Veronica Estrada FHS-1500 Final Project Paper I was born in a small town in central Utah called Mt Pleasant Mt Pleasant

is a mall town in a r!ral area It is near Ephraim which is "nown #or Snow $olle%e I# &o! li'e in one o# these towns it is almost easier to sa& &o! li'e in Sanpete $o!nt& Sanpete %ets most o# its mone& and jobs #rom the (!r"e& Plant and #armers who raise the t!r"e&s M& mom wor"ed at the t!r"e& plant) alon% with almost e'er&one else I was born *o'ember +0 a#ter bein% #i#teen da&s late and m& mom %oin% into #alse labor #or two wee"s (he doctor was on his wa& to the airport #or a trip to Hawaii and t!rned aro!nd to deli'er me I was ,lbs -o. I had two older brothers (he &o!n%est o# the two was not too happ& abo!t %ettin% a sister) well more !nhapp& abo!t no lon%er bein% the bab&) he warmed !p to me e'ent!all& tho!%h For the #irst bit o# m& li#e I li'ed with m& mom and dad with m& two bi% brothers 'isitin% on the wee"ends I was two) approachin% three) when m& brother was born I was &o!n% eno!%h that I don/t remember this time 0hen I was ta"en to see m& new bab& brother I told m& dad) 1Mom can ha'e that bab& and &o! can ha'e me 2 I sort o# went thro!%h what m& brother had %one thro!%h #rom bein% the bab& to now a middle child M& parents di'orced be#ore m& brother was one (he& started datin% when m& mom was onl& si3teen so their di'orce rates were prett& hi%h In this class we ha'e tal"ed abo!t children #rom di'orced #amilies and when it is better #or the children #or the parents to sta& to%ether 4eca!se I was so &o!n% m& onl& demeanor is o# them not bein% to%ether M& parents di'orce perhaps a##ected me at the time b!t I don/t thin" it has done m!ch to me now S!re beca!se o# it I was raised in a sin%le parent home and m& li#e is m!ch di##erent b!t I don/t #eel the act!al di'orce as a##ected me ne%ati'el& it was simpl& j!st a bloc" that has helped b!ild m& li#e 5#ter the di'orce m& moms two #riends 6oe& and 6ill) who are sisters) mo'ed in beca!se m&

mom co!ldn/t a##ord the ho!se on her own (he& mo'ed in on m& birthda& and I was so e3cited I tho!%ht the& were m& present (hese two women were li"e another 'ersion o# a mom to me and I still "eep in to!ch the best I can I don/t remember this b!t m& mom alwa&s tells me that 6oe& and I wo!ld sit and watch the mo'ie 7rease e'er da& (o this da& it is m& all time #a'orite mo'ie) I ha'e nearl& e'er& line memori.ed I thin" part o# the reason it is still m& #a'orite mo'ie is the memories that are stored in m& s!bconscio!s I don/t remember sittin% and watchin% this mo'ie o'er one h!ndred times with 6oe& and 6ill b!t I thin" it is stored somewhere in m& brain E'ent!all& e'en with their help we co!ldn/t a##ord the ho!se Prett& close to this time m& mom was also o##ered a promotion) b!t she had to be trained somewhere else to a'oid nepotism 0e mo'ed to $ali#ornia #or a &ear #or her to train I %!ess we were 'er& pore at this time b!t I ne'er "new it M& mom has tal"ed abo!t that bein% a to!%h &ear #or christmas and #eelin% bad b!t I remember wa"in% !p and seein% stac"s o# presents that &ear 4eca!se o# m& moms new position we were able to li'e more com#ortabl& 0e mo'ed bac" to Sanpete a#ter $ali#ornia 5#ter a #ew &ears bac" m& mom was o##ered a osition in Salt 8a"e $it& It was a m!ch better position and #ar more stable She inspects 5 plants a da& now rather than j!st the one in the co!nt& I was 'er& !pset with her It was a 'er& close net comm!nit& and where I had %rew !p) besides the one &ear in $ali#ornia 0e mo'ed the s!mmer be#ore I started the #i#th %rade I #eel once I mo'ed !p here the iss!e o# m&sel# bein% so sh& %rew worse (here was one e'enin% m&sel#) m& mother and m& brother ran to 5lbersons I cant e'en remember what I had to %o into the store #or or wh& m& mom made me %o into the store b& m&sel# b!t I was 'er& !pset I remember bein% at the re%ister and sha"in%) b& the time I %ot bac" to the car I was cr&in% 6!st recentl& m& doctor told me I ha'e at lease a mind case o# an3iet& and I #eel this was an iss!e bac" then 0hen I mo'ed !p here bein% in a totall& new en'ironment with people I don/t "now I became reser'ed and sh& 0hen I started middle school I was still !pset abo!t the mo'e 9n m& #irst da& o# middle school I held it to%ether #ine at school b!t when I %ot home and m& mom as"ed how m& #irst

