As I wrote last week, I am in Europe, just starting my two-week trip. As you read this, I am probably touring all around Budapest, Hungary. As I write this, I am sitting in JFK Airport watching the 9/11 remembrance coverage on the multiple televisions. This is the first time I have been in an airport on September 11th since the horrible attacks of 2001. As you make your way through security removing your shoes, belts and liquids, the significance of those actions hits home. It is the news that you never want to hear before embarking on a long trip. Just a few minutes after we hit the road, my boyfriend called to tell me that our friend had just passed away. Only 27 years old, he had recently graduated college and started a new job in Philadelphia. Life was just beginning for him, and only months ago he watched as another tragedy took his younger brother. He was a wonderful guy, and it is a very sad loss for everyone. As I sit here in the airport, I am experiencing conflicting emotions: excitement over my trip and sadness over the loss of a promising life, taken too soon. I will miss the funeral and the wake and feel slight regret that I will miss my chance at saying goodbye. On this day of remembrances, I remember all the good times and happy memories of my friend. Life is short, and I am extremely lucky to have the opportunity to see the world. Now, there is one more person up there watching out for me.  Kimberly Krol, circulation and PR executive