I work a part time job at the hospital for now. When I
graduate, I plan on attending college and eventually having a career
that involves little kids.

My parents are my heroes, and when I grow up I hope to be just like them.

Because I was only ten years old, I thought I was
invincible, therefore I convinced myself I could ride a bike by myself the very
first time. I ended up on the rocks with scrapped knees and tears pouring down my
face. Let me tell you, I didn’t try that again!

As the day continued, I thought to myself, why is it so
complicated to learn how to ride your first bike? All one must do is peddle and
they would be on their way. It’s much more difficult than I imagined. I learned
that I had to concentrate on my balance in order to even stay up on the bike.

My daddy finally came home from work that afternoon. As I
ran up to him, his arms wide open waiting for a hug, I said, “Daddy, will you
teach me how to ride my first bike?” As any parent would do, he set his
belongings inside and returned outside ready to teach me how to ride my first
bike. He took me out into the driveway and started explaining what to do. I sat
back on the seat for the first time after falling off. He told me to put my
feet up and focus on my balance. As my daddy held on to the back of my bike, I
started to peddle. I fell the first couple tries, but I started to notice that
I was getting used to this.

Maybe this isn’t as hard as I believed it to be, I thought
to myself. After trying over and over, continuing to fail, I decided to give it
one more try. My daddy held on to the back of my bike, I started peddling with
all the confidence that I had left. As soon as I know it, I look behind me to
see that my daddy let go. I was riding my very first bike. I did it, without
falling this time!

I continued to the end of the driveway, with the sun shining
above me and the birds chirping around me. Before I knew it, I was jumping of
my little purple bike and throwing it to the ground, running and shouting,
“Daddy I did it, I did it!” I could tell by the big smile on his face that he
was incredibly proud of me. I was jumping in excitement, running to my mom,
sisters and brother. I knew I just had to tell everyone that my daddy just
taught me how to ride my first bike.

I now know how to ride my first bike, and if somebody asks
me how I accomplished this, I’ll say it was because of my daddy!

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.

To me, family is not about who has the same blood as you. It
is about the ones that have been there for you through thick and thin. The ones
who accept you for who you are. The ones that would do anything to see you
smile and love you unconditionally. They are the ones who would never turn
their back on you no matter what the situation may be. To me, family is not
just an important thing, it’s everything!

Every second spent with your family is worth it and one must
cherish every moment. You may fight and even sometimes stop talking to one
another but in the end, family will always be family.

The motto that runs in my family is, “Family first!” We go
through good times and rough times, and we always stick by each other’s side. No matter the situation, we continuously have one another’s back. We all experience the same things which makes it easier to handle. If you mess with one of us, you mess with us all. My family is the best thing that I could have ever wished for, they are there through the ups and downs, and they still love me no matter what.

So what is family? Family is the one thing that you truly need. They are the ones that know you the best and love you the most. They won’t ever let you down. They will accept you and your decisions. They are the ones that are willing to be there for you and hold your hand when you need it the most. Family is not about the people who share the same blood as you, family is about the ones that stay loyal and true.

“Family is where life begins and love never ends!”

I always used to tell my parents, “When I turn 18, I’m moving out!” I lied. I don’t want to move out. I don’t want to start a life just yet. I don’t want to grow up.

All the memories of my childhood are stuck in my head. I sit
in my room at night and wish I could be little again. I had no worries, no stress, and no problems. My daddy carried to my room at night time, my mommy tucked me in. The only thing I had to worry about is someone steeling my crayons, or a scrapped knee.

Finally, reality is starting to hit me. I will be in the real world soon. I wish there was a way to go back. I wish no one had to grow up. I’m not ready to move out on my own yet, I’m not ready to leave my parents.

Instead of trying to rush your life away, stop and think that these are the moments that you will never get back. You’re going to miss it. Enjoy it while you still can, while you are still young. Once you grow up, you are going to wish that you could go back. The saddest part is, you can’t. Don’t make enemies, makes friends. Enjoy every second of each day. Make memories and don’t rush growing up, because once you do, you’ll regret it.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, It’s
measured by the moments that take your breath away!

To be honest, I couldn’t tell you exactly what my plan is
after high school. Yes, I definitely want to attend college. But what for you ask? That is undecided. There are so many options and so many different paths that a person may take in life. When they’re younger, they tell themselves they
want to be a princess, a teacher, or maybe even a fire fighter. There are so many choices to choose from, there is always a possibility of your mind being changed.

I realize that I am in the last stage of my high school
journey, and adults keep telling me that I need to make up my mind. There will be jobs that I like, jobs that I dislike… But my options are always open.

