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Getting my first dog
When I was younger, all I wanted was a dog. I would bother my parents 24/7 about getting one. One day after school, my mom picked me up from the bus stop and told me she had a surprise at home. I had no idea what it was and I was guessing all random things. We got home, I see my grandparents sitting on the couch with my little sister, along with a small, white puppy. I ran over and immediately picked him up. I was so happy. We have been inseparable since, and I wouldn't want any other dog. -
Getting stitches for the first time
I was riding bikes with my cousin one morning when all of a sudden, I lost control. My body had completely flipped over my bike. I remember landing in front of a stranger's house and a lady came out of the house asking if I was okay. I couldn't speak or move, so her husband had to carry me back to my aunt's. I only thought my knees and elbows were bleeding, and had no idea that my chin had a gash in it. I screamed and cried the whole hospital trip and ended up getting 9 stitches on my chin. -
Not speaking about my grandpa for Veteran's Day
For Veteran's Day at JFK, kids would bring in any relatives who served. We would all sit in the gym as each student talked about their relative. I thought this would be easy since I had already done this in 2nd grade. When it was my turn to speak about my grandpa, I thought I was ready. But, when I looked up and saw all these people with their eyes on me, I froze. I was only able to get a sentence out before handing the mic to the principal and crying into my grandpa's leg. -
10 years at taps-n-toes
I always wondered what it would be like to have my name be called for a 10 year award. It was even better that my older sister and I recieved it the same year. The feeling was exciting, having the studio owner say "Jessica Hamel" as the audience was clapping. It was like the beginning. Because the next year, I got 11 years, then 12, and recently 13. I love when people ask me "how many years do you dance?" because when I tell them 13, they sound amazed, like they see this is what I love to do. -
Receiving my first pair of pointe shoes
Getting pointe shoes was always a dream of mine when I was younger. I loved watching the older girls go up on pointe during the recitals. So, when my dance teacher told me I earned them, I was ecstatic. My dream had finally come true. On the first day of class with my new shoes, I thought it would be easy. But, I was wrong. I started getting upset and frustrated at myself because I couldn't do the moves right away, not even thinking about how I just got the shoes. I just wanted to be perfect. -
Falling on stage for the first time
It was the first recital of the day and the thought of having people in the audience watching me made me nervous. I was doing fine in the beginning of the dance but as I went to go up on pointe, my ankle rolled and I fell out of the move. I put my hands on the ground before I could fall. I was so upset I wanted to run off. But, I continued dancing. However, for the next show. I was even more nervous. I didn't want to make the same mistake. But, I ended up doing it the best I've ever done it. -
My dog started getting sick/seizures
Last summer, my mom gave me the news that my dog was starting to get seizures. Immediately afterwards, I started crying. I was heartbroken. He's my best friend. He kept getting them and I was scared every time. It was something I never wanted to see happen to my dog. We took him to the vet and they gave us medicine for him. My dog also had pneumonia. He lost a lot of weight bc he wouldn't eat or get up from his bed. Luckily, he's been getting better and he has not had a seizure in 3 months. -
Both grandpas died the same year
This year was definitely hard for me and my family. My mom's dad had passed away in February of Alzheimer's. We knew the time was coming but it all happened so fast. He was either in the hospital or rehabilitation. He died the day I saw him and my sister told me the news the next morning. Then in July, my dad's stepdad passed away. When my mom told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it. It was so unexpected. Losing two people I was very close to was tough and I miss them both so much. -
Getting stuck on a zip line
This summer, my mom, sister and I went to Florida to visit our friends. One day, we went to a tree obstacle course. It was a day I'll never forget. On the last zipline, I landed on the platform and somehow got tangled in it. Really tangled. The worker had to climb up and help me out of it. The people who were in line behind me had to wait 5 minutes and it was very hot that day. I asked the worker if this was the first time something like this happened and she said yes! So embarrassing! -
Wisdom teeth removal
I was dreading for this day to come. The day my mom scheduled this appointment, I was nervous every day after that. I did not want to have this surgery. Even though they told me they were going to put me to sleep and that I won't feel anything, I didn't care. I still didn't want this day to come. I never had any teeth pulled when I was younger, so having this be the first was pretty nerve wracking for me. I was more nervous for later on and how painful it would be, which ended up being horrible.
