My life started on a warm summer night around mid-June. After a long
labor and much pain I came into the world on June 10, 1993. I was the fifth
child of my parents and the third girl. My sisters were excited to hear they
had a baby sister since they already had two little brothers. I was supposed to
be a boy and so my parents hadn’t prepared names for a girl. My mother wanted
to name me after one of the nurses that helped during my birth. There were
three Mary, Katherine, and Cami. My mom wanted to name me Mary Katherine, but
my father put his foot down. “That sounds too Catholic.” he said (my mother was
raised Catholic), so my mother decided to name me after the third nurse, but
she changed the spelling to Kami because her sister called dibs on naming her
child with a “C” name (more on that later). My father suggested my mom’s name
as my middle name and so my name is Kami Jane Johnson. From my baby books and
my mother’s stories I learned that I had quite a temper when I was little. She
called it my Irish heritage coming out.
I grew up in Olathe, Kansas and I loved it. I lived on a street where all
the neighborhood kids knew each other and we all loved to play tag and
hide-and-seek. I had three friends that I hung out with all the time, my
neighbor Brett and the Motley brothers from across the street Austin and Aaron
and yes I did have a slight crush on Austin. We used to play red light green
light, Pokemon house, and go down to the creek to skip rocks and play in the
water. One of my favorite things to do was ride my bike on the bike trail that
was near the creek. Of course my best friend was Alexis, the girl in my ward
who lived a couple of streets up. We used to have sleepovers and play with our
Barbies and Miss Party Surprises. My mother taught us clapping games and we
jumped rope with fun rhymes. Some of my fondest memories are from spending time
with these friends. I remember selling lemonade on the curb and not getting any
customers. I remember we used to play on the play set in Brett’s backyard and
his mother would bring out those Kool-aid bottles for us. The boys would chug
theirs down and get back to playing, but was usually slower and Brett’s mom and
I would sit and talk. She had all boys and so she used to refer to me as her
adopted daughter. I remember riding our bikes through the rain puddles and
totally ruining my new shorts. I remember having water-gun fights and me
totally losing. I remember playing neighborhood wide games, like tag or
hide-and-seek. Those were always the best because you never knew who was It. I
remember one time walking home from school and thinking it would be quicker
going under the bridge that was over the creek and getting stuck in the mud. I
had to pull my feet out and then my shoes and they were totally caked in mud. I
remember the first time I found out what happens when you pour salt on a slug.
I remember riding my bike down the hill so fast I felt like I would never stop.
I remember running through the sprinklers in the summertime and going sledding
in the winter.
One of my favorite things to do as a child besides hang-out with friends
was watch T.V. Some of my favorite shows were Scooby-doo, Captain Planet, and
Static Shock. I remember I used to get up super early on Saturdays to watch
early morning cartoons. I think I used to get up at 6 o’clock to watch Saved by
the Bell and then that transitioned into the kids’ WB shows, but before the
Kids’ WB became my favorite channel I would watch One Saturday Morning. This
was something that my siblings and I used to watch together. Something else I
used to love to do was climb trees. We had an apple tree in our backyard that I
used to climb. I would spend hours sitting up in that tree looking at the
world. I loved to listen to the wind blow through the trees and when the apples
bloomed we would pick them and make things with them.
Now let’s talk about my family. Like I said I was the fifth child, but my
parents had one more after me which gives us a grand total of six. I love
coming from a big family. My oldest sister Amy is the drama queen. She can be
very dramatic, but also very sweet and kind. When I was growing up she was my
second mother. She taught me how to ride a bike and how to swim. I looked up to
her a lot. Next came Becca, the planner. Becca plans everything and if things
don’t go as planned she can get a little cranky, but I love her. We both love
Disney and I really enjoy spending time with her. Both my sisters are married
now and between the two of them they gave me my three nephews, Alexander,
Jacob, and Gideon. I love those boys. They are all very different, but I love
them just the same. Eric comes next. He is the troublemaker of the family. He
always had a lot of energy and is the child that constantly had my mother
pulling her hair out. He is fun to hang out with though. He knows how to have a
good time. Brian is the one right above me. He’s the kind of guy who can find
the humor in any situation, maybe because he’s the one with the most near death
situations. He fell out of tree many years ago, but when he got back from the
hospital he was cracking jokes. When we had the flu together and we were
dodging each other in the bathroom he still was able to make me laugh. When he
got into a car accident and we were all in the waiting room worried sick he
came out and cracked a joke. We all smiled and knew he would be okay. He’s in
the Philippines now on his mission. None of us were sure if he would go but he
did and we email every week. I suck at journal keeping, but the letters I send
him each week tell a lot about my life so in a way that is my journal writing.
