First I want to thank everyone in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head - the police, EMTs, and the Fire Department - who helped Megan, Angie, Amanda, Shana, and Michael.

I want to tell you a little about Amanda. First, she always got upset when we would talk about her, so I'll be brief.

She had a passion for life and always wanted to learn everything. She liked challenges, from developing her own photographs to flying an airplane.

She had competed in sports, been in the Indian Princesses (a YMCA program for fathers and their daughters) when she was little, and in scouts.

She learned to play 6 different musical instruments - LOUD.

She developed a love for art and photography.

When she was 14, she was selected to be a People-to-People Ambassador to South Africa, and after that she was always after us to send her on trips that were set up through her high school.

She liked to ask for the Visa card, and was very good at using it.

A lot of people collect all kinds of things - dolls, stamps, baseball cards; Amanda collected friends.

She also felt strongly about helping people. She helped homeless people in Camden, NJ, got involved in food drives, and helped in the Kindness Club at school.

Two streets away from us in Medford she had a friend named Doris Warwick. She would rake Doris's leaves, take her dinner, and let her know what was going on in her life. What's so great is that Doris is in her 80's. Doris lost a good friend.

On April 12th, the day of Amanda's funeral, a teacher from Lenape High School came up to me and said Amanda had invited her to her wedding, whenever that might be. She said that since there won't be a wedding, she came to say goodbye to Amanda.

I don't want other families to experience the pain that all our families have felt.

There are a lot of things in life you have no control over, but this tragic and senseless crash didn't have to happen.

Use common sense and good judgment, and if your friends aren't, let them know.

We loved Amanda, and she'll be missed by her brother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.