Blog #2

Ten People Who Have Impacted My Life and Helped Me Become The Me I Am Today.

Kevin McIsaac 

(Smartest Man On Earth)

Kevin :)
I was blessed to be born into an incredible, loving, and kind family.
But my luck didn't end with what I was born into. Kevin came
into my life and family a few years after I was born (by choice!).
He picked my beautiful mother and her three young kids up
off of the ground that we had been waiting for something,
and he carried us to a new life.
I think he is a hero.
Kevin is kind and so SO SO patient.
He is strong.
He is selfless.
He is always honest.
He gives the best advice.
He really is almost always right.
He sacrifices himself, and his time for other people everyday.
He can do so many different things (plumbing, painting, grilling, spider killing, etc.)
And he's funny too.

Judy Maggard
(Red Coated Beauty)

This is my mom.
She's one of my favorite people on this planet. 

If it wasn't for her I honestly may not be alive;
 My mom never gave up on me,
even through times when I had given up
on myself,

and everything,
 and everyone.

She was with me
 through my
rude days, 

weird days,
 and sad days;

 She held me up when I couldn't stand on my own.

 Her support, encouragement, and friendship have been my motivation to carry on so many times.
She is my rock and the core of my happiness. 

I am so thankful to have her in my life.

Darren Maggard 

 I only have a few memories of my dad any more,
but I know the memories that other people who knew him have.
His parents, my mom, his friends and family, my cousins, and my brother and sister;
I know the effect that he had on their lives.
 Nothing touches me more than when I hear someone say:
 what an amazing person he was,
what a huge impact he had on them,
what a free spirit he was,
how much they wish he could see my brother, sister, and I
how proud he would be.

Also, I know what losing him did to my family;
It brought us together,
and it created a bond between us.
It changed the way I was raised,
which changed the way my brother, sister, and I treated each other and other people.

Our dad dyeing was hard, and sometimes still is hard; but the changes it caused made me a lot closer to my siblings, and
it made me more sensitive and considerate of other people (because you never know what's happened in someone's life).

Luke Maggard

(My Big Brother)

This year on  my birthday Luke sang to me 

a medley of slightly horrific songs

some of which were songs that he had tortured 

me with when we were growing up

singing them over, 

and over,

and over,

 and over again. 

Speaking of torture. 

When we were growing up he had this thing called "Tickle Torture", 

The name speaks for itself.

It was awful.

Another year for my birthday he sang the song "Perfect" by Pink, the song that says

"Don't you ever ever feel like you're less than, less than perfect." 

A few years ago my boyfriend broke up with me in the middle of the night. 

I cried in bed for awhile. 

Then I went downstairs to Luke's room

I sat on his bed and I woke him up.

Luke wasn't mad that I woke him up,

He laughed and asked what I was doing.

By the time I told him what happened I was crying again,

He sat with me and hugged me for awhile. 

Then he prayed with me.

That was the first time in a long time that someone reminded me that I could go to God with my problems, 

I had forgotten for awhile before that night.

I haven't forgotten sense. 

My brother is really something special.

Brooke Maggard

(My World Traveler)

This stunning girl is the hardest working person I know. 

This is my sister,

my role model,

and my best friend.

Brooke never seizes to amaze me.

I have always wanted, and will always want to be as much like her as I possibly can while still being me.
 The world would be a kinder, and more productive place if we were all more like Brooke

 I think she usually has a to do list longer than one of our mom's really REALLY long grocery lists.

But somehow she's always been able to make time for me,

even when she used to make up excuses left and right to avoid other people.

We laugh so much together.

Good memories with Brooke are literally endless.

Coffee runs,

Sister dates,

Arm massages

Dance & stunt routines,

Uncontrollable night laughter,

Embarrassing video recordings,

Smoothie runs (gone horribly wrong),

Songs, bands, and albums that we listened to and loved and then over listened to.

My relationship with my sister is such a huge part of my life,

The impact and influence that she has is astronomical.

Cam Allison 

(Football Superstar)

The admiration I just expressed for my sister does not do justice to my feelings for Brooke. 

That being said it takes a really special someone to have my approval to hold her precious little heart. 

But Cam hands down deserves it. He felt like a brother to me pretty much immediately. 

And he acted like a brother too

Supportive,

Over protective, 

Loving.

Cam is brave and dedicated.

 He chases his dreams wherever they lead him.

The bravery that he displays with his actions amaze me.

His bravery and skill took him over 2,000 miles away,

I miss him but I'm so crazy proud of him.

Kaitie Maggard 

(My Sweet & Lovely Sister)

Kaitie can always tell when I need a hug,

or a slice of pie.

I am so glad my brother met and fell in love with her. 

Because that means I got to meet and fall in love with her too. 

(In a bit of a different way) 

It's the little things with Katie that add up to the big things.

The cups of coffee,
 The spilled coffee,
The long car rides,
The perfect days on a beach,
The stressful days spent studying,
The tears shared over a variety of foods,
The laughter shared over a variety of different foods,
The perfect eyebrows she's given me on a number of special occasions.

My sister in-law and I have more of a sister relationship than some girls have with their real sisters. 

I'm lucky to have her and the friendship we have.

Brandon Zeilke  

Near the end of my senior year my life was kind of falling apart around me.

I was falling apart right along with it.

So much was changing, 

It felt like everything was changing,

I was holding onto a dead relationship,

My grades were a disaster,

Family was moving, 

Things just felt a little out of my control.

I needed a good friend desperately.

Then,
Almost on cue
I met Brandon
Who was just
 unapologetically,
unashamedly
 himself.

He didn't pretend, sugarcoat, or hide anything.
Spending time with someone who was so real was so refreshing.

He was just himself.
Whether anyone liked it or not,
he wasn't changing
And I liked it.
A lot.

I have never had a friend like him,
Because there is no one in the world that is like him.

This past summer would have been so different if I wouldn't spent so much of it with him.
It would have been filled with sadness, but it was happy instead.
He didn't talk to me about the things that were going wrong,
 He just gave me something that was right.

He single handedly altered the last six months of my life completely.

Gabi Sylvester 

(Babygirl, princess, survivor) 

Gabi and I weren't ever extremely close, but for a while we were all each other had in terms of friends.
We both had our priorities all messed up, so we were the only people that would put up with the other's crap.

Gabi is so strong.
She wanted to give up on life a few times.
She was sad, broken, and tiered
but she never did.
Instead she kept fighting.
Now she's winning.

She worked long and hard for the happiness that she has in her life today.
I'm so proud of her and so inspired by her.


We can go months without talking, and one of us will call the other
and we'll be there to talk for as long or as little as we need to.

That's valuable and means a lot much to me.
She's valuable and means a lot much to me.

Matt Nasceif 

(Long Lesson: Learned)

This is Matt: my ex-boyfriend as of a few months ago, so it's a little weird to look at his picture and to write about him .

Here are some facts:

We thought we were happy together.

We had a really unhealthy relationship. 

We lived in our very own world together.

We have a lot of really good memories.

We have a lot of really bad memories.

We are both good people.

We were bad for each other.

I put him before everything.

I thought I needed him.

I forgot who I was.

I was 100% blind.

I loved him. 

I don't miss him.
I miss him.

He was holding me back.

Everyone else was right, 

I was wrong

They told me so. 

The break-up was long,

confusing,

and heart shattering. 

but

We are so much better off without each other. 

And Now 
I am
Free,
Happy,
Rebuilding,
New,
Strong,
Moving on,
Independant,
Making my own friends,
Making my own decisions,
Focusing on what's important,
A better daughter, sister, friend, student,
Never going to change who I am for someone else.