Being a senior puts a huge amount of stress on a person’s
shoulders. You are growing up and will be onto the new chapter in your life. But instead of worrying yourself, find a couple of different jobs, find which one you like the most. There may be a job that a person likes a lot, but then
another one may come along, which the person could possibly like much better. Go to college, take different types of classes. People could have a decision now, a decision throughout college, the decision may not even be decided until afterwards. Do not start a career you dislike, make sure you enjoy it and have fun. People say, “A job is not a job unless you are having fun”… I totally agree with this saying!

So, is my mind made up? No. When will I know what I want to do when I grow up? That’s a tough question to answer. I have decided that I want my career to involve little kids. Maybe a….

-Teacher

-Counselor

-Daycare owner

But I am unsure about that part at the moment. The decision will be decided as I am traveling my journey, and when I find my destination I will know.

That is my answer to the question, what do I want to do when
I grow up? I’m not exactly sure yet. I guess I will find out when I get there.

What’s on my bucket list?

If you want me to be completely honest with you, my bucket list is not even close to being full, at all. I’ve never really thought about what I want to do before I die. There’s so many places to travel and so many different things to experience.

Although, I can say there is at least a couple different things I can share that I would love to achieve before my death.

The biggest goal on my bucket list is to definitely graduate high school. If I want to succeed, this is a must. I have been working hard for twelve years, I’m not giving up in the last three months. I also plan on attending college. That is also another item on my list, I want to be able to make it through college and at least get my two year degree. I’m not sure what I want to attend college for, but I will figure it out on the way. My next biggest goal on my bucket list is to save someone’s life. It may not seem big to others, because I am positive most people have done it before… But I want to be able to save a life. Every life matters. Every person deserves to live their life to the fullest. It would mean so much to me to have someone be thankful of me for saving their life. Next, I would love to travel the world. This is probably one of the items on almost anyone’s list. Hopefully I will be able to say that I accomplished it one day. There are so many different locations to visit, so many new things to see. The world is such a beautiful place. I would also very much enjoy skydiving. To be honest, I can’t tell you exactly for sure if this is ever going to happen, because I am deathly afraid of heights. But it would be pretty sweet to say that I jumped out of an airplane. It would be the closest thing to flying, which would be amazing. My next goal may seem silly, but it would be a dream come true to be able to meet Miranda Lambert. She is in all honestly my idol. Her music is inspirational.

That’s about it for now. I know my bucket list is very small, but as I get older I will continue to add to my list. Maybe the more I think about it, the more ideas will pop into my head. I will just continue to live life to the fullest and
whatever happens, happens.

As for now,
this is MY bucket list.

Days get hard, where you wish they were around and you know
there is nothing you can do about it. But you tell yourself that they are in a better place now. Not everyone experiences losing a sister. She would have been a couple years older than me, I still wonder how things would have been if she were here. It’s so hard losing a grandpa when you’re so young, especially when he was your best friend. I know I never got to meet my sister, and I was only 6 when my grandpa passed away, but oh what I would do to get to spend one day with them.

I can only imagine how it would be if they were still here.
I would be wrapped around grandpa’s finger. Nichole and I would be fighting over who’s clothes are who’s. Life would be so much different if they were still around.

If I could spend one day with them, I would do everything I
possibly could. I would ask grandpa to take me fishing. I would ask sissy all the questions that I never got to ask her. I always wonder if I would have looked like her. I would ask them both what it is like up in heaven, if it’s a beautiful place. If I could spend a day with them, I would take them places they have never been. I would buy them breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would give them all the hugs and kisses that they missed out on.

In all honesty, I miss my sissy, I miss my grandpa, so much
more than anyone could ever know. I would do anything to get just one day to be with them again. I wish they were still here, I always imagine how things would be if they were. Everything would be so much better.

Oh how I would do anything to spend just one day with my
sister and my grandpa.

That’s who I would choose.

One of the best experiences in my life was when I took a
journey with the Class of 2015 to Orlando, Florida. We spend three whole days and three nights there, which was jammed pack full with excitement and fun activities.

I rode my first plane… I cried.

I rode my first roller coaster… It was so scary, but so fun
at the same time.

When our plane arrived at Orlando Airport, we boarded our
bus and headed off to Cocoa Beach. We spent the whole day on the beach  and in the water. Playing games and laying in the sand. We walked around with friends and went shopping. Eventually there was a barbeque dinner on the beach, let me tell you it was good.

