The Longest Journey Ive Been On

The longest journey or trip that I have ever been in was a "vacation" to Florida in the summer of 2008.
Months before, my step-mom and my dad had the plan to go to visit my grandparents and my brother Cory. We get to see them once every few years, and I hadnt seen my brother since I was 10 or 11. So naturally, I wanted to go. However, I was only going to go if we could go to the beach, if it was sunny, and if we got to see Cory for more than one day. Because of this trip, I was going to miss the first week of my senior year. So it was important to me that I got to see my brother and meet his new girlfriend, Melissa.
The compromise was made, and we set out on August 17th, 2008 and we wouldnt return until the 22nd. I was looking forward to seeing this part of my family, and wasnt so young that I couldnt carry on a conversation with my grandparents. It was nice being older and able to talk about real things with them.
Naturally, the flights were long. 2 stops, time changes, lay overs, bad food, the whole deal. That was expected. What I wasnt expecting was when I stepped out of the last flight, it was overcast. It was going to rain. I was secretly upset. My aunt Eve and Grandma Ruth came to pick us up. Judy and I were relieved because usually my grandpa was the one that came and picked us up, and, god love him, hes not a great driver. Judy and I get bad motion sickness, so when he drives, it can get pretty bad.
We get to their house, and I was really tired because I cant sleep on planes. I go take a nap, wake up and everyone is out watching the Olympics. Little did I know, it was going to occupy mine and my dad's time more than anything else.
Later on that night, everyone was tired, and wanted to go to bed, and of course, i wasnt tired. I was still on California time, I stay up late anyway, and hadnt done anything to make me tired. I go back to the room, and start talking to Nick on the phone. It was relieving to hear his voice, but it almost seemed as time went on, that the house was getting warmer and warmer. After about an hour, it was miserable! My dad was up and down all night, and it took me a while to put it together. We were ALL dying. He went out to the living room, and tried to sleep on the couch. Before he layed down, he checked the thermostat, and it was 85! On top of the humidity. Later on in the night, my dad had told me that he turned the air up to 80. Not a big difference right? My dad told me that my grandma came out of the room with a blanket on, and turned the heat back up. There was no way we were going to last like this for another 4 days.
I woke up at 12 the next afternoon, and of course, I felt ridiculous because I dont like sleeping in that late at other people's houses. It just makes me feel rude, so I get up, and make myself a sandwich. My dad, Judy, and I all lived off of turkey sandwiches for 4 days.

Lancelot and Elaine

Lancelot and Elaine Summary
So there’s this guy right? He’s a real big deal around England. King Arthur, something or other. Well Arty has won many battles, had his fair share of good times with the ladies, but in recent years has decided to settle down. Since becoming King and being an all-around BA, he has held Jousting tournaments. Who jousts? Anyway, he is married to some beezy named Queen Guinevere and he has a good friend named Lancelot.
Lancelot is the best jouster guy around. He really knows how to kill people with his wooden stick. You should have seen this guy. He would literally rip their faces off. He would be like,”Get me my lance…with some waffle fries…for free.” And by God, you’d better listen. Anyway, Lancelot only needed one more diamond to win to complete Guiney’s present.
Lancelot, with his tight little body and whale skinned tights, marched up to Arthur’s place and basically laid it out on the line and said, “I’m not going to go to the Jousting things anymore. I twisted my ankle.” Totally milking it right? Well actually just lying to get some alone time with Guinevere. Well, you bet your bottom dollar, Arty fell for it.
Arty left the two alone for whatever reason, and Lancelot and Guinevere started talking about all the dirty things they would do to each other. Sick stuff like that. Anyway, Guiney being the heartless, money hungry, she-devil she is, talked Lancelot into going again to win the jewels by basically saying,” You know you love me, go get me my presents.” Guilt-trip stuff like that. Well, she kissed him and sent him on his way.
Well when Lancelot marched his whipped self back to jousts the following morning, he got lost somehow. I don’t even know how you get lost without knowing it. Dumb. He came to this castle that obviously belonged to none other than, Lord Astolat. What at a name. Well, Astolat has two kids, Torre and Elaine. Apparently Lancelot and Elaine already had some sort of past because she helped him a long time ago when Guinevere got herself kidnapped by some other King. Not even a big deal.
At the jousting tournament, Astolat and Lancelot got to talking, and being the nice guy that Astolat is, he gave Lancelot his son’s Shield. If I was Torre, I would have been pissed if my dad gave some random guy my shield. But this isn’t even about me. Apparently it was for good luck. Because God knows Lancelot needed it. Well before Lancelot began in the tournament, Torre helped him get ready. Lancelot thought it would be a good idea to give the diamond to Elaine, if either one of them won. Sweet guy. Right then and there Elaine fell in love with Lancelot. Of course.
Well that night, I guess Lancelot went to go lay down because he was balls tired. He thought he was lying next to Guinevere. I don’t know. Was he drunk? If you ask me, there’s no way. But hey, a guys got to do what a guys got to do. What im getting at here is there was some baby making going on between Elaine and Lancelot. Seriously. They had a kid together. They thought Galahad would be just a precious name.
This is when the crap really started to hit the fan. After Lancelot “mistakingly” did the dirty with Elaine, Guinevere walked in on him. If you can imagine what it is like on an episode of Maury, just think that, but back in the day. Anyway, being the dumb beezy she was, Guinevere took Lancelot back! Lancelot cut his losses and said, “Screw the kid and my baby-momma. Im outy.” Yet again, Lancelot found himself in quite a pickle. He got caught with good ‘ol Guiney. Elaine also died! She died. Terrible! A Broken heart. Never heard of that one. Isn’t that what Chuck Norris almost died of? Anyway, They were supposed to die, but Lancelot saved Guinevere from being burned to death and killed some people. Well as you can imagine, Arty wasn’t too happy, it was an all out brawl. They were fighting dirty, hair pulling, name calling, Im telling you…Maury! That’s whats up. Anyway, they could continue because Sir Mordred was starting a ruckus so they just stopped.

