This is me

This is me
Fighting to make it through Sea Trials
Preforming the tasks asked of me
Pouring down rain
Making it hard to stay on my feet in the plank
War paint on my terrified yet determined face
My body trembling with fists clenched
Midshipman yelling and candidates crying
Cameras all around me
People telling me to keep going
Scared to quit but cannot keep going
Finally the other candidates fall
I finish second out of 80 men and women
Beaten by a young man who did not give up
Finally I fall, unable to hold it any longer
But I never gave up and never will

This is a young girl
Her hard work is paying off
She has discovered what she is made of
She has joined a brotherhood

This is a girl who was nominated to sing "Navy Blue and Gold"
An honor that many will never have
An honor that many do not know of
A feeling that cannot be explained
This is a moment that she will never forget
and a moment that changed her forever

Photos from the 200s

As a competitive swimmer, Michel Phelps has been an iconic figure in my life ever since I can remember. He is all anyone talks about in the world of swimming. Even if you are not a swimmer, you know who he is. He changed the world of swimming and the day he left the swimming world changed it too. Everyone wanted to be him, being compared to him was like being compared to the god of swimming in a way. Especially if you were a butterflyer which of course was his best stroke. He makes it look so easy as he glides through the water but all butterfliers know, it’s the last thing from easy. Michel Phelps was once my hero as a young swimmer. He was everything that I and everyone else wanted to be. There were even drills named after him… that is when you know you are famous in the swimming world. I remember being glued to the TV during the Olympics, just waiting for him to swim. The next day my coach would show us all the video of him racing and explain why he is so good and how we should be more like him. The day after that we would all try to be just like Phelps even though we were no where close to being like him, it was still fun to pretend. Phelps was once my hero just as he was to all of the other swimmers at the time and his name will always be known in the swimming world. 

Photo Hunt

Someone who has taught you a lot: Collin has taught me so much, even though it was not all vital or appropriate information. I learn something new everyday #WhatHaveITaughtYou??

Someone who makes me laugh and I want to be more like: My friend Jamie makes me laugh in AP calc and I wish I was more like her because she actually does her homework and studies #WhyAmIInAPCalc

Something a kid would notice: A kid would notice this giant random dinosaur head without a doubt. Reminds me of being an underclassman and thinking we were bad*** for touching the dinosaur. #BringBackTheRocket 

Something that annoys you: Dear peers, why are none of you smart enough to walk up stairs? Sincerely , the people trying to get to class without punching anyone. #WHY 

Something beautiful: It is not surprisingly hard to find anything beautiful at Kickapoo High School but these words are beautiful thanks to Mrs. Nance. #StayCoolNance

Something from a cool angle: I never took a photography class so I dont know what a cool angle even is. I think I have a locker somewhere but I am not sure where it is at. #WhyDoWeHaveThese

Something that is round: This emblem is round and made of stone or brick or something like that. Everyone always takes pictures in front of it for like sports and clubs. #StoneOrBrickOrWhatever

Something that is square: This picture is square and I can't really tell what is going on but it is pretty cool looking. It is so much better than anything I could ever do. #INeverTookAnArtClass

Something that looks like a face: Someone came in during the night and stole all of the ceiling tiles. This guy seems pretty shocked about it. #WhyDoWeNotHaveCeiling? 

Something nostalgic: The lunch room is something that will always remind me of freshman year. That awful first day of high school where every one thought they were hot stuff until they entered the packed lunchroom for the first time. #WhereYouSitDeterminesYourLife

A book: This is some random book found inside the school library. Turns out there are lots of books in there. This one seems like it would have very useful information. #CanIDisappearNow?

Something hand written: So many random school signs through out the school halls but this one has got to the best of all of them. Totally inspires teens to be sober. #ThereAreNoTacos

Something from nature: This beautiful purple tree is surrounded by the four walls of torture that we call high school. I do not understand why the doors are locked to the courtyard. It's not like we are all spiderman and we are going to scale the halls and escape. #SpidermanStudents

Something that reminds you of being at KHS: The iconic Kickapoo Seal that no one may step on. If you step on it as an underclassman, a big senior guy would come out of no where and pummel you to the ground. #IsThatReallyNecessary 