After me comes Adam, the little brother that half the time I want to kill, the
other half I have to hug. He is the only person in the world who knows how to
push my buttons enough that I will explode, but he is the sweetest kid you will
ever meet. I guess I should probably say a little something about my parents
now. My mother is the strongest most caring women I have ever met. She loves
children. When I was younger my mother ran a day care service, she has never
considered being in nursery a burden, and today she is a teacher. She taught me
so much and she always found time to talk to me. When I was young she decided
to go back to school to finish her degree so she has been in school pretty much
my entire life, but she always finds time to talk and play and spend time with
her children. My relationship with my father is a bit more complicated. I love
my father, but when I was growing up he was rarely home. He had to travel for
his work so he was often gone during the week and usually home on weekends.
Even though I didn’t see him as much as my mother he still found time to spend
with me. He was the dad who never missed a birthday or a sports game or a
school performance if he could help it. He always tried to schedule his trips
so he wasn’t traveling during important events. He came to see every one of my
school plays as long as I gave him enough notice of when I was performing. He
always came with flowers and stayed the whole time regardless of whether or not
he thought it was boring. I love my father with all my heart regardless of how
often I see him.
One of the things I love about big families is the when we get to spend
time together. We used to take family trips in our “Big Blue Bus” and although
they were long I loved playing car games with my siblings. I loved that big
car. It was the perfect size for going to the park and bringing friends with. I
loved going swimming with my family and friends. I remember one time I didn’t
listen to my mother and I got a really bad sunburn on my back. Of course I was
wearing a swimsuit that had an X on the back so I had an X on my back for a
week or two.
My family has always been big on holiday traditions which I love and hope
to one day pass on to my children. We always got the pumpkin patch and pick the
perfect pumpkin and then carve it a few days before Halloween. For Thanksgiving
we have the feast and then we would put the Christmas tree up the Sunday after
Thanksgiving. For Christmas we would go Caroling on Christmas Eve and give out
homemade cheesecakes. Then we would go home and open one present which was
always pajamas. We would then change into them and go to bed. We had a loft
that looked of the room where the Christmas tree was and I used to sneak up
there with my pillow to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. I always fell asleep
before he showed up though. On Christmas the whole family would gather at the
top of the stairs because no one was allowed down until everyone was up. This
might have been my parents attempt at making sure no one felt left out when the
presents were opened, but it also meant that the younger children woke up the
older children way before they were ready to get up. After everyone was up we
go down the stairs and open our presents. We used to have the tradition of
secret Santa where each member of the family had to make or buy a gift for
another member of the family. I remember one year Amy had me and so mom helped
her make a beautiful dollhouse that I still have today. Another year I had Adam
and so I made him a cute caterpillar toy that you dragged around on wheels. For
St. Patrick’s Day my mother would hide a bucket of “gold” somewhere in the yard
and we would have to find it. For Easter we would get up and there would be
presents from the Easter Bunny and of course eggs hidden in the yard. I love
doing traditions with my family and I’m glad that at least some of them
survived over the years. I hope that one day when I have a family I can keep
some of those traditions.
I suppose now would be a good time to talk about my birthdays. My mother
was always the best at coming up with party ideas. The first birthday I
remember I was five and was wearing a pretty pink dress. In a video of that
party it shows that I received another dress and you can hear someone in the
background say “oh good Kami loves dresses.” This was clearly before my distain
for dresses arouse, but more on that later. One of my birthdays was a Fairy
Tale themed birthday. Some of my siblings and cousins dressed as princess and
princes and each room had a different fairy tale attached to it. I remember
that birthday as one of my favorites growing up. The next birthday that sticks
in my mind was I think my eighth birthday either that or my seventh. I got a
make-up kit; you know the kid one that has the cheap nail polish and lipstick.
