Elementary/Middle School Years (Part 1)

This is in continuation of my Personal History Challenge.

I went to Burlington Elementary School. I would say the teacher I ended being closest with was Mrs. Troutt. She was my 4th grade teacher. It's not as though she taught my favorite subject. In fact, she taught one of my least favorite subjects- English. She was my "home" teacher, meaning that's the classroom I was in for times other than the normal class subject times, such as the beginning of the day, end of the day, etc. I loved her because she really made me believe in myself. I hated writing, but she gave me confidence that what I wrote was worth while. She definitely wasn't an easy grader when it came to our writing portfolios (required by the state to write a certain number of papers for that year). She wasn't afraid to challenge me. I had to work really, really hard for the good grades. But, in the end, it pushed me to be a better writer after that. Now, I'm not saying I'm an excellent writer now. But, the fact that she made me feel my thoughts were/are worth while probably even helped me have the confidence to start this blog in the first place.

In addition to my friends Lydia and Michelle, that I mentioned in the previous post, my other friends throughout elementary school were Alicia, Ashley, April, Morgan, Stacee, Jackie, Tiffany, and Lesilee.

During those years, I found a love for gymnastics. I went to classes with Alicia. We had a ton of fun. I even had a birthday party once at the gymnastics gym. The teachers seemed to have great confidence in me, and kept moving me to higher levels. But, living in a family of 6 kids, money was pretty tight, and as the monthly fee to take the classes became too high, I had to stop going. It was devastating at first, but then that's when I decided to move on to another sport- soccer.

I started soccer when I was about 8, I believe. Our recreational team was called the Stars, or something like that. I have honestly never been "awesome" at soccer, but I loved the sport! I played left full-back pretty much the majority of my soccer-playing years. I just loved the idea of being on defense, where the other team would be rushing down the field at me, and then I would kick the ball away as far as I could and help save us from being scored on. I played up until the 7th grade, where then my friends on the team were either going to Club teams or working to try out for the high school team. Even though I quit then, I still missed playing soccer a lot. Finally, I got the nerve to start an indoor soccer team for a little while. There was both girls and boys on the team, and I was actually the oldest on my team, which was pretty awkward. But, I found great fun in playing indoor soccer. It was a lot more fast-paced than outdoor was, but it was especially fun to be able to use the walls to help bounce the ball around your opponent.

After that, in 10th grade, I got the nerve to try out for the high school team. (That's for another post, coming soon about my high school years, though.)

In school, math and science were my favorite subjects. I loved being outdoors learning about how everything worked together. I was pretty good at math, so naturally, that's why I liked it.

At the end of elementary school, my family and I got to go to Europe to see where my brother Carl and my sister Jenny were born and raised for the first few years of their lives. They had lived in Germany because my dad was stationed there in the Army. During that trip, we got to visit Germany, Austria, Italy, and France. Actually, my family (who flew standby) made it all on the flight home, except for my Dad and I. We had to try and fly through France, but got stuck there overnight. We decided to ride the Metro and go to the Eiffel Tower together. It was so much fun, and I remember eating lemon crepes from a food truck/stand right next to the Eiffel Tower. What a wonderful memory.

I was indeed a "Daddy's Girl." Okay, maybe I still am? Everyone knew it. I just seemed to take interest in some of the same things my dad did, so naturally, I liked to hang out with him. He's a pilot, and I learned to love flying. He loves the outdoors, and went with me on a few Science field trips (to Red River Gorge as well as Tennessee). He is a big tease, and I was usually his favorite subject to tease. My dad is such a wonderful example to me. He's such a spiritual giant to me, is very tender-hearted, and has also taught me that a little sense of humor goes a long way.

Our "Daddy-Daughter Dance" at mine and Jonald's wedding reception

Personal History Challenge: Early Childhood

Like I said in my earlier post, I was born and raised in Kentucky. Growing up in that house was fun. What I remember the most would be playing in the yard, playing Barbies with my sisters, and playing with friends, and pedaling bikes, riding scooters (just the kind you push with your foot), and taking walks up and down our street.