101 things

1. I am under five feet tall but my personality is much bigger than my size 2. It’s not that I am bad at math… Math just doesn’t understand how I work 3. I still listen to the Jonas Brothers 4. I can’t stand the taste, texture, or smell of coconut. If I accidently eat something with coconut I will spit it out no matter where I am or who I am with. 5. I did not speak as a child and was almost placed in Special Education 6. I should probably care more about what people think 7. I am a sucker for cliché romance novels 8. I’ve been in one fight and I was the instigator 9. I grew up in a very religious private school and now I am just confused about it all 10. I secretly enjoy challenging chemistry homework 11. Some say I am a nerd but I say that I will be rich, it’s all in how you look at it 12. My idea of “going out” is a fairly early movie with my mom 13. I had a speech impediment when I was young and still struggle with words sometimes 14. My best friend in elementary school had a stutter, we were friends because we didn’t make fun of each other for our speaking troubles; we understood each other 15. I grew up only wearing rain boots and sunglasses with a bow in my hair 16. I believe that I am secretly a princess in my own world 17. Everything I own is pink, even my car 18. My biggest fear is not being someone someday; I want to make a difference somehow, I just don’t know how yet 19. I am allergic to adhesive which means I cannot wear band aids 20. I am an Alex and Ani bracelet addict 21. I hate physics 22. I fell down a whole flight of stairs my freshman year… I have never experienced so much pain and embarrassment before 23. I hate Yogi Bear because so many people say “Hey Boo-Boo! Wanna go on a pic-a-nic” You probably just read that in Yogi Bear’s voice… imagine hearing that over and over and you’ll understand my hatred for yogi bear. 24. If my nails are not done then I am not myself 25. Ferris Buller is my hero 26. I have a strange obsession with Killer Whales… SAVE THE WHALES 27. Batman is my favorite super hero 28. It drives me crazy when people say “You’re really short” like thank you captain obvious, what else would you like to share with me? 29. I am 17 years old, almost 18 30. I want to be an athletic trainer and a physical therapist 31. I carry a spider man lunch box every day 32. I eat dry tuna every day for lunch 33. I sometimes find cleaning to be relaxing 34. I am not a very social person, my best friend is my chemistry book 35. I believe that Dr. Seuss is a wise man 36. I believe in soul mates but not love at first sight 37. My phone is bigger than my hand 38. I struggle with technology 39. I hate math but have an A in AP Calculus 40. Most of my friends are guys because I find most girls to be overrated and too dramatic 41. I bottle my feelings up until they explode on one unlucky person, it could happen at any time 42. I have played about every single sport, including acrobats 43. I was once a top swimmer in the States of Missouri and Arkansas, now it takes everything in me to just swim a lap in a pool 44. I’ve only skipped school once and I got caught 45. I am not creative at all and find my creative writing class to be more difficult than Advanced Chemistry 46. I have had many dreams crushed but all of them have opened new doors 47. I believe that everything happens for a reason 48. There is nothing more important to me than family 49. If you mean anything to me then you are my family, even if you don’t know it 50. My third favorite color is turquoise 51. I wish that I would have not quit swimming 52. My mom is my rock 53. My dad and I don’t talk much but can happily sit in silence for the longest time; we are both very quiet people 54. The older I get, the more I can tell that I am turning into my mother. It’s a good thing. Now I understand everything that she does because I do it too. 55. I am not creative so this list is very hard for me to write 56. I believe in happily-ever-afters 57. If I could go back in time and interview anyone, I would pick Rosa Parks 58. If I could ever talk to or take a picture with Bruno Mars I think I would just die for excitement 59. The Spanish culture interests me, I hope to travel to South America someday after I complete my Spanish minor 60. I hate running but I do it everyday 61. I am easily confused 62. I am not easily offended 63. I have no problem with standing up for myself or for my friends 64. Some may say that I am hard headed and stubborn 65. Others may say that I am grateful and kind 66. I hate English but my favorite class in high school was Ms. Self’s Advanced Gram and Comp Class 67. I am technically a sophomore in college 68. I have two older sisters 69. I am the youngest in my family 70. I do not understand calculus 71. I will not allow anyone to walk on me, no matter who they are 72. My favorite flowers are Sweet Peas 73. I enjoy dressing up once and awhile but generally I am too lazy to put much effort into my appearance 74. I have no clue how to put on makeup because I am so lazy and my mother has to put it on for me or else I look like a 5 year old who got into their mother’s makeup 75. I am small but mighty 76. I am terrified of possums, there is no explanation needed. They are like giant rats and they sleep like bats. That’s just crazy 77. Air planes are a little scary but I absolutely cannot stay awake on them 78. I work at a retirement home and it is like a second home to me. I love my job 79. I want to go skydiving 80. I want to swim with sharks 81. I am a Key-clubber and I am proud of it 82. I plan on chartering a Circle K at Missouri State University but I am nervous that I won’t be able to do it 83. I am not easily embarrassed. I laugh at myself all of the time 84. I think that laughing is the best medicine 85. My dream wedding is to get married at Disney Land 86. I want to have lots of kids, maybe even be a foster parent 87. I am not scared of death but I am terrified of hospitals 88. My dad has been sick all of my life 89. I am scared of losing my parents 90. I reallyyyyy want a pet hedgehog but my mom says no 91. I want to see the world 92. I’m scared to share my feelings 93. I struggle with reading, especially out loud 94. I am very excited to move on from high school and start my degree 95. I never thought that I could think of 101 things about myself because I am sorta boring 96. My cat is named Slim Shady and yes… She is the real Slim Shady 97. My dog is named Peeka and together we are Peeka-Boo 98. I think that education is the second most important thing in life besides family because no one can take that from you 99. I wish I was more social sometimes 100. Sometimes I'm so quite because I have so much to say 101. I will always be myself, unless if I can be Batman

Lyric Shuffle

I'm thinking out loud I love you when you're singing that song and I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways Maybe just the touch of a hand Well, me I fall in love with you every single day So love me like you do, like you do We'll take this way too far Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars I got a blank space baby And I'll write your name

freewrite

Loving him is hard living in different states being in different stages of life and when doubt overcomes me I listen to his voice as he sings the sweet songs to me I am reminded of who he is and who we are together listening to the love songs on the other end of the phone the doubt is replaced wiith hope and joy They say you'll know when you find the one Hearing his voice sing this song, I know he is the one

Lyrics

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

What a Wonderful World by Luis Armstrong