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My Birth
I was born October 27th, 1999, in New Rochelle, New York, weighing 6 pounds and 7 ounces. This event is obviously significant, in that I was brought into the world that day. I don't remember anything, understandably, but this is where it all began. -
My grandmother's death
In 2003, I lost my grandmother to lymphoma. She was only 61 years old. I wasn't even 4 years old yet, so I barely knew her and didn't know much about her, but I knew how much she meant to everyone else and how she was basically the "glue" to our family. I have a couple good memories of her that I can remember, surprisingly, but that's about it. But the reason it was so significant, is because it changed my entire family life and every holiday was different, after she was gone. -
Going to Disneyworld and the Bahamas, on a cruise
4th of July weekend, my mom, dad and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas and Disneyworld. The Bahamas were really exciting and the water was gorgeous. We got to drink out of carved coconut heads, which 5 year-old me was thrilled about. After that, the boat dropped off a bunch of people at Disney. My parents went on all of the spinny-vomit rides with me and they both got lightheaded. After a day of waiting on long lines and almost puking, I got an expensive stuffed animal in one of the gift shops. -
The first time I moved
The first time I moved, was when I was 5 years old, soon to turn 6, and my mom wanted to put me in a better school (that wasn't a public school in mount vernon, for obvious reasons; and that wasn't a private school), so we moved to Mahopac, NY where I started elementary school. It was very nerve-wracking, but it turned out, my mom already knew a couple of our neighbors that she went to high school with and hung out with, that had kids my age/around my age that I could catch the school bus with. -
The first time one of my pets died
Growing up, I had two guinea pigs for a couple of years. One day, we noticed a large tumor on the stomach of one of my guinea pigs, Flower and asked my aunt, a vet tech about it. She said she'd come up to our house in a few days to check her out. In those couple of days, we realized that Flower wasn't eating or drinking properly. When my aunt came to visit, she told me that the guinea pig was in a lot of pain and was going to die soon, so she put her to sleep (legally, if I might add). -
Having to give away my cat
Shortly after my guinea pig had to be put to sleep, I adopted a cat, Sunkist. She was a good cat, but always got into trouble. She used to pee all over the house (that sounds comical, as I'm typing this), so we brought her to the vet multiple times and every time, they'd say that nothing was wrong with her. After trying everything we could and taking everyone's advice, we just gave up, because it was becoming too much. We had to get new carpets after surrendering her back to the shelter -
The day I got my dog
I had been begging my parents for a dog for as long as I can remember. Over and over again, they'd tell me, "you can get a dog when you're older and have your own home." One day, I guess my mom gave in and was searching to adopt a dog on Petfinder.com and found "Candy" at the Yonkers animal shelter. She was 11 months old. That weekend, we went to the shelter to evaluate her and decided that she was the dog for us. We didn't realize that we were going to be able to take her home that day! -
Starting middle school
I was still living in Mahopac when I started middle school. Even though I don't have older siblings (or any siblings, in general), I knew quite a few of the upperclassmen, so I had people to show me around, until I got the hang of it myself. It was so much bigger and different than elementary school and I knew I was going to have to put more time and effort into my schoolwork and branch out a bit more. I was glad that teachers and parents let us become more independent and "find ourselves" -
My parents' divorce
I was never really upset about my parents separating, because I knew it was for the best and they clearly just weren't meant to be together. However, my life was definitely altered, meaning that I had to go with my dad on weekends, because I was living with my mom and I was constantly packing bags and couldn't stay in one place. I also had a difficult time with my parents seeing other people and it took me a while to give their significant others a chance. -
Starting High School
When I started 9th grade, I still lived in Mahopac. Starting high school seemed like a crazy idea, considering the school was huge, compared to the middle school. All the seniors at the time seemed so intimidating and kept saying things like, "fresh meat" just to mess with us. Middle school was more difficult than elementary school, but this took it to another level. These grades were going to count for the rest of my career. I feel like all of moving up taught me a lot, though. -
Moving for the second time, to Brewster
After 3 years of my mom dating her boyfriend, we moved into his house. We planned on moving from Mahopac anyway, so she took up his offer. It was very stressful and I was extremely anxious about going to a new school with all new people. On the first day of school, I told my mom before getting on the bus that "I was going to vomit." After that, everything got a lot easier and I actually liked Brewster a lot more than Mahopac. I was/ am very happy with the move and feel it has benefited me. -
The day I got my first paycheck
I got my working papers at 14 and started working at my mom's office, over the summer. She works for an Electronics company and I would basically do the work nobody had time for. I also packed things, made boxes, etc... in the warehouse part of the building. It wasn't much and I absolutely loathed it, but I was happy to be productive and responsible and make some cash. I was being payed minimum wage and working 8 hour days, 5 days a week, so when I got that first paycheck, I was very excited. -
Driving a car for the first time
The first time I drove a car was only a couple of months ago, because again, I have anxiety about everything. I'm an okay passenger when I'm in the car with someone, but on the inside, I'm freaking out. And there's nothing wrong with that, because then I'll be a more cautious driver...Anyway, my mom took me to an empty parking lot and let me drive... She then started screaming at me for everything, causing me to cry and have a mental breakdown, so I made her take me home. I still hate driving -
Going on college tours
In May, I started going on a couple of college tours. I started a little late, I know... It was just so weird knowing that in one year, I would be taking classes at one of those colleges. I liked most of the campuses and going on the tours made me a little more comfortable, seeing as how the colleges I checked out weren't as big as I'd expected. I used to be freaked out when someone even mentioned the word "college," but now I'm almost kind of looking forward to what I'm going to experience -
Getting my first REAL job
I had small side jobs, but I never went out on my own and looked for a job. I have so much anxiety, so I knew it was going to be challenging for me, but I applied online for Dunkin Donuts, went for an interview and about a week later, got a call saying that I got the job. I love it there and (almost) all of my coworkers are great. When I'm in a bad mood, I look forward to going to work, because I actually feel relaxed there, even though it's always hectic and you're making 8 coffees at a time.