Lydia was my first best friend. She lived in a house down the street from me. I remember often walking down the street to go to her house and play, especially on the swing set. It was so fun having a best friend right down the street from me. At first, we went to the same elementary school together as well. We rode the bus together. One of my first memories of us is waiting for the bus to go to Kindergarten. We were both scared and nervous, but excited as well. Later, they moved to a bigger house so they could have more space and own horses. Their new house was not too far down the road, maybe 5-10 minutes. I still came over to their house a good amount after they moved. I loved playing with their dogs, cats, and bunny, as well as feeding, petting, and riding their horses. Over time, life has caught up with us, but I still enjoy catching up every now and then with this sweet girl. She has such a good sense of humor that I love to see through her Facebook posts and pictures.

I feel like a house is so much more fun growing up when you have pets. I, myself had a yellow pet parakeet named Tickles. At one time, we had 3 cats, a dog, 2 parakeets, a hamster, and fish. My sister had a bunny at one time as well. The cats names were Stripes (black,brown, and tan stripes), Cotton (all white), and Sage (all grey). Our dog was a cocker spaniel named Lady. She had golden fur and looked like Lady from Lady and the Tramp, but we named her that before the movie came out. I remember we were so excited when that movie came out, though. I don't remember any names for the bunny, hamster, or the fish. The parakeets were named Joice (green, yellow, and white, with a blue tail) and Tickles (all yellow except for blue dots on his cheeks).

My sister Jenny got Tickles for me for my 8th birthday, I believe. I named him that because of the way his feet tickled my me when he would walk on my arm. He was a fun bird to have, but he was sure loud and messy. He liked to wake up really early in the morning and tweet like crazy. He also enjoyed going to the bottom of the cage and flapping his wings, causing feathers, seeds, and poo to fly all over the place. I liked holding him, but more than that I liked closing my door to our room and letting him fly around. His wings were clipped initially when we got him, but I didn't have the heart to have them clipped after that. I thought it would make him sad, or hurt him, and I thought birds were meant to fly, so his wings stayed un-clipped from then on.

My little buddy, Tickles

One day, the window was cracked open to let in a little air, and Tickles climbed out the window, up the screen, and flew out the corner of the screen that was detached. I thought he was long gone, so my mom took me to the pet store to get another bird. My favorite lunch lady at school was named Joice, so that is where I got the name for my bird. Funny how kids get their names for pets, huh?

When we got home, I saw Carl, my brother, outside. He had spotted tickles in a nearby tree. After chasing him around the neighborhood a bit, Carl finally caught him in the lilac tree next to our porch. So, that's how we ended up with two birds. To make it fair, since Renee didn't have her own pet yet, we agreed Joice would be hers, since I still had Tickles.

In the 1st grade, I made my second best friend, Michelle. I actually don't remember how we met or became friends in the first place. (My "mommy" brain has gotten the best of my memory these days. I guess it's a good thing I'm typing these things up sooner than later, before my memory gets any worse, haha!) I think we were in the same class, with Mrs. Owen. What I do remember is that once we became friends, we were pretty much inseparable for a good number of years. We both have a love for animals, and I remember both of us collecting Beanie Babies and showing each other which ones we had. We both loved the cats, especially. I remember her saying how much she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grows up, and that's exactly what she's working on and going to school for today. Talk about being determined and following your dreams! I think she's the only one I know who actually is going to end up doing and being what she wanted to be as a kid. The rest of us crazy people, including me, have changed our minds a billion times before we come up with something we figure we'll stick with.

I remember I got her and I butterfly, mood-color-changing, best friend necklaces. I still have that necklace in my stash of old jewelry somewhere. Even though it looks pretty old by now and it's not something that's in my fashion sense that I would wear these days, but I can't part with it because it has too many good memories attached to it. Although our friendship has become closer, more distant, closer again, more distant, etc. over time, I still love seeing updates of her life online and getting to chat every now and then. She's a great, sweet, hardworking, funny girl, and I hope we can continue to catch up with each other, every now and then, over time and just stay in touch.

