the tears so that I could stay mentally strong for everyone else because they dearly need it.

I remember all the years that we would gather with my grandparents for holidays or
Sunday dinners. I can still remember to this day the way things were at the Carey house. You
would knock on the door and hear the soft voice of an angel on earth as my grandma opened the door. The smell of food cooking always filled the air and after a hug and hello from grandma, you would walk down the hall and look in the living room as my grandpa sat in his favorite seat watching football. He would give you a firm handshake and catch you up on all the games going on in a minutes time. Then you walk back across the floors that moaned beneath your feet as you took a step back toward the kitchen. My grandma then fixes a plate of food, putting a small amount of vegetables to keep us healthy, and everyone would take their seat and the dinner would ensue.

I remember all the summers spent in their swimming pool and all the days spent on the
cement shooting basketball. My favorite summer was when I was ten and everyday summer day my grandma would pick up me, my youngest brother, and cousin. We would all head over and the first thing we would do is hurry downstairs to get dressed to go swimming. We would hurry to the pool jump in and the water was always as cold as the ice cream that my grandma would prepare us after lunch. We would swim for a couple hours as my grandma looked down on us from the kitchen window and she would just smile. Then when we finished she would make us all any lunch we wanted and ice cream atfer we gulped down our lunch. All of us would then go out in the front yard to play basketball on that old orange and white clemson basketball hoop.
Those days were the best days of my childhood by far.

I remember getting out of my car and walking to the house that I always knew as my
grandparents and slowly opened the door. The looks of fear in everyones face sent a sharp
piercing pain threw my heart. I walk up to my dad and he grabs me up and bear hugs me as tears flooded his eyes and he kept repeating, "It is not fair. It's just not fair." He let go and I walked to my grandpa's favorite chair and took a seat with a blank look on my face but inside the pain was overbearing. The next couple days as everyone mourned and cried, I sat with a blank stare but, a helping hand still for anyone who needed anything.

The funeral was a fuzzy memory as I sat in the church and my mind was replaying
memories and telling myself that this is all a bad dream. The moment I helped lift that coffin is
the moment I knew this was not a dream and even after lying down the coffin I still felt the
weight of the world pushing down on me. Nothing would ever be the same again.
It has been a couple months since my grandparents passing and things in my life have not
been looking up. All those emotions I bottled up during their passing, and other life events, began to come out in a weird fashion. It all led to me sitting in my room with an empty face and my music playing. I feel into depression and the pain was unreal and life was not going my way at all. As more things piled up the more depressed I became and even now I am still in a depressed state and trying to find a way to deal with all of this pain I am suffering. The death of my grandparents was the boiling point for all these emotions and it sent me off the edge.

Also I want to post this. So many of Holly's friends just keep saying over and over that Holly did not know that she hit anyone. She first said she thought she hit a curb and later maybe a telephone pole. This is the one part of the whole thing that I have the most difficult time with. I really do not comment on the local sites because I think it is best not to, but at this point I felt I had to say something. I wrote this- I just wanted to short and to the point but yet express what I really felt. I hope I accomplished that.
I am sorry but I really have to say something here. I really do not want to banter back and forth with people about this case but I just really have to say this because of all the things that bother me most -it is this fact that you are talking about here. Honestly, think about this. If you clip a car, the jolt of that in it self will alert you. Then to hit the curb and then hit two grown people....how can you NOT know. Honestly, how can you not know. I think the first jolt or second jolt would surely startle you enough to realize that the final 'bump' is that of two people. Those bushes over there are really small. I have been behind the wheel of a jeep liberty. There is just no way that she did not know. I am sorry, but no way.

HOLLY HEMBREE

Holly Hembree- this name and this face will forever been ingrained in my mind. Even today I am still at such a great loss for words. I just can't express all the emotions that are churning in my head. This is the woman who has changed our lives forever. This is the mother, who on a Monday night should have been at home with her two young children instead of at the bar partying. This is the woman who hit a car and then ran up on a sidewalk and ran over two grown people and says she didn't know she hit anything. She has changed her story so many times.
Yesterday we went to court for her plea bargin. The state had agreed to drop the two charges of leaving the scene, which to me is just absurd. She LEFT THE SCENE. How can that part even be dropped? But they dropped it and charged her with two counts of reckless homicide. She will serve 7 years for the one death and will do 5 years probation for the second death. Most likely in this state she will only serve about 3 years of that sentence.
We were so shocked to hear her long- very long list of driving offences and accidents. I can't believe she could even afford car insurance. That fact that her bar tab showed she purchased 7 shots at 5:30 am and then killed them around an hour later did not seem to stir the judge. The judge said he sees stuff like this all the time. He said that this incident DID NOT warrant the maximum sentence!! Holly asked our family for a second chance! What second change did she give Bill and Ruth by leaving the scene? The bodies were not found for 45 min to an hour later and Ruth was still breathing. If she would have stayed who know if the outcome would be different. We are all just so upset by the injustice of this whole thing. What does this teach my boys? That you can be reckless and drive drunk and kill some one and maybe you can even get away with it with just a slap on the wrist. I know I am rambling.....I just can't get my thoughts organized right now......I am sorry.
You can click here or here or here to read some more of the local coverage. Even the news media got some of the facts wrong, but what do you do? You can also see that so many people in the community have posted comments and agree that justice was not served.
I can't think straight right now but I did want to update you all. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