I had a sleepover and when my parents were asleep me and my friends were too
excited about that make-up kit to sleep so we crept out of bed and went
downstairs to try it out. No this is not one of those stories where we made a
huge mess and in the morning my parents found it and weren’t happy. We simple
put on a little lipstick did our nails and then went back upstairs to bed. This
may not seem very exciting, but that’s what I remember. The next one that
sticks out must have been either my 9th or 10th it was a
pool party and I was very excited. We had a neighborhood pool so I invited all
my friends and we had a really good time. One of the things that sticks out
vividly was the balloon my mother got. It was a huge flower with a smiley face
in the middle. I kept that balloon for a long time because I loved it so much.
Unfortunately at one point in my life it got thrown away, trust me I was
annoyed but life goes on. My 11th birthday was a build-a-bear
birthday. Very few of my friends came, but one of those ones who did her mother
made us a teddy bear cake. It was a teddy bear that was sitting up with a sugar
coated party hat and pure icing feet. It was delicious. That was a good
birthday. My next one was a Hawaiian theme. We had tiki torches, a limbo bar,
and lots of leis for everyone. It was the first birthday back in Kansas and the
only one I invited my old friends to because after that we started to grow
apart, but once again more on that later. The next memorable birthday was my
fourteenth. We got a deal from Advanced Laser Tag and so that is where my
fourteenth birthday was. It was so much fun getting to shot people on my
birthday. The next great one was my sweet 16 and how sweet it was. Basically I
had a birthday week not just a birthday. My sisters both came into town for the
week and they took me to the Fork and Screen at the movies to see UP. I
had never been to the Fork and Screen before and although the food sucked it
was great to spend time with my sisters. Next my family took me out to dinner
which was great and for my actual party I got to go see my favorite play, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, at
theatre in the park. Which if you live near Kansas City is a very big deal.
Unfortunately on the day of my party I got sick and we had to postpone it.
However I felt better later that night and was able to join my siblings at the
park to catch the second half of the performance. The party was moved to the
next day and that meant my friends Ginny could come which was great. I enjoyed
the performance so much and was glad I got to see it twice. After that
birthdays were no longer as exciting, but I still enjoy them every year. This
year I’m turning 20 and I hope to at least have a small get together with
friends. Oaky now back to my childhood.
I went to school at Havencroft
elementary. I remember my first day. My mother had dresses me in a cute sun
dress and I had my backpack and my pencil case. I was so excited. Coming from a
big family, all my older siblings were in school and I wanted to be just like
them. I loved kindergarten. I remember swinging on the swings. We used to swing
so high we could see the church steeple behind the school. I remember the day
our teacher had us all go out and hug a tree. I remember the day we dressed up
like Indians and made drums and had our pow-wow, but my best years were 1st
and 2nd grade because of the two teachers who really helped me love
learning. They were the best teachers a girl could ask for. Ms. Frogge my first
grade teacher was the first one whoever said that I was a good reader. I have
always loved to read, but she was the first one who really encouraged me. She
also helped me when I was in second grade. I remember going down to her class
after school let out and telling her about my day. I was never good at doing
homework, but when I did she would give me a sticker. I would take those
stickers home and put them on my bed. When we gave that bed away I lost all
those stickers.
It was somewhere during these school years that my distain for dresses
arouse. See my sisters and mother were so thrilled to have a girl in the family
that they told everyone in the neighborhood and ward and so I became everyone’s
little girl and so people would buy me dresses all the time. By the time I had
hit the second grade I hated dresses and I refused to wear them anywhere but
church. From arouse one of the biggest conflicts me and my mother have ever had
over the years: our different opinions on what I should wear. See I prefer
comfort over style whereas my mother is all for comfort, but can’t understand
why I can’t look cute once in a while. This difference of opinion has caused
many arguments, but considering some of the arguments teens have with their
mothers I think we got off lucky.
