How does one gather thoughts when something so incredible happens in their life? It’s been about a month since our photos
of Ali, Ben and Olivia went viral. It’s taken me about that long to stop being so overwhelmed with it all as well. I owe it to you all
to write a new blog with a big wet, sloppy kiss of thanks. It was truly because of you all, this happened. I’m going to attempt to
share my thoughts on it the “media crazy” weeks of December because everyone I see wants to know more about it!
First of all, I couldn’t be more proud of Ali. She’s been gone for over two years and yet she is STILL touching lives. Around the
freaking globe, y’all. Something that I said in every interview (and got edited out every.single.time) was that we all have a purpose
on Earth. We know she achieved more for the good of humanity in 31 yrs than most would in a century. She fulfilled God’s wishes
for her and he called her Home. Yes, we know that. However, what we know now? THIS! THIS WAS HER PURPOSE. Her job on
Earth was a fraction of God’s plan for my sister. Her job in Heaven has been far more important. Our images helped heal
thousands and help millions know that everything is going to be alright. Life is hard, but we can move on, gracefully. Something
else I talked about EVERY SINGLE TIME was my faith. And I understand TV stations can’t talk about religion because it creates
controversy, but I was sure to bring it up just in case someone had the balls to credit having faith in such a hard time. God is good
and though it seems to many that He is cruel for taking Olivia’s Mommy from her at such a young age. Or making Ali suffer for
almost 8 hard months. But it’s not about all that. It’s about the bigger picture. It’s about how we now have a kickass angel by our
sides every moment. It’s about how Heaven and Earth aren’t so far apart. It’s about using her to bring millions back to Him. It
didn’t make much sense to us two years ago. But now, it’s clear. She is his instrument shining her light on those stuck in the
darkness. I’ve said it so many times before, but I’ll say it again, SHE IS THE LUCKY ONE. And we still get to enjoy her
personality, just in a different way. She still says hello to me SO often, I’m never shocked anymore. Even in my sleep we hang out
all night in my dreams, almost every night. In fact, I talk to her more now than I did then. Let me tell you, I think she actually
answers me faster now then she ever did over text. Believe it! I’ve realized my role here on Earth is so much bigger too. God gave
me this gift. Not just to create memories via photographs, but a gift to speak here on my blog. So in combination of me using my
talents, Ali consistently shining down on me, I’m able to speak loud and clear about God working in my life. I used to be worried
about speaking out because I got SO MUCH grief growing up for being into my faith. But this whole experience proved to me I
need to start speaking out about it again. Because apparently a lot of people like it. (I apologize to those who don’t believe, we
can still be friends. 😉 ) I’ve been sharing some of her “hellos!” on my Instagram too which has made so many more people more
of the angels around us. Just being more conscious of “signs” from their loved ones. I love the texts and messages I’m receiving
from people who are really starting to “get it!”
So back to that time when I asked Ali to make herself more present in my life. Which quickly became that time when I wanted to
throw my phone in the toilet and curl up in a ball and cry. Yep, it was really that overwhelming. You guys, I’m truly so thankful for
it all. For the 14million blog hits in a weeks time. Enough to crash our entire shared server multiple times! Ali was so popular she
crashed the internet! However, I’ve never experienced my phone blowing up like that. Call after call from around the world. I was
exhausted and would ignore them, but they’d leave voicemails and then call back. Everyone said, “just unplug and ignore it for
awhile.” I tried that. And then it took 5xs longer to dig out from hundreds of emails requesting to use the images. Requesting to
speak with me on the phone. And I wanted to answer them all because her face deserved to be seen around the world. I quickly
learned to answer emails with a copy and pasted statement. And then the requested links started rolling into my inbox. Seeing
our work on website after website, hundreds of them. Below is just a fraction of them that I’ve seen. I took screen shots for mine
and Olivia’s memory boxes and to post here. Basically to remember, this really did happen. Each Facebook post or blog had
thousands of shares. Comment after comment of the hope that was gained from our tragedy. The story was broadcasted on Tvs
everywhere, in every language. Just in the states alone, I know for certain over 500+ stations aired it because in a single phone
call from the NY Newsroom, I granted permission for it to be syndicated to all their affiliate channels in all 50 states.
There were some shares that were just hilarious to me. Celebrities talking about us and sharing, People.com and E! Carson Daly
quoting me on the Today show. HA! My husband’s favorite was seeing it on The Chive. That site is either funny pics or sexy
chicks, not sentimental. It was also cool to see only positivity in the comments. People typically like to bash others especially
when something has gone viral. And don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of losers who shed some inappropriate words, but
others quickly jumped on their case in our defense. Faith in humanity, restored. And then of course were all the top ten lists
around New Year’s. The pics were mentioned in quite a few different places and articles are still popping up making reference
to them well after the Today show. We’ve had some interviews lately and Germany is apparently sending a correspondent to tape
for a FULL day next week. Isn’t it baffling? I can’t wrap my mind around it.
The one thing that I think most people kept forgetting about it all, was the raw emotion it stirred up for our family. In so many
ways it was just like the days after. The wound was slowly healing over the past couple years and then just like that, the bandaid
was ripped off and maybe even a little salt was poured in. To see Ali’s name allllll over my social media accounts again. To have to
dig through her wedding photos to find “more images to match up” for the Today show and other images of the two of us. To have
to talk about her sickness and our relationship repeatedly on camera. To watch her bright shining healthy smile on my TV screen.
