When I was in 7^th grade I lived in Longview, Washington and attended Monticello Middle School.  The year was 2000 and it was my first year of basketball.  We were the Lady Mustangs. My jersey number was 21 and I was point guard. I remember being so awkward at age 13, being one of the tallest girls in my class and obviously started maturing before others.  I was excited, nonetheless, to be involved in school sports for the first time, other than P.E. All my best friends were on the team and it just so happened that making the team put you at the top of the school, popularity wise. It was great. Every game we played was such a rush. My nickname was Thumper because when I took my free throw shots I tapped my foot as I bounced the ball. You could here the crowd in a whisper start chanting, “Thumper, Thumper!” before every shot. My tradition before every game was to drink a big glass of chocolate milk. And that is probably why my team was undefeated Champions for the division. At the awards ceremony I was presented with the Most Valuable Player Award, which I interpreted to mean they could not have won with out me. To this day I still have my four-foot trophy and framed certificate in my closet at my parents house. The next year my family and I moved to California and I played basketball at my high school for one more year before I dislocated my knee. Nothing ever did compare to that first year though. Thumper, Thumper!

When I was 9 years old I got a horse. Every little girl’s dream; her very own horse. His name was Sunrise Spencer T but I just called him Spencer. He was a chestnut Morgan with two white socks and a star on his forehead. He was so sweet and wow, was he fast. I have had horses in the past so I knew how to ride but Spencer was sixteen hands (huge). I had to learn how to handle him and I definitely had to get use to his speed.  The second year I had him I joined a 4-H club called the Clever Clovers. That year Spencer and I went to the fair together. We entered in all of the shows and rides that we were eligible for. Western gaming events were always my favorite and his too; they were the events were you could let your horse run the fastest. It was all about time not poise like the English events. The Texas Barrels were the best. We had bought Spencer from a lady that had him for 12 years and he was already trained in all of the events. All I had to do was literally get on and give him enough reins to go as fast as he could. It was such a thrill. The first time he took off I was scared but I soon realized he knew exactly what he was doing. We beat the record for the day in one try. Our next six races had the same outcomes.  I placed 1^st in every event I rode in that week. Because I was so young and did so well in my division they made an exception and let me participate in Ride for the Gold. It was an intermediate competition and I was only a junior. I rode in and I did well. I definitely got the loudest applause, probably because I was so small and I rode so fast on a giant horse.

I have always loved to sing. When I was in Kindergarten at Christian Life Preparatory School the school decided to put on a musical. I do not remember the details of the musical, all I remember is that all of the songs had to do with virtues and or fruits of the spirit. I do not remember if I tried out for the solo or it was just given to me but I ended up with the solo entitled, “Gentleness.” It was such a pretty song and I still remember all of it. The music teacher gave my mom a cassette tape with the song on it. One side had a girl singing with the music and the other side only had the instruments so I could practice. I listened to that tape so much that my two older brothers, my older sister, and my mom and dad all knew the song by heart. I wanted to be so prepared and do that best I possibly could. My mom bought me a beautiful white, puffy dress for the performance and I had my hair done by my cousin who was a hair stylist. The night of the performance, about three hours prior to the actual show, my mom could not find me anywhere. She was ready to go and finally she looked for me outside. When she walked outside she heard me. I was sitting in the car with my seatbelt on, singing in my prettiest voice possible. I had been out there for at least hours. My family and I got the school and I went backstage to join my peers. I don't remember anything about the actual performance except my solo. It was so pretty and I did such a good job on it that I got a standing ovation; the only one of the night.  My whole family still jokes about that song and teases me about how much I listened to the tape when I was five.