I loved that neighborhood and that house, and that school, but in 2001
right after my eighth birthday we moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia. I suppose I
should stop for a moment and talk about my baptism. It took place in Olathe and
it was wonderful. My friends, teachers and family came. When I went into the
font my thought was wow this is cold, but after I got out I had a warm feeling
inside. It was here that I first met my best friend Sarah who I wouldn’t see
again for three years, but this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Georgia was not the most amazing place in the world, at least not for my
family. We all hated it. We had to move there for my dad’s work and so it
wasn’t really a family decision. I hated the school there. It was as big as a middle
school and they tried to get rid of recess. I did make some good friends, but
let’s just say I’m glad we only spent three years living there. One good thing
that did happen was my mother reading Harry Potter to me. She read it to me
when I was eight and before that I loved reading, but hated reading novels. To
me a novel was way too long, but then my mother read me the first Harry Potter
book and I discovered the joys of reading novels. I loved it from page one.
When my mother was done reading it to me a read it again and again until my
mother informed me that it was a series and there were three more books out. I
read all of those in my third grade year and then waited anxiously for the next
three. Ever since Harry Potter I have read novels and haven’t stopped. I am a
total bookworm. I read mostly fantasy and mysteries, but I also enjoy certain
classic literature and modern life books.
After the three years of darkness in Georgia my mother finally announced
that she couldn’t take it anymore and she was moving back to Kansas. My father
accepted the plan and we all traveled back (minus my oldest sister who was in
college) and found a new neighborhood in our old ward. I love my church ward.
These are the people who have known me since nursery and I love talking to
them. Yes, I was no longer in my old neighborhood and I was no longer going to my
old school, but I still love Kansas best. I still saw my old friends
periodically, but like I mentioned early we did begin to grow apart, but I made
new friends and I loved my new school. It was here that I ran into Sarah again
after all these years we reunited and start a friendship that has lasted longer
than any of my other friendships. Sarah is a loyal amazing friend. She has had
many hard times in her life, but she has worked through them and is one of the
strongest people I know.
Now let’s talk about my extended family. I have three sets of
grandparents because my mother’s parents divorced and remarried, but I love all
of my grandparents. My mother is one who loves to visit people as I mentioned
earlier we would often take family trips in the big blue bus. When I was
growing up I had family in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Utah, Arizona and other
parts of the country. My Grandpa Brian is quite a character. I used to love
going up to see him and my Grandma Carol, because they had one of the best
houses and he told the funniest stories. They live in a big house with a tree
house in the backyard. One of my favorite things about that house was the room
a used to stay in. It was a room on the top floor with a simple bed but the ceiling
was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars. I used to love sleeping there because I
loved looking up and seeing the stars. My Grandparents also used to own a beach
house. Whenever we visited them we would always go to their beach house. This
was a pretty cool house that I loved exploring. We used to go down to the beach
and play with our boogie boards. We could build sand castles with moats and
during one memorable trip we threw baby jellyfish back into the sea. They were
young enough that they couldn’t sting yet. They were beached and going to die
so we threw them back. Another time my little brother got lost and we all went
out to search for him. Luckily he was found by a very nice man who helped him
get back to us. Another thing we used to do was walk on the boardwalk. It was
fun shopping and we would even go to the amusement park that was there. One of
my favorite rides was the kiddie log ride. I remember when I got too big to ride
it. It wasn’t that I was too big to fit into the log, but that I was no longer
little enough to get a thrill from the tiny hills. My other favorite thing was
going through the fun house. It was very similar to the one from the Grease movie during the song “You’re the
one that I want.” I always really enjoyed going to visit my Grandpa Brian and
my Grandma Carol. My Mammaw and Pappaw used to live in Mississippi and we used
to travel down there almost every summer. They lived in a little house in
basically a swamp in the middle of nowhere. They had several dogs and a big
pond. I have several memories attached to that place. I remember one time I
wore flip-flops instead of tennis shoes like my mother told me to and stepped
on a fire ant hill. They had my feet covered in bites within seconds and my
sister had to hurry me to the little kiddie pool that was filled with water so
she could wipe them off. I remember that my grandparents used to have a water
bed that I loved and so I would always want to sleep with them when we would
visit. They got rid of it when I was about 5 so pretty early in my life, but I
still remember loving it. I remember that they used to have these phone lines
that hung rather low to the ground. Just low enough that you could throw things
that would catch on them. My little brother invented a game that involved throwing
things up there and you got points based on whether or not it stayed and the
highest line you could get it on. They also lived near a railroad so we used to
put pennies on the tracks to see if the train would flatten them. I have a lot
of memories tied to that place, but my grandparents moved down to Georgia
several years ago to be closer to my Aunt Erika. My Pappaw died last year and I
miss him especially his singing. My Father’s parents live in Arizona. They used
to live in a house with a pool, but the best thing about going to see them was
visiting their mountain cabin. Every time we went to see them we would go up to
their cabin. I loved being in the mountains. I used to hike up the trail and
see how far I could explore before I got tired. They also owned some
four-wheelers that my siblings and I would ride up and down the mountain roads.
