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Leah’s Life

Leah Galstad

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Table of Contents

.......................................................................................................................Dedications! 4

..........................................................................................................................My Name! 5

...............................................................................................................Life In Wisconsin! 6

.............................................................................................................My Neighborhood! 6

............................................................................................................A Special Birthday! 7

..................................................................................................................The Big Game! 8

.....................................................................................................A Time I Got In Trouble! 9

.........................................................................................A Positive Story From School! 10

................................................................................................A Special Family Member! 11

........................................................................................A Negative Story From School! 12

............................................................................................................A Special Holiday! 13

......................................................................................................Advice From An Adult! 14

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I dedicate this book to my mom. Without her you wouldn’t be reading this.

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My Name

! Leah Jo is my name. My name is safe. Some qualities of someone named Leah are responsible, self-sufficient, dependable, strong, determined, and forceful. The origin of the name Leah is Hebrew. The meaning’s of Jo are independent, and serious. The origin of the name Jo is English. Even though my name is boring, like the color white, it actually accurately describes me. ! Leah was just a random name that my mother had come up with after I was born. Although my first name is meaningless Jo isn’t. Jo is after my mom’s maid of honor JoAnn, and after my cousins Crystal Jo, and Jasmine Jo. I like the fact that at least my middle name has links to friends and family, but I wish my first name could relate to my family in someway too. ! Leah Jo wasn’t even supposed to be my name. I was supposed to be named Tyana Leigh. Tyana means creative, sensitive, shy, calm, quick, and weak. Leigh means creative, ambitious, independent, clever, and rebellious. The origin of the name Leigh is English. The name Tyana Leigh is more creative with the spelling of Tyana, but it is still uninteresting, and boring. ! If I could choose my name I would choose a name that would mean more to my family. I would make my first name Jo, so that I could still have that connection with my cousins. I would then make my middle name Elizabeth after my mother’s sister, because my mother is very close to my aunt. Even though my name isn’t my desired name, I was given this name for a reason, and I love it.

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Life in Wisconsin

WisconsinColdSnowSledsHills Jack and JillWater Ice

My Neighborhood

Hamilton PoolsSummerSunTanMemories FunFriendshipClose Nit

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A Special Birthday

! My Uncle Jerry and I had always shared a birthday, December 23rd. I was born on his twenty-first birthday. My mom had always told me that my uncle Jerry said to her when she was pregnant with me that she had to give birth to me on his birthday. I am truly blessed that I actually was born that day. Him and I were like two peas in a pod. Out of my eight uncles Jerry was by far the closest to me. I believe that was because we shared a birthday.

! On May 4, 2011, my uncle ended his life at the age of thirty-four. Many of the people around me would be saying, “He’s just a baby”, “He was always so happy. How did this happen?”, and so much more that just burned my ears to hear. Jerry being the closest uncle that I had, I took this very hard. I still remember the moment that I found out. The moment that I heard what happened I burst into endless tears.

! Jerry has been gone for about three years now. I have gone through two birthdays without him. It is still hard not hearing that birthday call between him and I. I don’t think that it will ever get better, but I know that with time it will get easier. I am so blessed that I was born on that day, and got to share the time and day with my uncle.

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The Big Game

! I moved into an apartment in Tomah when I was younger. Behind that apartment are soccer fields. I wan’t really an athletic child, but something drew me towards those fields. My step-dad Jim had noticed my attraction towards them. One day he asked me if I wanted to learn how to play. I said had said yes with no hesitation. He taught how to dribble a ball, moves, how to shoot a goal, and so much more. After I had learned the basics I wanted to join a real team. My mom signed me up, and I was actually going to start playing with people in my grade.

! I joined soccer late, and I had only went to one practice before we had our first game of the season. I still didn’t totally understand the concept of soccer quite yet, but I played in the game anyway, not really knowing what I was supposed to do. I really don’t remember too much from that game, but I remember one event as clear as day. A girl and I were running towards the ball, and I picked it up right in the middle of the game. Everyone started at me with baffled faces. The ref blew his whistle, and I got a foul called on me. At the time I really didn’t understand, but now I do. Looking back now I realize how much I have improved and I still get a good laugh out of this.

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A Time I Got In Trouble

! Before we got into middle school all the elementary school teachers warned all of their students about detentions. They warned us that if we didn’t do our work or pay attention that we would get detentions.

! I started sixth grade really not caring at all. Sixth grade was just a bad year to begin with. They wanted me to work hard, and pay attention. Nothing involving school or anything for that matter was appealing to me. I didn’t pay attention. I didn’t do my homework. I didn’t try at all. The teachers were right. I spent just about everyday in detention. I would go out to for recess maybe once a month, maybe. I think that the teachers actually gave up hope for me, but I didn’t really care. I barely passed sixth grade. I passed with all D’s and F’s.

