Let's Take a Vacation

I really don't have any great vacation memories, but I do want to be a traveler. I want to find someone amazing to travel with, and just go. The first place I want to visit is Australia, but who doesn't? If it were possible to have a career as a traveler, then that would be my job for the rest of my life. I want to start and never stop. Every five years, though, my exchange friends from Canada, Hungary, Korea, and Japan, and I will meet each other in one of our countries to see each other. Only four more years, and they will all be in America with me. I cannot wait.

Australia has always pulled my heart toward it; I remember writing my first sixth grade essay over Australia; rambling on about kangaroos, koalas, and sun kissed surfers.

The next place on my bucket list is South Africa; gosh dang, it's beautiful, and so are the people. While I was studying abroad, I met a couple from South Africa, and they were absolutely awesome.

I can't wait for life to start; to be able to do amazing things. I want to see the world. I want to get a world map tattoo on my feet, and each country I visit, I will add a small red heart on each country, like my very own personalized check list.

My First Job

As soon as I got back into the states I applied for jobs and got all four of my wisdom teeth taken out (talk about a warm welcoming, huh?).

My first job was at Braum's. I still work at Braum's and I am hitting my five month anniversary this December. It is a great, fun place to work, and I enjoy it and the people I work with. I started out scooping ice cream as front counter girl, but now I work drive thru. I'm not a fan of drive thru, mainly because I always seem to make myself sound stupid while taking someone's order. Nonetheless, I don't mind it. I have made a couple good friends at work, and it couldn't be any better. I just take orders, scoop ice cream, dress burgers, do dishes, and make delicious milkshakes. Unfortunately, I am a messy milkshake maker, so each time I make a shake, disaster occurs.

When I go Back in Time

If I could go back in time, do anything over again, you bet I would.

As if it is not obvious enough, I would love to go back to my exchange year. I would love to go back to that time with my amazing foreign friends, happiness, great food, and wonderful families. I miss my life I had there. I miss taking trains to different cities, riding my bike to school, and eating every meal with chopsticks. My year abroad shaped me and has defined who I am today. 

One of my favorite memories that happened in America, though, was when I met one of the most amazing people ever. We met about two months ago, and they made life a little brighter for me; gave me hope that not all Americans are close minded and self centered.They showed me that adrenaline is the best drug, and how to be happy again; that if I don't love myself first, then life will be difficult. They taught me that good music can cure anything, and that a forty five minute drive is always worth it. I would go back to October when we met, just because it was an amazing month from there on after.

Senior Year, Finally.

For as long as I can remember, I always had an age or stage to look forward to.

When I was nine, I was so pumped to become ten; to finally have a double digit age. Once I hit age ten, I realized nothing spectacular happened, so I then began waiting for middle school. middle school came, classes changed, and I finally started feeling older. As soon as I got comfortable in middle school, I was ready for high school. I was ready for fifteen; I was ready to get a dorky picture on my permit and get my hands on the wheel. Then, my world flipped when I began preparing to go out of country at sixteen years old for a year. While away, I found myself wishing time would actually stop. I came to the understanding that this is it. "This is  it," constantly ran through my mind. I had spent my whole life wanting it move faster, wanting to hit a fast forward button, but now, now I was wishing I could stop time.

Now, I am a senior in high school. Time flew, people changed, friends were made, enemies were forgotten, hearts were broken, love was bonded, and decisions were beginning to be shaped. Today, on this November day, I sent my final copy of my application to the University of Missouri - Kansas City. I want to be a flight nurse. I want to save lives, so I applied for the school of nursing.

Today, on this November day, I decided to do this for me; pushing my mom's ideas out of my head, stop trying to please people I can't, and start doing things for me. Today, I realized that sometimes you need to do things for yourself first before you can ever do something for anyone else. I realized that sometimes you need to do things alone; that people are unpredictable and that it doesn't matter how many promises are made, eventually, promises are broken.

Senior year has been flying by, and I don't know how to slow it down. But, I do have something to look forward to now: I have the rest of my life to figure out who I am and who I need and want in my life. I've found something bigger to look forward to, something unpredictable, but it's still something.

Friends Forever.

I packed up and prepared myself for a year away from the United States.
I prepared myself for a foreign country.
I prepared for culture shock, language, different food, and a new environment.
I was not, though, prepared for people to come into my life that would forever stay in my heart.
I wasn't prepared to meet amazing people from different countries that would become my new people.

Her name is Emma. She lives in Canada.
She is tall and she has wild, curly dirty blonde hair. Her eyes are absolutely beautiful, and she gives the best hugs I have ever had.
She is beautiful in every sense of the word. She knows how to make people smile and laugh. I had the privilege to meet her, get to know her, and then, unfortunately, our year ended and now we live twenty hours away from one another. Regardless, I love her, and I'll see her soon.

Her name is Nana. She lives in Japan.
She is short and she has thick, long, straight black hair. Her eyes are a dark, warm brown color. She is the cutest girl you will ever lay eyes on. She speaks Japanese, Chinese, and English. She is quite, but she is loud, too.
Again, she is beautiful. She listens to you, and she knows what you need. I had the honor to meet her, and now, she is half way around the world. A fifteen hour time difference makes things very challenging, but I hope she hasn't forgotten I love her so much. I'll see you soon, Nana.

Her name is Zsofí. She lives in Hungary.
She is tall, lean and she has pretty blonde hair. She has warm green eyes, and her Hungarian accent is beautiful.
Yet another beautiful girl that came into my life. She is funny, caring, and absolutely sweet. She knows how to warm some one's heart, and make you feel special. She lives in a time zone seven hours ahead of me, and it makes days hard to get through without being able to say hello and see her. I love you, Zsofí, and I'll meet you at the train station at 3:00, okay?

Her name is Kim. She lives in South Korea.
She is short and she has crazy, long, thick black hair. She has pretty brown eyes and she is hilarious. She is my little sister, and the perfect word for her would be crazy. She is a wild child and she would constantly have me laughing. She is smart and I was lucky to meet her.
She is another beautiful lady to become part of my life. We would spend nearly everyday with each other, and every day that I am in America I wish she was here or I was there. She is an amazing person, and most importantly, she is one of my people. I love you, Kim! I'll see you soon.

My Favorite Thing

Imagine your heart pounding; adrenaline running through your veins. 

All you have is your GPS and adventuring partner. And honestly, my adventuring partner is probably the best adventuring partner ever, and I feel sorry for anyone that doesn't have her. 

My favorite thing to do is Geocaching. 

It takes a certain type of adventurer to be able to Geocache. Quite honestly, I can't even describe what Geocaching is, because it's so much more than just a fad or hobby. It's thrilling and heart racing. But, if I had to explain it, it would go something like this: Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

It keeps you on your toes, and if you get lost, then make sure you have the right company. I have a perfect Geocaching partner, so if I ever got lost, I wouldn't be lonely. 

From now on, every Sunday, Miranda and I go long-boarding and Geocaching. Two of the best things to do. 

Long-boarding; she taught me how to long board. She introduced it to me, and I introduced Geocaching to her. Together, we made a sweet duo. 

I look forward to next Sunday, just because I know it will be perfect. Nothing can ruin my Sundays. 

Junior High School

Would you believe me if I said I never slow danced at a Junior High dance? As a matter of fact, I have only slow danced once in my entire high school career.
I never had the desire to awkwardly swayed with some guy in a crowded middle school gym that had a horrible air conditioning system.
Junior high school was not fantastic for me; awkward would be the word to best fit my junior high years.
Awkward in the sense that I had just gotten glasses, just moved to a new state in the middle of seventh grade year. Awkward, because I didn't know who I was, or anyone around me.
I did, though, enjoy the fact that the libraries were bigger, the math was harder, and the science was more intriguing.
Junior high was a big moving mess for me; Colorado to Missouri. Then, I would finish my eighth grade year in Pierce City, just to find out that I would completely start fresh for high school in Monett.
Junior high sucked.

Chapter VI: I grew up here...