When I was old enough they taught me how to drive one and it is a skill I am
very proud of although I haven’t been on one for years. My Nana and Papa are
the best when it comes to playing games. Card games and board games, they have
a nice supply and I loved playing with them. My Aunt Denise is also great to
play with and some of my best memories are of the entire family playing Pit or
Phase 10. I also loved the few chances I got to spend time with my cousins.
Those are the ones I see the least and it was always nice to spend time with
them. My Papa died this last year and I’m going to miss his love of games and
his fun attitude. Now for the aunts and uncles. My aunt Angie lives in Utah
with her husband and used to be six, but it now seven children. Just like my
family hers is composed of three boys and now four girls, but in a different
order than mine. We used to go down to Utah and visit them or sometimes they would
come up to Kansas to visit us. My cousin Nathan is my age almost exactly, but
he is a week older a fact he never let me forget as we were growing up. We used
to spend a lot of time together getting into trouble and the like. One time
when my cousins came to visit we all decided to go on a bike ride and Nathan
managed to flip his bike over himself. Of course being a boy he got up and
shook it off, but my sisters and I were freaking out. He was always doing
things like that though. Often we would get along but there were sometimes we
would clash just like cousins will do. I love my Aunt Angie who is a wonderful
person to talk to. She is also the one who helped me work up the courage to
actually start driving on the streets when I first got my learner’s permit.
Uncle John is cool too. He’s very understanding and I love him for it. Next,
comes my Aunt Erika who I mentioned earlier. She is the crazy dog lady saving
the world one dog at a time. Aunt Erika has always loved animals and now she
spends most of her time saving dogs from the streets or horrible owners and
making sure they have good homes. She always has at least 4 dogs living with
her and her family at a time, but usually more. Some them are actually hers,
but others she is just keeping with her until she can find them a home. Her
kids, Cameron and Owen, are simply amazing for putting up with her. I love
Cameron and Owen. When Cameron was born (this being the “C” name my Aunt called
dips on when I was born resulting in Kami being spelled with a “K”) I instantly
loved her. We used to spend almost all of our time together especially when
Aunt Erika moved to Georgia to be near her sister. I don’t get to see her as
much as I used to, but I still love her. Owen and Adam used to spend a lot of
time together too and whenever they get together they still do. They mostly
play video games or computer games, but they’re boys. Let’s see who am I
missing oh right the uncles. My Uncle Matt and Uncle Mike used to live together
before uncle Mike got married. They had a dog and a couple of cats and I used
to love visiting them because like everyone on my mom’s side of the family they
are quite the characters. They remind me a lot of my older brothers Eric and
Brian they even kind of look similar. My Uncle Matt is a fun guy who is
starting to get his life back together and I’m very happy for him. He just
moved down to Oklahoma near where Uncle Mike lives and I got a good job. My
Uncle Mike found a wonderful woman to marry and they now have three kids. My
Aunt Elisa is a great woman. She is so full of life and laughter. I love
spending time with Uncle Mike and his family. Carissa and Brodie are two of the
cutest kids you will ever meet and the new addition, Nora is just as adorable. Well
I think that about covers the extended family that I grew up visiting now back
to my teen years.
When I started Junior High I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to meet new
people and finally feel grown-up. On the first day I met Ginny one of best
friends. We met over a book. We were both sitting in the locker room and it was
one of those locker rooms with the obnoxious girls and the annoying noise. To
block it out I retreated into a book and Ginny saw me and instantly decided I
was going to be her new best friend. She sat down next to me and asked me what
book I was reading. This simple question launched a friendship that has brought
much laughter and happiness through the years. She introduced me to many other
friends and through the years we have experienced many things together and that
has fostered many inside jokes that we still laugh about today.