When you did the visualization of your funeral, how did you want to be remembered? What are some of the qualities or values that are important to you?

-I wanted to be remembered as someone who changed people's lives. I wanted to be remembered as the girl who was different from all of the rest. As someone who was always able to help people and be a hero to someone. I wanted to be remembered as a good person who always tried to do the right thing. As the girl who made my boyfriend truely happy. I wanted to be remembered as the girl who was trusted the most by my friends, or even people I didnt know well. I wanted to be remembered as the girl who loved to observe life be someone who saw the world in a lot of different ways and was always open-minded. I wanted to be remembered as the girl who was always nice to people, no matter who they were or how different they were than me. I wanted to be remembered as someone who was very understanding and tried their best to not be judgemental.

During our discussion about “Circle of Influences” What were some of the important influences, events and people, in your life as you were growing up? How did these influences impact you and help shape you into the person that you are today?

- The things I have allowed to influence me have been, as ridiculous as it may sound, were movies and books. When I would go through hard times in my life, they were my escape. They kept me from feeling alone. they also taught me good lessons on how to deal with certain things in my life, or things to say in different situations.
Some of my important influences in life are my brother and my dad probably more than anybody else. Those two raised me and shaped me to be the person that I am today. For my brother Anthony, no matter what he was going through in his life, good or bad, I learned from his actions. My dad has always been there for me, and has tried to raise me to not make the mistakes he did, to be strong and independent, and just a good person.
An event in my life that changed me completley was when my mom and my step-dad split up. My world completley changed, and so did my personality. It changed some of the ways I looked at life, and even though it was a hard, I came out of it with experience and maturity. I was able to talk to other kids my age, or even older kids, if their parents were going through the same thing. I was honored to be the one that could calm them down, give them a good perspective on things, and make them feel like they would always have a person to talk to.

Many of you wrote a letter to dream when you were a freshman. What was your reaction when you had the opportunity to read this letter again? Have your dreams or plans changed? What are some of your thoughts and feelings about your next step into the future?

- Well, I wasnt at West Valley yet to write a freshman letter, but a lot has changed for me since then. When I was a freshman, I didnt have a dream. I was still trying to find my own way and discover the things that I was good at. I knew that I wanted to do something that involved helping people, but I didnt really have anything set out. I was focused on having fun more than anything else.
Through my highschool years, I have decided to work towards something. It wasnt until a long bus ride to Yreka my Junior year, sitting next to someone special to me, that I discovered what I wanted to do. Throwing out ideas and things to look into gave me something to look forward to. Something I could shape my life around.
Some of my thoughts about the future are fear, hope, excitement, sadness, and hardwork. Im scared for what is to come and hoping that my life turns out to be everything that I wanted it to be. Im excited to grow up and get out of this town but sadness because I wont be around the people that made me so happy for 4 years. I know what i want, and I am willing to work hard to get there, and I know that somewhere along the line I am going to struggle, but I wont stop.

Where I Am From

I am from a water bottle, from Crystal Geyser, and Dasani.

I am from the kitchen, smelling sweet and amazing.

I am from the rose, the pedal.

I am from the courageous and the selfless.

From the holes poked in the sky at night and the tears from the soft pillows covering the blue.

I am from my own faith. I do what I can to make things right in my life.

I am from California and Sicily, peas and carrots.

From the bucket on my brother's head, the laundry basket I was placed in, and the gentle hands of my father.

I am from the photoalbum high upon the shelf, full of memories and distant places.