The second day, all of us students enjoyed an airboat ride
out on Boggy Creek, in Kissimmee, Florida. I got the chance to hold snakes and I even held an alligator. His name was Poseidon. We enjoyed the outdoors as each group of students went out on the water. After this we returned to the hotel, where we then walked from our hotel to Universal Studios. Let’s not forget to mention our hotel was right down the street from this park. The whole day was spent at Universal Studios, riding rides, shopping, going on water rides, hanging out with our close friends and meeting new people. The day soon was over and we returned to the hotel where we had a pool party and then a pizza party following.

The last day was spent all day at Universal Studios once
again. The same things such as riding rides, etc. As the night came, the group
met up and we all watched the performance of the Blue Man Group. If you were to ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, I would most definitely say the Blue Man Group. It was outstanding! We had the chance to do a little more shopping at the City Walk then returned back to the hotel and enjoyed the pool until 10:30.

Our bus left the hotel at 5 in the morning on a Monday, we
boarded our plane around 8 to Buffalo, and then we eventually returned home around 1:30.

This is one of the best moments of my life that I will
always cherish. I’m glad I took this opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida.
I experienced many new things and gained many memories that I will never
forget.

These days, society disapproves of individuals being gay,
lesbian or bisexual. There’s jokes being made and young individuals killing
themselves because of this issue.

Wrong! Everyone should be accepted for who they are. Whether
it is a boy that likes another boy or a girl that likes another girl, they are
who they are and that should not be changed just because someone else does not
approve.  Gays are usually the ones who get picked on, or called bad names.

They are the people you see who are getting bullied in school or even killed out on the streets somewhere. It isn’t fair that they can’t live the life they want just because someone else doesn’t like how they are living.

“’If you wear a girl’s costume, some people may ask you questions or wonder why you’re dress like a girl. They may not have seen a boy dressed like a girl who likes girl stuff before’, I explained to C.J., so that he’d be prepared. ‘I know. I don’t care. It’s okay, my costume is the awesomest’, he replied”. (My Son Chooses to Be Alice (in Wonderland)).

This article explains how a little boy chooses to like girl
activities and chooses to be dressed up like a girl on Halloween. Yes, this may
start young. People may try to convince themselves that it is just a stage.
Sometimes it is not though. One must learn to accept the fact that your son or
daughter may like another person of them same gender. This is not wrong in any
way, as long happiness is the result. C.J. knows that he would most likely end
up getting picked on by his peers. “Would this be the year that he sacrifices
his heart’s desire to avoid dealing with naysayers, homophobes, and people
without manners?” No, that didn’t stop C.J. Parents should learn to tell one
another that it is a possibility and they should just be okay with it. C.J.’s
parents finally realized that he was perfect just the way he was. They once
said, “..he looked gorgeous”. It is alright to be okay with the fact that your
son may be gay or your daughter may be lesbian.

“My return to the school where I was being bullied for being
gay”, written by Shaun Dellenty is one of the major reasons why I absolutely
despite the fact that others bully gay people. "I'm gay, and I'm having a terrible
time”, "Oh I see," "Sometimes I think it would be better if I
just left”, "Yes, well perhaps that would be for the best." No one
should ever deserve to hear something as horrible as this. Just because this
kid is gay, gives you no right to mistreat him. Shaun lost all of his friends,
his parents were even turning against him and wanted to take him to get
therapy. There is nothing wrong with liking the same sex. Getting bullied,
picked up, called names, etc. to the point where you consider suicide…. Wow,
society is awful. Shaun Dellenty went back and gave a very inspiring speech. He
impacted others greatly. This man is very successful, which proves my point
when I say that gays are NOT a problem to this world. They are the same as
everyone else, just believe in different matters. They don’t deserve to be
harassed because most likely, the will be more successful that anyone has ever
imagined.

Every person should be accepted for who they are, without
being judge. And for those being judged, do not listen to any of the negative
words that others have to say. You can be who you are, you don’t need to make
others happy, only yourself!

Words remain more powerful than any mind could imagine. Together,
positive and negative statements can have various, long-lasting effects on the lives of others. Words have different meanings to different people.