It was in Junior High that I first
discovered my love of drama. I tried out for the all seventh grader plays and
made it as actress number 6. I loved going to play rehearsals, bonding with my
cast, playing improv games and just having fun. This is also where I discovered
my love of history. In seventh grade I had a history teacher who was amazing.
She knew how to work us and make us pay attention and she was funny too.
Through the years I have been really lucky to have amazing history teachers and
I really hope that one day I can be the same to my students. This was also when
I got really into singing I took choir all three years and I loved it. I have a
talent for singing and it is something I hope to continue to develop even
though I’m not in a choir anymore. Junior High was one of the best times in my
life. Some people don’t like their pre-teen years because of puberty and drama
and all that, but I loved it. I made good friends and had some wonderful
experiences that I will keep with me forever.
When I turned 12 I joined the Young Women group and I have some wonderful
memories from my time as a young women. My favorite experiences are from girls’
camp. I loved getting to know that girls in my age group who were from
different wards. I loved doing skits, learning important nature skills, the
food, hanging with my friends and swimming in the great outdoors. I was lucky
enough to be an YCL twice and I loved both of my years. I will always remember
the girls I met and I hope that when they are YCL’s they can be just as awesome
as when they were my first years. Over the years I was able to get my Personal
Progress award and that is something I am very glad I was able to accomplish.
It took me the entire time I was in the Young Women’s program, but I did it.
Alright so that brings me to high school. The night before my first day I
was a nervous wreck. I had heard so many horror stories that I wasn’t sure what
to expect. When I arrived that first day I was trembling from nerves, but it
turned out not to be so bad. Everyone was so nice and after a couple of weeks a
realized the horror stories weren’t really true. I loved my classes and my
teachers and all the upperclassmen I knew were really nice. I tried out for the
plays and didn’t make cast, but got to experience new things on crew and I
really enjoyed working for with the actors. My choir class was annoying and not
always productive, but I still love singing. I met new people and made new
friends and basically loved my High School experience.
In the summer I turned sixteen I had my conversion moment. I had been
raised in the church, but like most teenagers I had begun to question my
beliefs and whether I truly believed them. That summer I had the opportunity to
bare my testimony three times in four weeks. I also spent a lot of time reading
the Book of Mormon and D&C. After that summer I knew with a surety that
what I read was true. I knew that what I said I knew was true and this was the
right church.
The best year in high school was when I was a senior. I was top dog and
loved it. I was taking classes I loved and I got to make friends with a set of
sophomores and freshmen that I love to death. This was also the year I had some
awesome spiritual experiences. First was the one that helped me decided to come
to BYU-I. When I was growing up I never even considered going to a BYU school
probably because most of my siblings went to a state school. I also wasn’t sure
what I wanted to do with my life. I had already decided an acting career was
not the best for me, but I wasn’t sure what else I could do. One of my young
women’s leader suggested getting an associate’s degree at a community college.
Get the basics done and then figure out what I wanted. I decided this was a
good idea, but the Lord had other ideas. In the mail came the BYU pamphlet. I
had gotten several of these, every senior does, but this one was different. I
read it cover to cover and when I was done I knew I wanted to come to BYU-I. I
noticed that BYU-I gave associate degrees and that they had a higher acceptance
rate than BYU and with my grades I was more likely to get into BYU-I. I told my
mom and she instantly jumped on board especially after I told her what the
tuition would be. I applied to both BYU and BYU-I because my mother said she
would pay the fee and it was always good to at least try. As I was waiting for
the acceptance or rejection letter I started looking at the BYU-I catalog it
was then I realized what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a History teacher. I
decided to declare that as my major with my minor in Theatre and Speech Ed.
When I got my acceptance letter I was over the moon with joy. I wasn’t totally
thrilled of moving so far away from my family, but I was excited to try
something new. It turns out I wasn’t accepted to BYU, but that was okay I had
found my place and I thank the Lord for guiding me there. This is also the year
I learned to listen to the Holy Ghost and trust my instincts. I love doing
plays but there was this one play I had a bad feeling about. I wasn’t sure I
truly wanted to do it, but I figured I would go for crew and if I didn’t get
the spot I wanted I would drop out. Well I didn’t get the spot I wanted, but my
crew head guilt tripped me into staying and it wasn’t a very good experience.