Philosophical Objection

Amanda Oliva
Mrs. Baldwin
English 4 per. 2
9 September 2008

I would say that my philosophical objection would be how hard it is to get into college. There are a lot of requirements in high school that you have to achieve, but that isnt even the worst of it. The cost is ridiculous. To go to the best schools to get the best forms of education, costs so much. There are so many intelligent people that I know, that miss out on the opportunity to make something of themselves, and granted, part of it is a choice, but some of them never get the opportunity to get a great education because they, or their families dont make enough money. It seems the only way to really go to college and not be in debt for years, is to get a scholorship. The competition is extremely hard, and very few people, at least where I am from, dont get them very often. If only one person gets them, what happens to the rest of the people that tried really hard? What about the athletes that are awesome at what they do and have the potential to play at a college level, but are never found? Living in an area that is not well known, it is even harder to get noticed because there are very few scouts.

Does it happen? Yes, for some. But the cost and eligibility are hard to come by. If our schools could make more of an effort to provide students with more opportunities and more information, more people would probably go. If our government made it more affordable for students to get a better education, imagine what the world would be like with more intelligent people. More doctors, more talent, more police officers, more political leaders, more teachers. Maybe our society wouldnt be in such a bad situation as it is now, if more people had better educations.

My Heroes

My Heroes

Heroes are everywhere: In books, movies, and real life. The people that you look up to, or the ones you have an infinite amount of respect for, can be a hero. Fortunately for me, my heroes are in my life every single day. I can see them, talk to them, and there in never a moment that I can’t reach out when I need them. They have all changed and shaped my life in so many positive ways and have given me the determination to be the best person I could possibly be. The three men in my life are truly my heroes.

My biggest hero is by far my dad. He is absolutely amazing and is my hero in every aspect: An athlete, a person, a role model, a parent. He raised my brother and me as a single father, working a hard schedule as a police officer. He had so many opportunities to move up in rank and make more money but sacrificing time with his family. I know that there are a lot of people who really only care about the money. However, he was willing to let those opportunities go because he wanted Anthony and me to have good lives, with a parent that was present in them. He passed up amazing opportunities for himself, and gave my brother and me opportunities to be successful in sports, and most importantly- life. He made countless sacrifices and was always the stable ground. He kept us from knowing just how bad things really were sometimes. The things that he has been through in his life should have ruined him, but he never gave up. He always made sure that he put his kids first before anything else. To me that is what the world is lacking in parenting, especially now. More and more I see parents that could care less about their kids, and I really do feel sorry for them because I have such a supportive, strong, and selfless dad.

My best friend and my boyfriend, Nick Kurland is my personal hero because, the simplest way to put it, he saves me from myself. There has been more that one occasion in my life where I really get stressed and really, really down and depressed. I shut everything off and really just stop communicating with him. Even though it sometimes pisses me off, he knows me and can read me very well. He knows when I’m going through a hard time. For the first time in my life, I have found someone that really knows how to calm me down and get me to smile, even when it hurts. With that, he has always had a gift. I have known him since my freshman year, and since the day I met him, there has never been a dull moment. Out of anyone I have ever come across in my life, he has made me laugh the most. Even when things are bad with me. He has a way of getting me to open up to him, and I know that is really what he wants, and he knows that that’s what I need to do. I am a very closed off person and deal with my emotions and problems by myself, and he hates it. Somehow, he gets me to let a lot of things go. It is definitely a trust thing and is one of strongest things in our relationship. I can tell him anything and he accepts every part of my personality: The darkest and the best. Fortunately for me, I have someone that brings out the best in me and even when I’m at my worst, I can’t help but smile when I look at him.

My hero as an athlete is my brother Anthony. Anthony is a living legend where he is from. He’s always been the fastest and the strongest. He works hard and is determined to make something out of himself. He’s set records, been in countless newspapers, well known, and respected. Basically he is an all around bad ass. He’s been playing football since he was about 7 years old and always stood out. Since he got into high school, he’s been injured four times and had to miss out on what he loves most. Each time he came back and worked hard and never gave up. Before he came to West Valley his junior year, the whole school was talking about how that “Anthony Oliva kid from Enterprise” was coming to play football for them. They had heard how fast he was and how great of a football player he was. When he came to West Valley, the team didn’t have a GREAT season, but he did the best that he could for the team and for himself. That year Anthony walked away with, literally, a trophy case full of awards. What the coaches said about him, brought tears to my eyes because I knew how much he had struggled and he finally got recognition for his hard work. I had watched him grow up and become what he is today, so I know what he’s gone through to get where he is. In the weight room here at the school, he has a plaque along with many other great athletes that have played football, and it is inspirational to look at. I look at it and think,”That’s my brother. He’s apart of history here at this school.” As an athlete I hope to be as successful and amazing as my brother was and still is.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for them. These are the three most important people in my life. Out of anyone that has ever been in my life, these three have affected my life the most. I can’t say that everything is always perfect between all of us, or that these people are perfect themselves. There have times where I have been let down, but I think that’s what makes a hero. Their ability to make mistakes, but learn from them and bounce back. They never stop fighting and know when to admit that their wrong, and keep moving forward to improve their lives. All three of my heroes have showed that example and have improved my life in more ways than one. That is what makes them my heroes.