da& was I b!rst o!t in tears It has alwa&s been an iss!e #or me to not "eep to m&sel#) I #eel once I started to reali.e how I was #eelin% was holdin% me bac" I made an e##ort to p!sh m&sel# and react di##erentl& in sit!ations than I wo!ld !s!all& 4eca!se I was raised b& a sin%le mom who had to wor" a lot I %rew !p #aster than most I alwa&s helped where needed and probabl& acted more li"e a second mom to m& brother rather than a sister 4eca!se o# this I thin" is wh& I lo'e wor"in% with "ids I wor" at a da& care center c!rrentl& which I reall& lo'e and am %oin% to school to be a teacher I ha'e alwa&s lo'ed wor"in% with "ids e'en when I was one m&sel# :ependin% on how &o! loo" at thin%s I ha'e been the bab&) the middle child) and the oldest I ha'e two older brothers that m& dad had be#ore he was with m& mom) thats where I was the bab& I %rew !p with m& mom and little brother and there I am the oldest In total I ha'e 5 brothers) two older and three &o!n%er 0hen I was &o!n%er I alwa&s wanted a sister) it was all I wanted *ow that I am older I enjo& bein% the onl& %irl) pl!s 5 siblin%s is plent& I don/t need an&more 4esides when I was reall& little I ha'e alwa&s %otten alon% with m& two older brothers (he brother I li'e with is another stor& He was a mean little thin% and has onl& %otten better in the last #ew &ears 0ith most siblin% when &o!n% the relationship is not a close one) more li"e enemies) which was the same #or me and him 5s we ha'e %otten older this has chan%ed 0e are act!all& sort o# #riends now In m& #amil& there is a on%oin% jo"e abo!t #o!rteen &ear olds It is a pattern in m& #amil& that when &o! are #o!rteen that is the worst &ear #or e'er&one else (he rebellio!s &ear when &o! thin" &o! "now e'er&thin% and act li"e it) and I can admit I went thro!%h it 5ltho!%h I can %ladl& sa& o!t o# m& brothers and co!sins m& &ear o# bein% #o!rteen was the most mild (he worse thin% I did was missin% the b!s on p!rpose and wal"in% home I was mad at m& mom #or ta"in% m& phone so I missed the b!s and too" almost three ho!rs to wal" home M& mom is a 'er& worrisome person so me bein% missin% #or three ho!rs reall& had her #rea"in% o!t) which was the intention 5s I str!tted into the nei%hborhood

she was p!llin% o!t on her wa& to the police station I will ne'er #or%et her #ace) I had ne'er seen her so an%r& 4!t she ne'er a%ain too" m& phone as a p!nishment Most i# not all teena%ers %o thro!%h a rebelio!s sta%e I was ne'er 'er& cra.& with mine I ne'er %ot in'ol'ed or was e'en interested in dr!%s or alcohol I learned m& lesson #rom others I didn/t need to e3perience them m&sel# 0hen I was aro!nd nine m& dad was in jail #or a :UI (his was ri%ht aro!nd the time we were mo'in% bac" to Sanpete #rom $ali#ornia I rememberin% bein% reall& !pset beca!se we were mo'in% bac" and we hadn/t heard an&thin% #rom him) m& brother and I reall& wanted to see o!r dad M& mom soon #o!nd o!t where he was and at #irst didn/t want to ta"e !s to jail to see o!r dad b!t e'ent!all& did beca!se we were reall& !pset and wanted to see him She too" m&sel#) m& little brother and m& two older brothers that arent hers b!t she tho!%ht the& wo!ld li"e to see their dad also I remember %oin% to the jail b!t I didn/t reall& !nderstand what was %oin% on at the time I "new he was in jail and I "new what he had done b!t I don/t thin" I reall& !nderstood what that meant I remember loo"in% aro!nd and seein% other 'isitors cr&in% and m& two bi% brothers cr&in% M& little brother had no idea what was %oin% on he was j!st happ& to see dad I remember tellin% m&sel# I will ne'er ma"e the people who lo'e me be so bad beca!se o# somethin% I do I promised m&sel# at nine &ears old that I wo!ld ne'er drin" or do dr!%s) and to this da& I ha'e "ept that promise I made to m&sel# at nine &ears old I am still s!rprised at m& mat!rit& in that sit!ation 5 lot o# the time especiall& when &o!n% people are p!t in an en'ironment li"e li"e the& don/t #allow a road completel& the opposite I don/t reall& #eel there were an& circ!mstances that ha'e %reatl& impacted who I am I #eel that there was more a lot o# little thin%s that o'er time shaped me I do #eel that 'isitin% m& dad in jail was the one thin% that %reatl& in#l!enced who I am E'er&thin% else I #eel were j!st small b!ildin% bloc"s) and that e'ent is the cement