Yes, part of it was my attitude, but other parts had to do with the people I
was working with and the horrible experiences I had to deal with. I should have
listened and stayed clear, but I didn’t and had to reap the consequences a lesson
I won’t soon forget. This was also the year the youth conference committee
decided to go on a very long, very hot hike. This hike taught me a lesson in
friendship and pride. I have never been a very athletic person, but they said
the hike was only five miles and I since I had done that a girl’s camp before I
was sure I could do it. I was we wrong. The first mile of the hike was fine,
but then things got hard. The road we were walking on was rocky and hilly. The
sun was beating and the day was hot. There was very little shade to rest under
and I didn’t drink as much water as I should have. I started with a group of
friends but by the second mile I had fallen back and was struggling to
continue. I didn’t want my friends to see me like this and so I stayed alone.
At a three and half miles I saw a piece of shade at the top of the hill and I
told myself if I could just get to that shade then I could relax and keep going
I was wrong. I group of my friends were underneath that tree and as I walked
towards them they rushed over took my hand and led me to the shade. When they
asked if I was alright I broke. I started balling and kept repeating I can’t do
it I need help. They understood and they helped me make it to the shade and
then helped me into a car that would take me up to the campsite. I was worried
my friends might think I was weak for giving up, but they didn’t they knew I
had tried and they think badly of me at all. I didn’t finish the hike, but I
did learn how amazing friends are and that I should always know my limits. After my senior year I spent the
fall working and relaxing. I got my first job as a cashier at Michaels and I
really enjoyed working there. I learned a lot and I’m glad my mom forced me to
get a job. I also conquered my fear of driving and got my driver’s license
thanks to my Aunt Angie and my mother who was constantly pushing me. The first
time I drove all by myself was exhilarating. I felt a wonderful since of
freedom. It was the same feeling I got when I got my cashier job. It felt good
to be able to do things by myself like drive to an interview or get through an
interview. The rest of the fall I spent switching cars with my parents and
working. I was also called upon to drive my little brother around which could
be fun if we were both in a good mood.
The other exciting thing that happened that fall was the thing that has
happened every fall since we moved back to Kansas: the Haunted House. My mother
loves Halloween and one of the things she loves to do is put on a haunted
house. She used to do them when I was little, but when we moved to Georgia she
stopped. When we moved back to Kansas she started them again because I really
wanted to do it. We’ve done the Haunted House for the last 6 years and it is
something I love to do. We go all out for our Haunted House. I get a big group
of my friends together and we split into groups then we each take a room. Each
is a different scary something or other. We’ve done vampires, werewolves,
zombies, witches, voodoo, Sweeny Todd, wax museums with moving figurines, dead
brides and dead princesses, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, creepy
clowns, torture chambers, freaky dolls, graveyards, a murderous Egyptian
goddess, slasher scenes, a head on a platter, suicide Russian Roulette, a
séance, an infectious disease, and creepy, but funny mad scientists. Every year
we manage to come up with at least of few ideas that we’ve never done before
and we always put on a good show. I’ve been a wax museum figure and an Egyptian
Goddess, but my favorite creature to be is a wandering monster. We always have
a couple people that don’t have a designated room. Their job is to dress in all
black with creepy make-up, wander around the house, jumping out of closets and
scaring people. I’ve scared a lot of people just by jumping out of closet and
screaming. Some of our best rooms were the doll room. The girls who set it up
got lots of dolls and stuffed animals and dressed as life size dolls. They had
very creepy bit that they did and then one of the dolls would kill the tour
guide and then she would lead the people through the rest of the house. Brother
Hull always has the best room though. Brother Hull is a very tall, very big man
and he always gets his own room or on several occasions he takes the back yard.