Word choice impacts friendship in ways one never thought
possible. There’s numerous ways, such as misunderstanding meanings, or a monotone voice, that could change friendships. In “6 Causes of Miscommunication – How to Use Plain Language Effectively”, writer, Michael Lewis, clarifies different ways how words lead to
miscommunication, such as:

1. Misaligned Vocabularies (“Plain language”)

2. Messy Thinking (“Begins speaking before
   completing thought process”)

3. Faulty Definitions (“Homophones”)

4. False Civility (“Misinterpreted”)

5. Sloppy Language Habits (“Unconscious patterns of
   speaking”)

I, myself, have found that misusing words can impact
friendships. Recently I lost a friend because negative words were exchanged between the two of us. My friend got upset with me because the truth came out about something she didn’t want to hear. Although I wasn’t trying to hurt her, she misunderstood my words, as she began raising her voice, insisting I wasn’t telling the truth. Before thinking, I shouted out these hurtful words, “shut up”, making a scene in front of others around, which led to her standing up and walking away. Shortly after, she was mad to the point where she mocked the words that came out of my mouth, then walked out of the room. Those words impacted
her, I could tell by the looks she made. She became upset at the fact I told
her not to talk, especially when I did it in front of everyone around. I’ll
admit we were both in the wrong, and still till this moment we aren’t friends.

No one understands how powerful messages can be through the
use of words. Not only does words negatively affect friendships or
relationships, everything can change in the blink of an eye.

Make sure you use your words wisely!

Here’s some simple guidelines to help survive high school:

#1. Don’t procrastinate! Getting your homework done is
probably the best choice that you can make throughout high school. Keeping up
with your assignments will get you so much farther than waiting till the last
minute. Take it from someone with experience. If you wait until the last minute
to finish your work, you’ll most likely get a bad grade. Getting behind gives
you failing grades and puts a lot of stress on you when you’re finally near
graduation.

#2. Keep your circle small. A couple real friends are better
than having a bunch of fake ones. This eliminates the unnecessary drama and
gives you the opportunity to focus more on school, and less on fake people.

#3. Be nice to everyone. Students, people that you don’t get
along with, and even teachers, no matter how many nerves they get on. Although
you can’t make someone like you, it’ll make you feel better in the end knowing
that you made someone smile.

#4. Don’t work yourself up and get stressed out when adults
tell you that you need to figure out your future. Throughout your four year
journey in high school, you will find out what you truly like and what you
dislike. Whether it’s math, art or science… You will figure it out, don’t worry
about it right away.

#5. Take as many classes as you can. In the end, not only
will your credits add up but maybe you will find something that really
interests you. Having many different options to choose from is better.

#6. Don’t constantly worry yourself over the little things.
High school is supposed to be enjoyable, and the best times of your life. So
don’t try to rush it and have as much fun as possible because time goes faster
than you could imagine. You only get to attend once, don’t forget that. High
school is the time to live your life before having to worry about paying bills
and taking care of yourself. You’ll want to go back when you’re gone, trust me.

#7. In “Ultimate Senior Year Survival Guide”, the
writer influences kids not to fall in love. I, myself believes that boyfriends
and girlfriends, most of the time, get in the way of your dreams. No, I am not
saying that you can’t have a love life, but there is always that possibility of
getting your heart broke. As being a senior girl in high school, I can honestly
say that getting hurt by someone you love makes you not want to do anything.
You’ll fall behind on your school work and miss out on once in a lifetime
opportunities, such as your senior trip or your senior prom. At the moment,
your education is more important than a relationship.

#8. In “20/20 Hindsight for Surviving High School...”, the
writer encourages kids to get involved in school activities. Being involved in
sports and clubs make school so much better. You will find doing activities
that you love, and you will be doing them with other students that you never
thought you would be talking to. 

As a person who is soon graduating, please take this advice
because I’ve been there and done that. I’m not going to promise that there
won’t be problems of some sort, but following some of these tips may help
prevent these from happening. You may or you may not regret following my
guidelines, but I can promise that it will be worth it in the end. You will
still make mistakes as you’re going through high school, but don’t let them bring
you down, learn from them. High school is truly an amazing experience.

In “Fire Loss in the United States”, Michael J. Karter, Jr. explains how fire departments have
responded to about 1,240,000 fires. Karter states that there is a civilian fire
death every 2 hours and 42 minutes, and there is an injury every 33 minutes. 85%
of civilian fire deaths are caused by home fires. Fires are around 4% of all
calls received. 

If my home were in danger of a fire, there are only a few
things I would risk my life in order to save.

My absolute main priority in saving would most definitely be
my family. As of right now, I have my parents, my brother, my sister and her
five kids living with us. I would do everything in my power to get them out of
the house before I exited. They mean the world to me, and if I ever lost them I
would have no idea what to do with myself. I would unquestionably get my family
out of that burning house before I saved myself.

The next thing I would save would have to be my animals.
They may not be humans, but they are a big part of me also. I have a dog that
we’ve had for about six or seven years now, and I also have two cats. They are
living and breathing too. They deserve to live just as much as humans do. I
would get them right after my family.

