Works Cited

Lyon, George Ella. “Where I’m From.” The United States of Poetry. Compiled by Josh Blum, Bob Holman, and Mark Pellington. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1996.

Robert Fulghum. All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. Villard Books: New York, 1990. 6-7.

SlangSite. 2001. Impulse Communications, Inc. 5 Nov. 2008 .

Suburban Sanctuary

The waterfall is splashing, the birds are chirping, and the trees are rustling in the wind. Bonnie Park, in the Metro Parks, is an ideal place to be alone and think. Laying in the freshly cut grass on a warm summer day is just about as good as it gets. The smell of the fresh air helps clear my head. Bonnie Park is the perfect environment for relaxing after a stressful day. Bonnie Park is also an excellent hang out spot. There are swings, picnic tables, and wooded trails. The open field is often being used for pick-up football or soccer games. Bonnie Park offers it all, a peaceful place to be alone and think, trails to talk to friends or family, and an area to run around and have fun. There are sights, sounds, and smells that you can only dream about. When I want to be alone, where else would I go but Bonnie Park?

All I Really Need To Know I Learned From Soccer

All I really need to know I learned from soccer. All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned from soccer. Making varsity was not for national team players, but there in the backyard practicing. These are the things I learned:

Never give up.

Practice.

Drink a lot of water.

Do not trip, push, or hit other people or there will be consequences.

Work together as a team.

Dream.

Communication is the key to success.

Have good sportsmanship.

Take risks.

Use your head.

Mistakes are expected so learn from them and move on.

Respect your teammates.

Enjoy winning but accept losing as well.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to you family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if all - the whole world - worked as a team and communicated. Or if all countries had ways of interacting without the need for violence.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best to never give up.

General Information

Top 10 Caribbean Destinations
1. Cozumel
2. Grand Cayman
3. Belize
4. Barbados
5. Jamaica
6. Aruba
7. Costa Maya
8. St. Thomas
9. St. Martin
10. Puerto Rico

Top 10 Breeds of Dogs
1. Siberian Husky
2. Golden Retriever
3. Labrador Retriever
4. Border Collie
5. German Shepard
6. Beagle
7. Great Pyrenese
8. Shetland Sheepdog
9. Daschaund
10. Pomeranian

Top 10 Zoo Animals
1. Sea Otter
2. Tiger
3. Koala
4. Panda Bear
5. Monkey
6. Kangaroo
7. Penguin
8. Sea Turtle
9. Giraffe
10. Dolphin

Life Map

Glossary of Slang

cuz-because
I stayed home cuz I was sick.

deece-decent, good
The soccer team is pretty deece.

duh-obviously
Duh, how did you not know that?

kinda-kinda of, sort of
It is kinda cold outside.

lax-chill, cool, easy
The teacher is pretty lax with homework.

peachy-just fine, good
I'm doing quite peachy today.

peeps-people
Me and my peeps are going to the mall.

salty-bad mood
She was salty when she failed the test.

scaddadle-go, leave
I better scaddadle. I'll talk to you later

sick-cool, awesome
That car is so sick!

Where I'm From

I am from homework,
from Turnitin.com and German workbooks.


I am from the creek in my backyard.
(Pure, babbling, it feels like ice water on a summer day.)

I am from the blackberry bush,
the Cottonwood tree who makes my yard look like a fresh dusting of snow just fell.

I'm from birthday marches and cookouts,
from Uncle Moose and Baba.

I'm from the Go Indians!
and dog lovers.


From the not now and timeout.

I'm from the dreadful Wednesday night PSR that allowed for First Communion and Confirmation.


I'm from Strongsville and Poland, pierogies and chicken paperkash.


From the teeth my grandma kept in a cup on the counter to the sporting events my grandpa always came to.

In my dining room are shelves fulled with photo albums,

used to retell the story of my life;

I am from those days -
with my family and friends -
cherishing every moment.

My Injury

Anterior cruciate ligament tear are the dreaded words an athlete never wants to hear. Just one wrong turn, in the eighty minutes of play, was all it took to suffer an injury that would take eight months to recover from. The consequences of tearing an ACL are like slapping your mom across the face. Once it happens there is no turning back. The past cannot be changed. The next few months are undoubtedly going to be long and miserable.
Snap! Like a rubber band that had just been stretched to the limit. The feeling was horrendous. The pop that came from my knee sounded like a kid playing with bubble wrap. My knee swelled up like a balloon on the long and bumpy ride home. My leg felt like it had been amputated from the knee down. There was no feeling or movement able to be made. That was only the beginning of a long and grueling rehabilitation. Counting down the days until surgery were like counting down the days until the end of the world. The sterile smell of the hospital post operative area made me nauseous. The Vicodin masked the pain in my knee.
Tearing my ACL had many positive effects on me. I became determined to get better as soon as possible. It helped build character. Most importantly, tearing my ACL made me more goal oriented. It would be nearly impossible to recover from this injury without many goals and stepping stones. Managing my time and challenging myself were key to a timely recovery.
Tearing my ACL has been a life changing experience. It has had an impact on the person I have become. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason.