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A long long time ago, in a galaxy far away...I was born
Okay, I was really only born as far away as Neenah, but it was a long time ago. -
And then there were two
This is the day my brother, Andy, was born. I officially became a sibling and no longer an only child. He helped teach me responsibility and a sense of loyalty that has yet to be compromised. Granted, I was never very nice to him, but I never let anyone else mess with him.
Andy is the "pretty boy" of the family. He exercises daily, dreams of one day becoming a gym owner and prides himself on having not dranken one soda since his junior year of high school. He's attending college in MN. -
Brother #2
Paul Jr was born on this day. I was happy for my mom, but mostly excited that I didn't have to share any of my clothes or toys. Of all of my brothers, I'm closest with PJ. We're both quiet, introverted, and rely on books to occupy our free time. He's also the one that I worry about the most. Depression runs in our family and PJ is no exception. After a brief stay in rehab for substance abuse in November 2014, he came home with a new lease on life and appears to be making great gains. -
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3rd Grade
Mrs. Wasmuth was my absolute favorite teacher. She had the reputation around my elementary school for being mean and difficult which left students shaking when we found out our class assignments. I had strep throat TWICE (ouch!) while in her class and had a lot of homework to make up. She let me come in after school for tutoring and once I was caught up, I continued to stay after school just to hang out and help her correct tests. Her influence really made me want to become a teacher. -
Brother #3
William was born on this day. Again, I had lucked out on the whole sharing-thing, but the house was definitely starting to get full. Willy is the sensitive one of the bunch. He is a wiz with computers and frequently checks to make sure that mine is updated. After learning of his ADHD and mild autism, he was switched to a STEM program in which he excels. Science is his favorite subject with robots and inventing being his topic of choice. -
But wait, there's more...Brother #4
Tony is the baby of the family and he knows it. A perpetual two-year-old, Tony is the first one to throw a fit when he doesn't get his way and he is the first one to know when you need a hug. He is an avid collector of stuffed animals and axes (yep, you read that right) and chops wood in his spare time. -
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High School
My experience at "Fondy High" was fairly normal compared to other accounts I've heard. Boys, zits, boys, low test scores, boys, and making sure to never repeat the exact same outfit more than twice in a year (yea, we actually did that). Oh! and I almost forgot to mention BOYS. Or in my case, boy. Lance was the quintessential bad boy; my parents hated him, his parents hated him, and after being called a "distraction" and "nuisance", the school hated him so much they kicked him out. He was perfect -
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My First Real Journalism Class
Prior to taking this class, I had been a part of the small newspaper clubs that were available, but this was the first time I was actually there to learn. Not only was this my first journalism class, but it was also my first look at broadcast journalism. This class was the only one that I felt confident in, and my teacher saw potential too. In my yearbook, he wrote, "Dont' forget to thank me when you win your first Emmy!" -
Accepted
On this day day, I found out that I had been accepted to UWM. My mother only let me apply to one school (and not the one of my choice), so essentially, all of my eggs had been placed in one basket. The plan was for me to attend school in Milwaukee and stay with my dad because, according to my mother, I was not ready for the kind of responsibility that leaving home intails. -
Welcome to the 414
This is the day that I begrudgingly moved to Milwaukee. That date was "bumped up" because of a certain boy that kept sneeking into my room. The truth was that my parents just needed their break. I had never moved before and the sense of lonelines that I felt that day and for a long time after really made me assess my life and my character. I pulled through! -
Grandpa Ken
My grandma married Ken when I was 11. I hated him from the start. He cooked weird food, told weird stories, and made Grandma replace the bright red carpet in her living room that she'd had since the 70's. With time and persistence, he wore me down and was more of a grandpa than my others. On this day, Grandpa Ken passed away after a long battle with cancer. My family and I missed his last moments at the hospital by mere minutes because I unknowingly held them up. It's a guilt that I still carry. -
The Big Switch
When I first got to UWM, it was with the intention of majoring in Education. I'd wanted to be a high school English teacher since gradeschool and was super exciting to finally make those goals into realities. After a lot of miscommunication and poor guidance (I mean really, FOUR advisor changes?) I had finally had enough and officially switched my major. Journalism and writing had always been loves of mine and I had intended on minoring in the field anyway. -
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Awards
I know it sounds incredibly self-absorbed, but the recognition that UWM recieved because of our work really helped justify all of the blood (no really, it got brutal), sweat and tears that we all put into making our stories and newscasts come together. I have never gotten along with my stepfather. He always worked to much and of course the whole gender-thing just kept us at arms distance because he couldn't relate. It was after these awards, that he first said that he was proud of me. -
Fingers Crossed
They say I'll be graduating this day. I'm terrified of growing up.