! Seventh grade was pretty much a repeat of sixth grade in a way, except I developed an even stronger attitude, not a good one either. I still didn’t do my homework, try, or pay attention. I still had detentions just about everyday, but by then I actually liked them. I barely passed seventh grade. I passed with all D’s and F’s, and maybe one C.

! Something happened when I started eight grade though. I guess you could say that “I saw the light.” I started trying, and doing things I was supposed to do. It actually worked. I got a lot of A’s, and B’s. I went from “Lazy Leah” to “Lovely Leah”.

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A Positive Story From School

School can be joyful.Meeting new friends.School can be joyful.Creating memories.School can be joyful.

Setting goals that you know you can accomplish with hard work.School can be joyful. School can be joyful. School can be joyful.Remembering everything that you have accomplished with work.School can be joyful. School can be joyful. School can be joyful.

People being proud.School can be joyful.Enjoying everything.School can be joyful.Living your life happy.

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A Special Family Member

! My dad and I have never been close, unlike my mom and I. My mom is a rock. She always stays strong no matter what the situation is, and she deserves a huge around of applause for that. My mom is the kind of person who is so laid back, fun, and easy to talk to. I’m thankful for someone like that so close to in my life. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like if she wasn’t in it.

! My mom is strong, but sometime you can’t always be that way. I have never her seen so crushed than when my uncle Jerry passed away. He was her youngest brother. She even raised him in a way. Then again when her oldest brother Tony passed away a year later from a heart attack. When these event occurred I didn’t even know how to respond. She was always the one for me, and now I had to be there for her. After what seemed like forever, and we were starting to accept reality I believe that my mom and I become even closer.

! I think that people are embarrassed to be seem with their parents, but I don’t understand why. I know how much my mom has done for me, and she would never turn her back one me. I would never do that to her either. Someone like that you can’t just turn away from and ignore. I love my mom, and she so special to me.

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A Negative Story From School

! School can be filled with so many good memories with your friends, sports, academics, and so much more. School can also be filled with many bad memories too. Life is a roller coaster. You have to just enjoy the ride, even when it is an unpleasant one.

! I don’t really like to talk to much about middle school, mostly because I furor to that time in my life as, “The Dark Days”, but I have a negative tale that comes from that time. This event didn’t happen at school, but it happened during the school year.

! My friends and I had many other friends in a town, a few miles away. There was a guy from that town that had started to like me, but I wasn’t as interested in him as I was in this other guy who happened to be his friend too. I think that the guy who took a liking to me found out about his friend and I, and I don’t think he was too happy about it. He started many awful rumors about me. He also called me horrible names.

! At the time I didn’t really know how to respond to this. I didn’t want everyone to believe the things he was saying about me, but I also didn’t want to be immature about the situation, the way he was being. I finally got him to leave me alone after cutting off any connection that he had with me before, and things got better. When you are faced with a difficult situation the best possible way to deal with it is be calm, and be mature.

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A Special Holiday

! Halloween is that time of the year where kids can be something or somebody that they’re not, and everyone loves the idea of this. I don’t really understand this concept though. You spend your whole life trying to figure out who you are, and be the best at who you are. Then, one day of the year you can pretend to be someone that you’re not? That sounds a bit like nails on a chalk board to me. I may just be reading too far into nothing, but I don’t really like the message that I get.

! A person should be proud of who they are three hundred sixty-five days of the year, three hundred sixty-six on leap years though. You are an individual, and there is no one better out there at being you, than you. That sounds a bit cliché, but it’s one hundred percent true. You are too perfectly perfect to be anyone else.

! You should be proud of who you are, and not need some holiday to be someone that you’re not. It may be fun to play someone else for a day, but I hope you see that this day just sends a bad message to me. Promoting being “fake” to yourself, when you could just be you, because being you is what you don’t have to pretend to do.

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Advice From An Adult

! As a child we were always told to respect our elders, and to take the advice that was given. Adults told children this, because adults are older, and have been through more, thus making them wiser. That phrase sounds like a broken record that no one wants to hear. I believe this is true on some levels, but not all.

! I don’t believe everything that adults tell me, but there are are a few bits of advice that I will take to heart. One of those advices is, “Life goes on”. Whether you want it to or not, it will. Also, when I am having a hard time no matter what it is, I always remind myself that life will go on to help me get through to tomorrow.

! Sometimes you have to take a breath and think. I think about this time last year. I don’t remember everything that I was worrying about, and in a year what I am stressing about now will be irrelevant. I also think about how fast life goes on. That you have to make everyday count, and live it to the fullest. You basically have to live life with no regrets.

! “You can’t see the shine without the rain” is another piece of advice that I have taken. This is so true. Whenever you think nothing can go wrong, something might just go right, and everything else will fall into place after it. You can’t keep stressing, because then there will be no time for living life to the fullest.

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