Between Tennessee, Colorado, Missouri, and traveling outside of the country for a year, I believe the entire world is my home. Each year that passes, whether I have stayed in the same place or not, I define myself because of people and environment I engulfed myself in. I have not grown up in one specific place, or home, because I believe home is where the heart is.

Although, for my childhood, I spent most of it in Denver and La Veta, Colorado. Snowcapped mountains, clear blue skies, and deep red soil, Colorado was an amazing place to begin life. If I had not spent a chunk of my life there, never would I have known my love for skiing; the thrill of going down a snow covered mountain kept my heart pounding with excitement.

I picked out my first dog in Colorado, the first Christmas I can remember was in Colorado, winning Grand Champion in 4-H, my first horse, first school crush, meeting my stepdad, receiving a new little brother, saying good bye to old and saying hello to the new. Colorado has defined my early years and held my homes.

Although the world is my home, had I not spent the starting years in Colorado, I don't think I would be who I am today.

Chapter V: More School Bells

Elvis loving, Mountain Dew drinking, athletic pants with a polo shirt, and happy go lucky. My eighth grade year I met, and had the opportunity to have him as a teacher, Mr. Weatherly.

Mr. Weatherly was not a typical teacher, he was so much more. He opened your brain and poured all the historical knowledge you needed to know. It came naturally to him and he would always find a way to reach out and make you feel cooler about yourself. Every individual that had him as a teacher was given a unique nickname that no other teacher called you. No one in class was ever called by their real first name; he always called you by your nickname that he had made especially for you. You had the honor of carrying that nickname with you and the wonderful memories that went along with it. Anytime he saw you, even out side of the class or if you were no longer in his class, he'd call you by your nick name. My nickname was Frodo; yes, like the cute little hobbit from Lord of the Rings.

Doug Weatherly was unique. He was always happy and always had a joke to share. If someone was having a hard day, he sure did know how to light up a room and give you a smile. Every single one of his students was important to him and he always put us first. As a student, I looked up to him; I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be able to always make people smile the way he did; make people feel special even if their day was going downhill.

Coach Weatherly impacted many lives and helped so many kids grasp and fully understand American History. He was an amazing man and his memories will forever live on.

"Frodo, a day without sunshine is like, you know, night. Don't spend your life sleeping when, you know, you can make sunshine."

Chapter IV: School Bells

The year was 2000 and I was rockin' heart shaped sunglasses, a back pack that was bigger than me, boot cut jeans, a pink Barbie shirt, and a beautiful 90's straight-bangs-across-the-forehead-hair-cut. I was in Kindergarten in Denver, Colorado. Being the coolest cat on the block, I had not a worry in the world, except for the wondering of when nap time was, that always crossed my mind.

Packing up our mini van, we took a move to La Veta, Colorado, where I would spend sixth grade and seventh grade as a Redskin. I don't remember too much about middle school, except being an awesome kid and never getting in trouble, because I was indeed, a teacher's pet. The middle of seventh grade, my mom broke the news that "Hey! We're moving to Missouri! Pack your stuff."

Currently, I live in Monett, Missouri where I spend my high school days watching My Little Pony with my best bro, Shawna. She is a pirate. We became friends in Geometry and her peg leg blew my mind. I knew that day, that we were going to be best bros forever because friendship is magic.

Chapter III; Suddenly, I became me..

We were in our blue mini van; I had ice cream in hand and sporting neon pink heart shaped sunglasses. At two, maybe, three years old, I was the coolest cat on the block.

While idle at a red traffic light, I noticed a big truck. Excited, I started pointing and smiling. Not able to get my mom’s attention, I thought shouting truck would be the ticket. Full of enthusiasm, I blurt out “F*%$!” in place of truck. My mom suddenly turned around and said “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

Mortified, slowly pointing at the truck and whispering, I say “F*%$”.

Chuckling, she says, “No, sweetie, it’s TRUCK.”

One of my favorite memories as a child was when I was in kindergarten. As a child, I always befriended special needs kids. My first best friend was a little autistic boy named Andrew. I still have a picture of him and I stored away in a special box on my dresser.