It wasn’t easy. I know you probably don’t believe me, but truly I was an emotional mess in every interview. The magic of editing
left me mystified. I guess it was basically just like how I turn a screaming/tantrum/hot-mess of a family session into cuddly and
happy perfection. Ha! I was not as cam and collected as I appeared. At all. Bittersweet is the only way to truly describe it. Artists
dream of their work being published around the world. But unfortunately, our work that caught the world’s eye are of some of
the hardest images for me to look at now. So cool, but really freaking sucky at the same time.
These screen shots are hard to read but there are different languages mixed in. I wish I kept a list of the countries that reached
out. 20 different ones at least. Germany, Brazil, Uk, Spain, France, Japan were amongst the top inquiring and commenting. But
it was the ones from places like Finland, Jerusalem, Norway, Indonesia that really made me take pause. It was just so surreal. So
stinking amazing. I haven’t even mentioned the straight emails I got with story after heartbreaking story from people who have
lost loved ones or about to lose them and how much this has helped them. And to think, it was on a whim that I dug up those
weddings pics we recreated and decided to side by side them just for fun. WHO KNEW this would happen!!! (Ali did.)
I’m so thankful for the folks at Today.com and the Today show for lighting the fire to spreading this story. We think the story was
originally picked up by Today.com from one of our blog followers who works at NBC. After the story quickly became THE
NUMBER ONE SOCIAL STORY OF THE YEAR (Whaaaat??!!), the Today show wanted to have us on. They flew in
correspondent Janet Shamlian, who then brought a producer and filming crew to our house. It was a four hour ordeal which was
followed by other local news crews coming and then followed by online Skype interviews. Everyone was so nice to us
but I especially loved the Today show group. They didn’t just rush in and out. They made themselves present like they were our
friends. We walked around my house (which I quickly sprinted around and cleaned because I figured they only needed the first
floor, NOPE! Fail!) and talked. I shared stories of Ali and my family with them. We laughed and shed tears together. They even
showed me their own family’s pics. I almost didn’t need the handful of Imodium I popped as Janet did her makeup in my
bathroom. (I was a nervous poops wreck.) But Janet talked to me as a mother. She truly grasped it all on a different level than
everyone else. It wasn’t just about getting the top story before everyone else. Her tone was sympathetic and her voice was so calm.
On Instagram I referred to her as my BFF because that’s how easy it was to talk to her. If you are reading this Janet, THANK
YOU! I was so glad they chose you to come to us.
These are some Instagrams from while the today show was there. Janet actually had me using her phone to take pics of
everything as it happened. I just loved that. She wanted the memories too. She even texted me just after the segment aired to
ensure I liked it and was happy. Through my tears, I wrote back how perfect it was..jpg)
The top left image was the very first night after today.com posted. I thought life was crazy then and it was just the beginning of
the whirlwind. Adam got so frustrated with me because I couldn’t close my computer. My kids were screaming for my attention. I
was staying up waaay too late and getting up waaay too early. The kids were home and in my face demanding my attention which
I obviously couldn’t give. So they were doing things like painting the bathroom with makeup. Using my hair cutting scissors to cut
up everything. The schoolroom looked like a tornado which is a HUGE no-no and they know it. I was so so overwhelmed. And I
wasn’t eating, because frankly I didn’t have time until it was almost dinner time when most work days were over. The shots in
the bottom row are from the one day the site kept crashing. (Don’t worry, they found me through the birth photography site and
through facebook and inquired for the images through there! Reporters are persistent!!) The next is just before the Today show
interview. I was ready in yellow and then they decided to shoot me in my yellow room, so I decided to change in the middle of the
phone still ringing, and oh did I mention my kids had their 2 and 4yr well checks that day? Thank the lord Rachel was on break
and came to my rescue to take them. Ya, Nori turned 4 that week too. I had her party Friday and then about 60 of Adam’s family
members over the next day. Life was SO FUN! The bottom right was me finally eating something for the first time that day and it
was a donut that my BIL Brian brought over to help relieve some stress. YUM! Speaking of Brian, I super casually planted two of
his books on the shelf behind Janet in the playroom footage. You can see them if you look at those shots above! Boom.
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I haven’t gotten around to taking pics of the articles in print yet. I just threw them into Ali’s memory box for safe keeping before
they got lost or cut up by my kids while I was too busy with my nose in my laptop or phone. I mean, what is it like to be a
celebrity? I guess they pay people to do this stuff for them? I don’t think ever want to be “famous” again. I’ll stick to everyone
knowing my name on the Westside. Did you guys like that shout out in the huffpost live interview?? HA! No one had asked
anything about me as an artist and I was totally caught of guard. :0
I have so many thoughts I wanted to share. So much I’m leaving out. The gist of it is I just want to say thank you world! Thank
you for sharing my sister’s story. Thank you for letting me truly understand why she needed to be called Home. My heart is full
and He and Ali are smiling big. I’m truly not surprised she helped orchestrate all of this. One of her biggest fears was being
forgotten, especially by Olivia. Well I’ll say, no one ever truly dies as long as the living are still loving and talking about them.
And I’ll say we most certainly still are! Thanks for blowing my world up, sis! I GET IT! YOU’RE STILL WITH US!!
Heart, Melanie.
PS. THIS POST WAS SOOOO LONG. If you made it all the way through, fist punch and THANKS again! 🙂