Another singing experience. I was a senior in high school at Simi Valley High School, making me eighteen years of age. I had received an invitation in the mail for the Annual Senior Dinner that was to be held the following week. I really did not think it was that important and did not even think very hard about it, I just figured I would not go. I was in all of the choirs at my high school and I enjoyed them very much. The drama teacher was a close friend of my moms, so I occasionally helped out with acting/singing in shows also.  The morning of the dinner, that I had no intention of going to, the drama teacher called my mom and asked her to ask me if I would do her a favor. My mom assured her that I would help in any way. I thought it would be something like setting up for the dinner or doing sound for the entertainment, since that was what she was in charge of. Nope. I went to see her in her classroom that afternoon and she asked me to sing at the dinner. Be the entertainment? I thought she was kidding but she said the girl that she had scheduled to sing called and canceled because of a soar throat. I thought about it for a minute and then decided to do it. I was use to singing in front of people and it wasn't like it would be a song I would have to learn, right? But she did not have a song picked out. She said I could pick any song I wanted as long as it went with the theme of growing up and being friends. Sure not hard. Whatever, it was hard. I walked home with my friend, Dana, also a singer, that day and the entire time we thought and thought about what song I could do but we couldn't think of anything. We called people, searched the Internet and looked through music. We found nothing.  I had an idea, a crazy idea. How about I just write my own song. Ha-ha yeah right. But actually it wasn't a bad idea at all. The Dinner was at six o’clock that night and it was already three. I could do it. I squeezed out every last drop of my creativity and wrote a song, a very lovely song in my opinion. I still had time to get all dolled up in a red dress. I sang and played the piano. The whole room was silent while I performed. I felt so important. I was on top of the world when the drama teacher introduced me and told them I was doing an original piece that I had written that afternoon. I still get complements about that song and have actually been asked to record in Nashville. Maybe someday I will.

In the year of 2006 I started my first year of college. Tacoma Community College was close to my uncle’s house, whom I was living with at the time. I am and have always been the kind of person to get involved. I love being a leader and really challenging myself. I also love people so I looked for a place at the college where all of my passions and talents would be useful. Then I heard of Phi Theta Kappa. A sorority? That was the first thing that my mom asked when I told her about it. No, No, No mom. It is an International Honor Society for two-year schools. For Four Year schools it is called Phi Beta Kappa. Anyways I heard that they were basically the smart people on campus and you could get really great scholarships just by being a member. Why not? So I went and talked to the advisor, April. She told me what PTK was all about and then told me that they needed officers. I volunteered. Being the go-getter I am, the members quickly voted me President. I was 19 years old and the other officers were at least twice my age. I loved wearing power suits to meetings when I had 40 – 50 people sitting hanging on my every word. I brought that society out from under ground and made it something great for the school. The induction ceremony and all of the other great events that I was able to plan and execute were all successful and really set up a legacy for Phi Theta Kappa at Tacoma Community College.

When I moved to Washington in 2006 I immediately began going to my brothers church in Federal Way. He is the worship pastor there and I know a lot of people through him.  As I said I am an outgoing, involved, leader so naturally I began to volunteer with things, the nursery, the welcome team, the Jr. High Youth Group, leading worship and the Christmas program for the kids every year.  The first year, Marisa, the children’s Ministry leader had me direct the children’s choir. It was a lot of fun. I got to sing with kids including my two and four year old nieces. It was a blast. The concert was so satisfying for me. To watch them perform and do it well was a direct reflection on my directing abilities. The next year Marisa stepped down and I was the head director. I was in charge of everything, from the staging to the lights, to the actors to the music to the costumes. I quickly found people to delegate tasks to that were reliable and competent. The performance is a huge success every year and I love to watch the kids grow and move up into older classes and then see the babies walking and ready to have a part of their own in the performance. I don't like to do the same thing every year so it is always fresh. We always start in October and then have the performance in December. This year we are calling the play, “The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep.” I am going to have all of the preschoolers in little sheep costumes saying BAAAA. I really love being the director and then being recognized afterwards by all of the parents coming up to me saying how special it was to see their kid in the performance. It will be so cute again this year and since I am don't with this assignment I will get back to working on the motions that I will put to the songs.