I am from stuffed animals,

running around the room,

playing with my sister,

pretending they were alive,

squealing in pure joy,

loving them like they were real

I am from barbies,

sitting in my basement for hours,

building my own make-believe world,

dressing them up,

brushing their hair,

loving every minute

I am from big rock,

exploring in the woods,

meeting new friends,

falling, tripping, slipping,

getting muddy,

swinging on our vine,

making up rules,

clearing paths,

making memories

I am from the neighborhood,

Victoria, Emma, Courtney, Nikki Jay, Mark, David, Kayla, Chelsie, Ben, Jay Bird, Jack, Natalie, Sydney, & Amanda

late nights playing home free

running, screaming, flailing our arms,

growing up together,

getting bigger,

growing closer

I am from cousins,

getting together every Fourth of July,

laughing so hard milk shoots out of our noses,

getting through thick and thin together,

being more than just family,

hanging out in Sauk Rapids, MN,

having fun

I am from Papa and Grandma Marie,

going to Osage, MN,

fishing and swimming in battle lake,

taking saunas,

riding the John Deer tractor,

watching Pinocchio in Grandma’s lap,

eating pickled fish,

tears in my eyes as I drove away for the last time

I am from coffee,

getting my first suomaLainen tyttö (Finish girl) cup from Papa,

smelling it when I wake up,

remembering the house in Osage and smiling,

having love conversations ,

relaxing

I am from sports,

starting with gymnastics,

then soccer,

meeting friends,

starting to swim and hating it,

realizing my love for it,

diving, splashing, pretending I am a fish,

feeling free,

running,

pumping my arms,

feeling the adrenaline rise up in me,

being exhausted at the end but still smiling through the pain,

basketball,

starting in 3rd grade,

years of practice,

disappointing tryouts,

getting back up on my feet,

feeling strong, healthy, powerful, proud

I am from animals,

first wanting to be a cowgirl,

then a vet,

lemonade stands every summer with Becca,

raising money,

walking dogs and pet sitting,

having a bond with my dog more than I ever thought I could have,

volunteering at the shelter,

feeling a need to help God’s beautiful, innocent creation,

dreaming about becoming a vet

I am from the Streeper farm,

going up to Aunt Amy and Uncle Eddy’s in the summer,

gladly helping with chores,

feeding the chickens,

watering the horses,

giving the pups medicine,

eating wild raspberries,

riding Little Boy,

helping out in the dog yard,

listening to Uncle Eddy’s wild stories about his sled dog racing trips,

loving animals even more

I am from reading,

at first hating it,

fake reading,

then reading “The Last Dog on Earth” and “Sheep Dog” and loving them,

becoming obsessed,

reading more,

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Hunger Games, and many more series,

now reading five books at a time,

getting sucked into each fantasy world,

growing in imagination

I am from the Vikings,

getting dressed up like a cheerleader as a baby,

sitting on my daddy’s head,

watching the game,

cheering and clapping,

showing off my Minnesotan spirit

I am from Becca,

meeting at Ellisville Elementary in kindergarten,

and again in 3rd grade,

becoming best friends the summer of fourth grade,

making movies, laughing, acting like idiots,

growing so close we are like sisters,

planning on causing a ruckus in the retirement home together,

best friends forever

I am from Koda and Kenai,

wanting a cat so bad,

getting two,

loving them and dressing them up,

getting busier,

having to keep them in our basement,

getting a dog,

realizing they needed a better home,

making the hardest decision of my life,

giving them up,

crying all the way home,

hating myself for it,

never forgetting my first two cats,

promising myself to never do that agian

I am from One Direction,

Louis’ humor,

Zayn’s charm,

Liam’s maturity,

Harry’s curls and dimples,

and Niall’s laugh

learning about them from my friend,

falling in love with them right away,

knowing all there songs by heart,

being inspired,

hoping to meet them someday

I am from God,

loving him since I was born,

learning about Jesus in sunday school,

singing songs and dancing at VBS,

getting a deeper faith in 4th grade,

growing closer and maturing,

praising my heavenly father,

dedicating my life to him,

going through confirmation,

loving him like my own Papa,

forever staying in his arms,

dreaming about the day when I can spend eternity with him in paradise