Big Tuesday

Tomorrow is a big day for us for it is the day that they will sentence Holly Hembree. She is the girl that ran over and killed the boys' grandparents. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we hope justice WILL be served. I will update tomorrow. Thank you.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

We had a great time for the fourth. First we grilled out at my house. Chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, rolls, cupcakes and icecream. Then we took off to downtown Easley to hit the antique stores and join in the festivities. Here we are eating boiled peanuts.
Here is nana with Kasdie in her little red white and blue dress.
Ice sculpture down town Easley.
Me, Sandy and three of the boys.
They had a beautiful fireworks display.

Hope you all had a wonderful July 4th celebration.

More Excitement at Work

We have had some more excitement at work. Remember last time cameras were there we were shooting our first ever TV commercial. Well, this time guess who is behind the camera?
It is THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL! Yes, can you believe it!
Here is just a small portion of the story. We helped this woman, Jerry to purchase a large conversion van. She was is much need of the van to transport her son to school and such. Her son is a very large boy. Our owner cut the price for her and we bent a few rules but she was so grateful. Well, last month she learned that the Department of Social Services was planning on taking her son away from her because of his excessive weight. I guess that she panicked and took off on the run with him. Several days later she was captured many states away. She spent some time in jail but is now out and not only awaiting trail but getting a documentary done about her-hence The Discovery Channel. Here is the thing- there has NEVER been a case of a child being taken from his home because of his weight. I think it is such a gray area. I mean, half of the kids in Austin's school are overweight. Does that mean that all these kids need to be taken away? Then again, yes his health was at danger. The video team was asking our opinions and listened to some of us debate the issue. They got a good bit of video of me so maybe you will see me on tv soon. They were there on the day she came to pick her van back up. We had it towed back to our lot and held it for her for no charge. Here she was leaving in it. So, what is your opinion of this story??Ok, mom and just for you-- some more pics of your sweet great granddaughter.

INTRODUCING KASADIE MICHELLE MCJUNKINS

JUNE 19th- 5:00 am- Bridgette goes to the hospital to have her labor induced. By this point she was a week over due and starting to feel very rundown. However, before they could induce her she started have good strong contractions on her own. She had been having some for several weeks but finally they were coming good. She did very well with the pain. I grabbed one shot of her trying to breathe thru the pain.

Finally, around 7:30 pm Kasadie Michelle Mcjunkins came into the world at 7lbs 2oz and 19 3/4 inches long. Bridgette did such a good job during labor and delivery with no problems. Here I am holding her.
Here is grandpa holding her. His eyes teared up every time he held her.


Looking at grandpa.
Great grandma got her turn. (Bridgette's grandma)

The other great grandma. (Jeremy's grandma)
Great grandpa (Jeremy's grandpa)
Grandpa gets her again with still more tears in his eyes.

Isn't she the sweetest thing?
She look a lot like her daddy but has her moms mouth.
My son Wes holding her.

Wes' girlfriend Samantha holding her
This seemed to be her favorite spot. On her daddy's chest.
Did he not get the best fathers day gift ever?
Me and Kasadie once again.

Of course my sister and I and our mom shed many tears because she could not be here to see her. They left town two weeks ago for another tent meeting. Her great grandma and grandpa will be back soon enough to see her. In the meantime- I am thankful for digital cameras and this great internet :) Enjoy the pics mom and dad :)

Too much going on here :(

I have not been blogging much as things have been so busy here. We have extended hours at work during the summer. I am also committed to going to the gym daily and that takes up much time. My new meds are causing me to gain weight RAPIDLY and I am struggling with this issue greatly. We just found out that my husbands car will need a new engine and that is a financial burden that we can not deal with right now. We are also anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece, Bridgette's baby. She is due on Friday the 12th but we were so hoping that she would arrive before tomorrow because my parents are leaving town tomorrow and will not be back for 6 months. Well, there is always tonight- hurry up Bridgette and go into labor! :)

I will be back to blogging again soon. I like to blog more when mom and dad are on the road that way they can keep up with all of our life events. I have been stopping by and reading all my dear friends blogs when I can. I hope to get back on track here soon.

Miss all of you :(