Old Pictures 2

Last time I did a blog post about old pictures, I had a theme of family members, but this one is a bit more random. Since I am at school and all my old pictures are at home, the ones I chose for this week come from what I could find while stalking my mom on Facebook. Most of the photographs in this post consist of me in middle and elementary school, since that is about how far back Facebook goes. Hopefully I can get a hold of some better pictures soon so my next blog about old pictures has a more linear theme.

This first picture comes from my brother’s junior year regionals competition for cross country. In high school, my brother ran for our school’s team and was a part of some of the team’s peak years in the most recent seasons. His team consisted of some star runners who were all close to each other in time, so they had a good chance of going far with their season. At regionals, they all ran some of their best times, but there were a few other teams who were running similar times. If I am remembering correctly, the top three teams (it may be four) moved on from regionals to the state competition the following week. Tommy and his teammates were not sure if their efforts in the race were enough for them to continue onto state and they were waiting anxiously to find out the results. I remember watching all of their faces relax every time a team that did not qualify was announced and their name was not a part of the group. As they were announced for getting third place, everyone was screaming and smiling in relief, for all their hard work had paid off. I went to almost every single one of my brother’s high school races, but this one will always be one of the most memorable for me. This picture is dedicated to my brother, who placed fourth overall and first in his age group for the marathon he ran this past weekend. I will forever be one of his biggest fans, even if I am not always there to watch him compete.

This next picture took place after the final game for my eighth grade volleyball team. This was the season that defined me as a player and a leader for my coming years of playing volleyball. Our last game was in the second round of the league tournament, where we only had six girls show up to play. If you know anything about volleyball, you know six girls are needed on the court, so you could say we were stuck in a hard position. Each one of us had to play all the way around in positions we had never played before, which was challenging for eighth graders. We did not expect to do well at all, but somehow found ourselves in the third match of the game, with the game being best two out of three. It was a hard fought battle we ultimately lost, but it is a game I still remember to this day. Each one of us had to step up as leaders and come together as a team, even if half of the team was not present. Once the game ended, we were all crying, partly because our season was over, but also because we were proud of what we had accomplished. We each pulled off things we never thought we could do and fought hard, despite the obstacle that stood in the way. This game changed my perspective on what volleyball meant to me and solidified the love I already had for it even more.

The last picture I have chosen for this blog was taken as I was boarding the bus for my first day of kindergarten. The reason I chose this picture for this week is because I have less than a month left of my freshman year, which astonishes me. It is crazy to me that once this year is over, I only have three left until I become a real adult. With my brother graduating in May, I now understand the notion time really does fly. When I look at this picture, I don’t think much has changed about me, except for my backpack being half the size of my body. I know the little girl boarding that bus would be proud of the person I have become, which has always been my goal in life. Seeing the similarities and differences in myself from then to now puts things into perspective for me and how much I truly should be cherishing life. Still, at some times, I do wish I was back when my mom was picking my outfits out and I was walking with my dad to school instead of worrying about writing these blogs!!