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My Birth
I was born in Valley City, North Dakota, to Terry (mom) and Dennis (dad). This event caused many others in my life. -
Lived on A Farm
My family lived on a farm near Wimbledon, North Dakota, for a really long time. I loved living on a farm--except when there were blizazrds. Having very few people around made me get close to the people around, but not establish relationships quickly. -
Younger sister (Kristen) born
She is ALWAYS there--even when I don't want her to be. I am very close to all of my siblings because we grew up on a farm with virtually no-one else near by.Kristen's birth, though i actually don't remeber it, helped me mature because I had someone to look out for when we were older. -
Stuff happened That I do not Remember
Pretty Much. I get told i did a lot of stuff--like go see the black hills in North Dakota, and said many funny things. But I do not recall any of these things. However I don't believe I am repressing any of these memories; i just forgot. -
Bitten By a Dog
I was 5 years old, it was an accident, (i had stepped on the dog's paw) and it bit my ear. I got, I think, 47 stitches. I never became terrified of dogs as happens in most cases--I adore animals--but I am cautious around strange animals. -
Began Kindergarten
I was a very shy child, but it wasn't really a problem as there were only 12 kids in my class. Throughout elementary, I never had to be outgoing so i just kept to myself, and that trend of introversion has persisted to present day--but I feel I have become more open. -
Moved to Cooperstown, North Dakota
It was a small townand while i am very fond of it now, i was very much aggainst the idea of moving, especially because it meant leaving most of our "wild" cats behind. I was only in the 2nd grade at the time, and really didn't have any close friends, mostly due to my introversion, i feel, which is why placed my need for companionship on our farm animals. This event made me depise moving; though I wouldn't know til years later. -
Death of (paternal) Grandmother
My family visited my grandma Aggie all the time; but that number decreased after we moved to Cooperstown. Her Death made me sad. To compond matters, my 13 year-old dog had to be put down due to illness at the same time. I felt more shook up about my dog's death then my grandma's, but i think perhaps that i was displacing my sadness unto my dog. -
Mom and Dad got divorced
I wasn't really sure how to react to this. I honestly don't remember how I felt at this time--probably because I repressed those memories. While my family was becoming divided, I learned an important coping mechanism that I still use: avoidance. If you ignore the problem then it isn't there. -
Older sister Graduates High School
My older sister Carlie is my best friend. So when she went off to college i felt alone, and was very glad when she called to visit--usually for an hour or more every week. It made me feel dependant. But after I learned how to do more things for myself, i felt independant and grown-up, as you do when you're in 4th grade. -
Went To CANADA!
I went to visit my Grandprarents who were living there at the time. I loved the new experiences--which is, I guess, where I got my love of new things. AND CANADA! -
Read "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" for the first time; began life-long obsession.
I spent the next year reading nothing but the Harry Potter series. I must have re-read each of the books at least three times. This--for lack of a better term--obsession--lead me see that I could be passionate about something.It also got me very interesting in the field of writing as a career. -
BATMAN
I am also addicted to Batman (and other comic books). The character just represents things I can't really explain. However, i have learned that not everyone appreciates Batman as much as I do, which has made me very argumentative. -
Moved to Sioux City, IA
I was not happy about this move, partly due to that fact that i was moving far away from my dad and my friends, which meant having to make new friends, which i never liked. It was also due to the fact that I was worried about how my mom was going to cope with such a big city, as she is very shy. -
My first Marching Band Camp
It was intense! 90 degree weather, 8 hours of marching for 6 days was a lot of work--but it was worth it . I have enjoyed every moment (almost) of Marching Band and I will never regret being in it. It made me work hard for my goals, build team skills and showed me that it was okay to be myself around other people. -
Began Freshman Year
This year basically made me feel competent. I was terrified of going to a big high school, and thought i wouldn't be able to handle the school work. I did, some much more easily than I thought possible. -
Older sister's (Carlie) wedding
Reflecting on this event makes me think that I can be rather unselfish at times, which I admit to be kind of unexpected as I think of people in general as self-interested pricks. The fact that my sister, with whom i am ver close, could get married made it "ok" for me to one day do the same, as if she does it that means it's ok for me too. -
Began 10th GradeYear
This year is probably my favorite: I had an amazing time with friends, very little personal trauma, easy classes. When I did have personal problems, it showed me that I do not handle stress well, especially if it is simultaneous. -
Began the 11th Grade
My 2nd-to-last year of high school, everything you do seems to have a consequence, though not all of them necessarily bad. Relfecting on my life thus far has shown me many aspects of my personality: both negative and positive. While I have become more social and outgoing, it is still my tendancy to repress certain emotions and that I am not exactly comfortable displaying them or expressing them. -
Brotjer (Craig) Graduates High School
It was really weird not having him around the house. His absense showed me, now that i think about it,that people leave in life--which made me feel like I need to prepare for their absense.