He always comes in the best costume with the best ideas. He’s been Mr. Hyde,
Frankenstein’s monster, a werewolf, and a slasher in a gas mask. I always love
doing the Haunted House and all my friends enjoy it too. Every year it takes a
lot of work and someone always makes a huge mess so Mom says we won’t do it
again, but we always do. Except last year it almost really didn’t happen. Mom
and I had had a really hard year and since most of my friends were off at
college and Adam wasn’t good at talking to his friends it I wasn’t sure if I
was up for it. The only reason we did do it was Morgan Andrews and Jared
Hoffman. These are two of my good friends who hadn’t gone off to college. They
were working saving for a mission and when I told them that I wanted to have
just a Halloween party instead of a Haunted House they did not approve. I told
them I didn’t know who was left to do it and that I didn’t have the energy to
clean the house that year and they instantly started to help. They called all
their friends, helped me pass out flyers and helped me clean the house. They
really got the thing started and they came up with a great room. They had a
torture chamber that was basically a bunch of guards sitting around cracking
jokes and torturing prisoners. It was really funny and very creative. Thanks to
them the Haunted House lived another year. Some of my best memories come from
doing the Haunted House and I made some good friends. Well that was the fall
and the first part of winter.
In January 2012 I backed my bags and let for college. I was scared and
excited; unfortunately I had no idea what I was in for that year. My schooling
was amazing. I loved my classes and my teacher, my roommates were awesome and I
made some great friends, but 2012 was my hardest year and at the 2013 New
Year’s party I was never happier to say good-bye to a year. People said that in
2012 the world would end, but for me I had so many trials and tribulations that
I felt that my world was ending. It started when my grandfather died. He had
been sick for a while, but I am still going to miss him. Next, I had some
serious boy drama near the end of my first semester. I learned a lot through
that though. I learned that sometimes the Lord lets us make our own decisions
because it helps us stand on our own two feet and it lets us say that I came up
with this decision myself. I learned that I have an amazing older brother who
even though he is far away still gives great advice. I learned that I don’t
like it when boys move too fast and I learned that I did have the courage to
stand up and say “no I am not okay with this.” After that I went home for what
I hoped would be a relaxing spring break, but I was wrong. One of my best
friends committed suicide and that left a major impact on my life. Not a day
goes by that I don’t think about him and wonder if he is finally happy. His
death made me even more thankful for the Plan of Salvation. One day I will get
to see him again, him and my grandfathers, which brings me to my next trial, my
other grandfather died. I was luckily able to go see him before his death, but
I still miss him. At the very end of my spring semester my parents announced
they were getting a divorce. I knew my parents had been fighting for years, but
I finally found out why. After I found out why my mother left my father I have
gained a great appreciation for my mother. She had been so strong all these
years for staying with my father and I thank her for doing so. Her own parents
divorced when she was a child and so she waited until all her children were
grown until she divorced my father. I love him, but he has problems and I am
glad my mother no longer has to deal with them. Finally the icing on the cake,
I got into a car accident. My brother, my mother and I were going to the
pumpkin patch in early October just like we always do when something happened
and we slammed into a big black truck. Luckily we all had are seatbelts on and
we were all okay. The other driver was fine her car barely had a scratch on it,
but ours was totaled. This started a very long and annoying process of getting
a new car, talking to doctors and dealing with insurance companies. It was
through this experience though that I learned what a comfort my little brother
could be. I had always been the one to comfort him, but after the car accident
when we were waiting in the EMT’s car for our dad to pick us up I broke. Before
I had been pretty okay because we were all fine and the EMT guys were really
fun and nice and so was the cop, but this was the straw that broke the camel’s
back. When we were alone I leaned on my brother and I just cried into his
shoulder. His put his arm around me and just let me vent. He didn’t say a thing
but he didn’t need to all I needed was for him to be there. After that I felt
much better and because of him I have been able to make it through these hard
times easier.
That brings me to the year 2013. I
had a good winter semester. I really enjoyed my classes and I especially liked
my Acting class and my ED Psych class. I have always loved acting and they
people in that class were really amazing. There were some fun people and some
interesting people and I made some good friends. My Ed Psych class was just
really interesting. I had never really thought about studying psychology, but
after that class I’m hoping to take a few more psych classes. I really enjoy
learning about how people think and why they think that way. I liked learning
about the gender differences in the brain and how that can affect a learning
environment. That brings me to spring semester. I am taking four history
classes this semester if you count Family History which I do. I am taking a
directing class that seems like it will be fun and an online DNA class that I’m
really excited for. That is my history, well up to now and I hope you learned a
little something about me.