It was Halloween in my kindergarten class. Kids dressed up as cowboys and Teletubbies, but Andrew, he was a scarecrow. He had cute overalls decked out with plaid patches and straw poking out everywhere. On top of his head was a cool straw hat. I was Pocahontas, with my hair a mess and a headband trying to keep it tame.

In my picture, he is looking at me and he has the biggest smile on his face. We are holding hands and I am smiling up at the camera. That was the last time I saw Andrew.

Later on in life, I spent my fourth grade days with a girl in a wheelchair named Mary Ann. She taught me how to make friendship bracelets and how to be a good listener.

People are people, and people are better than having no people. Everyone needs someone. These were important people in my beginning.

Mi Madre

Chapter II: Before I was, there was...

Her brown hair was falling in her sweaty face; tired blue eyes and her short body pushed with exhaustion.

"Keep going, honey. You're almost there," he whispered in her ear. My grandfather. A tall Navy man with broad shoulders and callused hands. 

Coming into the world at ten pounds and some ounces was my mother, Patricia Raquel. She was the youngest edition to the family. Her oldest sister, Karen, peered into the nursery; eyes full of curiosity and excitement. 

"'Ohana means family; family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten." - Lilo and Stitch 

My mother and younger brother, Chase, are the family members I have known the longest. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, my mom stands five foot nine from the ground. Daughter of Patsy Ruth and Theodore Rosenau, she has her father's height, ears, and nose. On the other hand, she has my grandmother's eyes and her smile. 

Early adult years for my mom revolved around riding in her midnight blue Mustang with Rod Stewart, The Beach Boys, Journey, and Bon Jovi filling the air. Tennis and volleyball conquered her free time; she had a wicked backhand and a serious spike that would send the opposing team diving.

Today, she is a Special Education teacher. She enjoys cooking, landscaping, and remodeling. Nicholas Chase Brennan, Tate Connor Maldonado, and myself carry her genes.

Chase, my fourteen month younger brother, has her hair and eyes. He is a wrestler and football player. Just like any other teenage boy, girls and video games keep him occupied.

Tate is the youngest of the group with his father’s brown eyes and my mother’s warm brown hair. As a six year old, he loves playing cowboys and pirates, watching Sponge Bob Square Pants, and playing with his kittens.

Although my family is small, it's still good. We have been through a lot together, and at times we may not get a long, these are my people. 

Chapter I: Who am I?

My birth name is Alexandria Rae Brennan, but everyone calls me Alex. Only standing five foot five from the ground, I have my Grandmother’s blue eyes with green and gold dancing in them, and short blonde hair that does what it wants. Day to day, my clothes don’t match and I tie every outfit off with articles of red. On a late afternoon in 1995, my mother gave birth to me in Memphis, Tennessee. Currently, my home is based in Monett, Missouri and I enjoy long walks in South Park and swinging with my bud, Austin. Although I live in Missouri, my heart is in Taiwan. My addiction is red shoes, and I think this problem is getting serious; every pair of red shoes I see, I have to buy them.

Senior year has arrived for me at Monett High School; I spend my slow, lazy, days in the library. In the spring, when new flowers are blooming and birds have found their song again, girls’ soccer will begin; there is always a first for everything. Although I have never played soccer before, I am confident it will be an awesome experience. Art club, book club, playing guitar, piano, and saxophone keep my heart beating with rhythm. Music has, and forever will, influence me the most. On dark days when everything seems to be falling apart, music puts my world at ease and the light is let back in.

As far as growing up goes, I want to go to the University of Utah to become a famous novelist. Back in the day, there was a time when I would spend my days throwing toy rockets in the air, wishing I could be the captain taking the shuttle all the way to Mars. But childhood dreams die and reality hits, and for now, my grown-up self has decided to do something that makes me happy. I want to be a well-known author, and although it will be challenging, I have the mindset and drive to do everything I need to do until I have reached my goal. On a different note, I have a fetish for foreign languages. Hopefully, I can master as many as I can. In college though, I want to minor in American Sign Langauge along with my major in English. That way, if my books never boom, I will always have a plan B. My mama always told me: "Life is not a guarantee; always have a plan B."