Another thing I would risk my life for would be all the baby
pictures and family pictures. Those pictures are memories that I need to hold
on to for the rest of my life. They were taken at special moments that will
never happen again. They are reminiscences that will never be forgotten.

Honestly if you want to know the truth, I wouldn’t care
about my phone, my clothes, or any of my little belongings, I would be most
worried about the three things listed above. They are my absolute life and I
would die if I lost any of them.

That’s what I would risk my life to save if my house were in
danger.

First, I would buy my mom a new house. She has always
dreamed of living in a huge house, with a bunch of land. She always talks about
how she wishes she could give us a better life and everything that we wanted. The
truth is, all I need is my family, and for them to be happy. I would buy her a
big house and a brand new car. I would buy her solar lights and a new hottub. I
would buy her whatever she wanted.

Second, I would buy my dad a brand new truck. He already has
a nice truck, but I would buy him a bigger one. I would buy him all the things
that he has ever wanted. I would buy him new boots and more tools. I would buy
him a brand new Harley Davidson. I would send him and my mama on a long trip to Hawaii. I would buy him everything in the world that he wanted.

Third, I would buy my sister Amanda new clothes and a new
phone. I would buy her a car and a bigger house for her and her kids to live
in. I would buy her make up. I would buy her five children brand new clothes. I
would buy them big, expensive toys. I would buy her and her kids whatever they
needed to help live.

I would buy my sister Jen a new car. I would buy her all the
photography stuff that’s invented. I would buy her a whole store of clothes for
her new baby boy that is on the way. I would buy her all the clothes that she
wanted, including shoes that match every outfit. I would make sure that she
gets everything that she wanted and needed.

I would buy my brother Josh all the gaming systems that are
invented, including all the games that came with them. I would buy him new
clothes and a brand new smartphone. I would buy him his own Ford Raptor,
although he doesn’t have his license yet. I would make sure that he gets
everything he wanted, plus more.

That’s exactly what I would do if I ever won the lottery. My
family’s happiness means the world to me, more than all the stuff that I could
buy myself. I would spend the remaining money on myself, but afterwards, after
I bought my family everything that they wanted and needed.

In “Bills Fans Tackle
Responsibility in Record Numbers”, the writer states that the Buffalo Bills
participated in designated drivers sign-up and the outcome of sign-ups were
14,284 people. This means that the Bills have over 15,000 fans. Let me tell
you, I am one of their biggest fans!

Football is my absolute favorite sport of all time. I would
have played it, but my daddy told me no.

Ever since I began watching football, my favorite team has
been the Buffalo Bills. That’s right! I don’t care what anyone has to say about
the players, the scores or the whole team in general, I am and will always be a
die-hard Bills fan.

The Bills give me hope in something. They might have scores
lower than others sometimes, but they never give up on their dreams. They work
their hardest to get where they want to be… Which is what I love about them the
most. They don’t care what anyone has to say about them, they keep their head
in the game. Their scores aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. For
God’s sake, I have seen way worse than them.

They also chose the best colors that any team could have.
Red, white and blue. Those are the true colors of America… They are true
players.

Who cares if the Buffalo Bills aren’t number one in the
playoffs? I respect them and all of their hard work that they put into the
game. I don’t care about the negative comments that people say to me when I say
I’m a Bills fan. No matter what they go through, I will always be one of their
biggest supporters, whether I actually know the players or not.

I am a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan, and that will never
change

The teacher that most inspires me in school would definitely
have to be Ms. Wolfanger. I was a student in her health class, her sociology
class and her health in action class. She teaches about things that teenagers
want to learn about, not about what the school wants us to learn about. She has
made a huge impact on not only my education, but also my personal life.

Ms. Wolfanger teaches her students to have a positive
attitude in everything that we do. She teaches us not to give up on our dreams,
and to keep pushing until we make it there. She’s there when a student needs to
vent, or even when a student needs advice. Not only is she there for her
students that she has now, but she is also there for students who do not have
her class, and even for students that have graduated. I know that she hasn’t
only made an impact on my life, she has made an impact on many others also.

The activity that I enjoyed the most without a doubt that
she had her students participate in would be Up Close and Personal. During this activity, students in class got in a huge circle, there was a certain topic each time and we went around the
room giving our opinions about the topic on the board. We weren’t allowed to
share others answers outside the room. It gave each person, especially me, the
chance to speak what we wanted.

Ms. Wolfanger inspires me so much. She inspires me to stick
up for myself and to not give up on my dreams. She made a huge impact on my
life. I honestly will never forget her, and I will keep in touch after I
graduate high school.

Not only do my parents, friends and others inspire me, my
teachers do too.