My Birth Story (As told by my mother)

Guess who this cute lookin' baby is...

 As part of working on my personal history challenge, I asked my own mother to give her account of my birth story (a.k.a. what it was like when she was pregnant and gave birth to me).

Here is her account:

This is why you should keep a journal.

I'll tell you what I can remember.

When I was pregnant with you Dad was almost ready to "retire" from the Army.  We were living in North Carolina.  We lived at 24 Hunt Street, Ft. Bragg, NC.  When you retire from the military it means it is time to get a new job, so Dad started looking for airlines that were hiring.  We didn't have an answering machine and Dad talked me in to getting one.  He said if the airline called you back, and you didn't answer, they would move on to the next one on the list.  He went to interview for Comair, and before he even got back to NC he was offered the job.  So, it was time to pack up and move to Burlington, Kentucky.

We packed up our household goods and  3 kids.  Carl was 7,  Jenny was 4, and Laura just turned 2 and I was 6 months pregnant with you.  Dad started his new job July 2, 1990.  Luckily the military came and moved out our household goods.

What I remember most about being pregnant with you was that I had morning sickness almost every morning.  If I ate a soda crackers it helped.  I was very blessed because I never threw up.  I had known many ladies who were very sick when they were pregnant, some that had to be hospitalized from dehydration.  I did think I would never eat another soda cracker after you were born.  Always thought it was funny how much you love soda crackers.

When people found out I was pregnant, they kept saying, "Bet you want another boy.", since we already had 2 girls.  I told them, "No, I really want another girl.  I kni what to do with girls,"

 We drove 2 cars to Kentucky.  Dad drove the Mercedes we bought when we lived in Germany and I drove the Volvo station wagon.  We kept looking for hospitals all the way to Kentucky, just in case I went into labor,  especially since Jenny came 2 weeks early and Laura came 3 weeks early.

 Dad got a "crash pad" with some other pilots.   He drove me to Oklahoma where we visited Kathleen's family and met Carla.  Carla drove with me to Utah  to visit Grandma, since I was pregnant and had 3 little kids.   In August Dad came to Utah and we drove back to Kentucky and moved into the crash pad until could get into our house on Labor Day.  Our new address was 2955 Fawn Drive, Burlington, Kentucky 41005.

We unloaded our household goods and were hanging pictures when I went in to labor.  Grandma and Grandpa were there to help.  I kept sitting down to stop the contractions.  Hoping I could get all the pictures hung before you were born, because I knew I wouldn't have much time afterwards.

Finally we decided we better get to the hospital.  Didn't have

I had always wanted to name a girl Alisha, in fact one of my dolls was named Alisha.  Tried to name Jenny Alisha, Dad said "no". Tried to name Laura Alisha.  Dad said no.   Finally he agreed, if we could spell it with an E.

It was tricky trying to keep Carl, Jen and Laura quiet in the crash pad when the other pilots were there, so we wouldn't bother them.  Taking the laundry up and down the stairs and over to another building to do laundry being pregnant with 3 little kids was not easy.

The first time we went to church in Kentucky was at the Buttermilk Pike Building.  We drove up in the Volvo and the back was stacked to the top with clothes, toys, ect.  Sister Rhodus saw us and said she just kept seeing more and more kids come out of the car, then she saw me get out and knew I was pregnant.  She said all she could think was, "Oh, that poor lady".  I am guessing Dad was working, since most of the new pilots had to work Sundays.   We were just glad he had a job that he liked and we were soon going to be in a house.

I was standing on a chair, hanging the picture in the dining room when I decided we couldn't wait any longer.  Didn't have to wait too long once we got to St. Luke Hospital in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky.   After you were born the hospital gave the new moms and dads steak dinner with goblets for grape juice.  They have St. Luke birthing center written on them.

