“I am writing on a puke bag because it is the only thing I could find & I am that desperate to share my thoughts! I am flying back to my home town, about 45minutes from OAK, to look for a new place to live. I have been living with my husband of 3 years in Mount Vernon, WA, for almost 2 years. Several weeks ago we made the decision to get a divorce. I am heart broken, physically ill and terrified of what the future holds. I booked this flight just to get away from all of the sadness and spend time with my family & friends. I cried last night before falling asleep. I cried this morning on my way to the airport. Then I saw you & your friends….I found myself smiling, thinking about my friends. How much fun it would be to just get on a plane and go party for a weekend while being dressed up as sexy badass flight attendants (no matter how many crazy looks come by). Thank you for that. I’m going home with a new perspective. Know that the light you shine makes a difference even through just a smile. Have a blast today, tomorrow & forever. Aloha. Blonde in 23D.”

Emily was born and raised in the Oakland area. Emily is curious and passionate. She teaches garden ecology to elementary students and is incredibly proud of the community of gardeners and ecologists that have connected for this cause of connecting students to their food and the life found in soil. The most important person outside her family for her right now is an 11 year old named Christian. She chose Christian because “he asks questions and has a genuine curiosity for the life around him,” which inspires Emily and gives her hope. Emily would like to leave others with encouragement “to keep asking questions into adulthood, it’s the only way to learn what life is all about.”