Since I did not know if you were the last one, I loved holding you and rocking you in the rocking chair in the "lilac" bedroom.  Often wondered if you would love horses, since I could see the horses running outside the window.  Guess Renee is the one that inherited the love for horses.

  As you have heard for years, you did not like anyone else to hold you.   If they did you would scream.  Once we got Jana Fry to babysit you while we went to a teacher appreciation dinner for Carl and his teacher.  Jana had the reputation for being the best babysitter in the ward.  She loved kids and wanted to own her own preschool.   In the middle of dinner she called and said you were "screaming your head off". And she had tried everything she knew to get you to stop, even taken you for walks outside.  We left early.

 Once I was taking Laura to preschool and you had just fallen asleep, so I left you with Dad.  When I got back he said you woke up right after I left and you had screamed for about 50 min.  He told me to never leave you again.  You were 2 years old when we were finally able to leave you with a babysitter.  Once you asked me if I thought you would be a bad teenager.  I told you "No, we have already paid our dues when you were a baby." I was right.  You were a great kid, teenager, young lady and student, maybe a bit of a drama queen, but a great kid.

When you were very young I took you to the doctor.  He took all the usual measurements.  He was worried about your head being too big.  He was concerned about hydrocephalus.  I was not worried, since I knew many of the Ogdens had large heads and I always had to get the large hats.  He said we had to do an EKG ??????.  I was really worried and scared,  since you wouldn't let anyone else hold you and you had to be put in a "tunnel" to get the scan.  They said if you didn't hold still they would have to put you under.  I felt that was very dangerous for a baby so little.  Dad gave you a Priesthood blessing and I prayed a lot about that scan that you would hold still.  We got to the hospital and put you in the "tunnel".  You held perfectly still.  Prayers were answered again.

Soon you started to have a head full of curls.  You looked a lot like Jenny when she was a baby.  Almost every time I took you out people couldn't resist coming up and running their fingers through your curls.

Oh yeah, what a charmer!

Family Matters... No, really. They matter a LOT.

My family has helped shape me who I am today.

I grew up in a fairly large family, at least compared to the world's standards. There is my Dad, my Mom, and six children. I have two brothers and three sisters. My oldest brother is from my Dad's previous marriage, but he's still my brother, and I don't consider him different than any of my other siblings.

Part of my family that could make it out to our wedding.

I am the second youngest of all these children. Being the second youngest was a good spot for me.  I have the opportunity to be both a younger and older sister. When I was young, I didn't have as many responsibilities as my older siblings, but was still expected to help around the house. I may have had to deal with a lot of hand-me-downs, but I was also lucky that I am the shortest among my family, so many of the hand-me-downs didn't fit and I got to get newer clothes that would fit me better. *Insert evil laugh here.* Just kidding, but really. It wasn't my plan to be so short, but it certainly worked out (occasionally) for my fashion sense's sake. 

Renee, Me, Dad, and Mom visiting the Laie Temple Grounds

My mom is from Utah and my Dad is from Georgia. They met in Colorado, and got married in the Salt Lake Temple. After being in the Army for many years, they had also lived in Germany and North Carolina. Then, after retiring from the Army, my dad found a job as an airline pilot in Kentucky. Soon after moving to Kentucky, I was born. I lived in that home until I had graduated from High School and headed to college.

Kayelee snoozing under the shade of a tree in our backyard.

I love that house in Kentucky. Someday, I hope to have a house with those qualities. Sure, I am probably biased, saying that I was raised in that home. Oh well. It is a wonderful home.

It is a split-level with 3 bedrooms and a basement. Doing the math, you can figure out my siblings and I had to share rooms growing up. I wouldn't trade that for anything. The girls stayed upstairs while my brother had a room downstairs in the basement. By that time, my oldest brother was old enough and living out on his own. I also want my kids to have to share rooms. Now, I not saying it was always peaches and cream sharing a room with one of my sisters, but it forced us to be closer. We created a bond that by sharing rooms and toys, we began to share our hearts. Kids don't need their own "space," their own rooms. More importantly, they need to be close to their siblings.

The backyard on a beautiful summer day, complete with a double rainbow.

The house sits on about an acre and a half. There is ample space between your neighbors, a nice front yard with flowers and a couple of trees, and a big backyard. The backyard had room for our swing set, a trampoline, and many garden boxes.

The grass was cool, green and soft. Not like the itchy sprinkler-watered grass here in Utah. You could sleep on that grass in the shade of a good tree for a while if you wanted to. I loved how we had enough space from our neighbors, and our street was a single street on a hill, away from other busy subdivisions. My mom could have us go outside and play, with her watching us from the kitchen window. She didn't have to be constantly outside watching us for fear of some crazy person roaming around. I mean, really. If some crazy guy wanted to roam around in a neighborhood, they'd have to really go out of their way, as well as pass many other big subdivisions, to make it to our street. It was quiet and peaceful. Oh, how I hope my kids can have that experience in a house and yard like that someday!

At Auntie Laura and Uncle Justin's wedding reception in the backyard.

Kayelee playing with her cousin, Felicity, in the basement

Most importantly, beyond the rooms and the yard, I love that home in Kentucky for the memories I had in it, and for the Spirit that dwelt within it. I am not saying my family is anywhere near perfect. I'm not saying we didn't have hard times or disagreements. I am not saying life was always easy. BUT, my mother and father always tried to have to right focus in our home. They tried to center our lives on Christ and the Gospel. Of course we watched cartoons, played "pretend," and played with all sorts of toys. We didn't have our noses stuck in the Bible all day. But, by teaching by example, and showing us true perspective on what's most important in life, our parents taught us the Gospel, the love of God, and to love God. I don't think I realized this so much while living in that home- but that's the funny thing about growing up. We don't realize all our parents have taught us until we have grown up more, and we realize it even more when we are deciding what to instill in our own children's lives.

My heart aches a little to remember how simple and beautiful life was there. It was based on hard work and good family values. It was Christ-centered. Those things are what matters.

I tend to get lost in the everyday things that I forget and lose sight of how simple life can be... how simple life SHOULD be. Sure everyone will have hard times, but if we have the right focus, life can seem a whole lot simpler, amidst all that life brings. I hope to fill my home with love, good memories, and the Spirit, as I have experienced back in my sweet, ol' Kentucky home. (:

Personal History Challenge

As I've stated in recent posts, my ward's Relief Society has been focusing on recording our own personal histories. Every month, we have a different topic we are supposed to be writing about. I figured I would type out my personal history entries, as to save time (as well as my hand from cramping up).

I don't get much time to write my entries, as I'm limited to the amount of energy I have in a day as well as the time constraints of nap time, the only opportunity for personal time I get in the day. I'll be trying my best to keep up with these entries, but with priorities such as cleaning, cooking, organizing, laundry, NAPPING also pulling on my "nap time = free time," I will just have to do them whenever I am able.

Sadly, I'm still working on January's entries still, despite it already being the beginning of March. What matters is that I'm actually getting something down, right?

If you're interested in doing something similar to start recording your personal history, here is the list I am following:

January: Birth and Family
February: Growing Up- Early Years
March: Growing Up- Teenage Years
April: College/Trade School/Working Years
May: Single Life, Marriage
June: Children, Extended Family (Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, etc.)
July: Grandchildren, Life at Home
August: Life as a Mother, Life as a Grandmother, Life as an Empty Nester, Your role as a Woman
September: Major World Events During Your Lifetime, Feelings on Politics, Traveling Adventures
October: Sleep Habits, Food, Health
November: Personality, Hobbies, Talents
December: The Gospel (Testimony, Trials, Blessings, etc.)

*All these questions and ideas are taken from this amazing blog: http://ldsthisismechallenge.blogspot.com

This link has some really cute and fun ideas to show a little bit about yourself, little by little. After looking at her blog, I hope to be able to follow some of her other challenges later on! (: