It was Tuesday. I was born on a Tuesday, which made that Tuesday the greatest Tuesday of my parents’ life. On September 7th, 1999 Hannah Mae Hill entered the world weighing 9 pounds and 7 ounces, 9/7 on 9/7. I was the typical baby: chubby in the tummy and full of giggles. I loved my Winnie the Pooh and my blanket which would be later named the very original name of Blankie. I was the only grandchild in Michigan on both sides which meant that I got lots of loving and attention until my brother was born. My little brother and longest friend was born about two years after I was. I had to share the spotlight, but that was okay. Luke was a little cutie and he called me Nana; I couldn’t resist the adorableness of a new baby in the house.
I grew up on a farm filled with tractors and animals just like in all the storybooks with the animal sounds. My early childhood was picturesque. I would go for rides in the Gator through the hay fields with my family; I would sit on my mom’s lap and Luke would be in my dad’s, everything back then was perfect.
Soon the time came for me to go to school and I couldn’t be happier. I was always ready for the next thing and to begin growing up. In kindergarten I hit a minor speed bump; while playing during inside recess in the gym, I fell. No one thought the arm could possibly be broken, but it was. I had to spend Christmas in a cast and it had to be red, the one time I break something and I don’t get to pick the cast color. After that school was relatively boring until I fainted in 4th grade reading The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen. To this day I still have not read the rest of that book and have no intention to. My elementary years have taught me that sometimes unfortunate things happen, but they help to build you into the person that you will become and grow into. I developed a strong foundation for the years to come as I entered middle and high school.
Moving into the “big kid” school was fascinating. The rest of my friends were nervous and even scared, but me, I was ready. School was always easy for me and middle school was no exception. It was falling asleep boring until the summer before my 8th grade year when my grandma took a turn for the worst. My Grandma Kris died that July, I will never forget the day. As I started to walk through the walls once again people would stare at me, hug me and ask how I was doing. I wanted to run away from everything, from all those people no one could possibly understand what I was going through. I turned to steel, I wouldn’t let myself cry in front of my friends or anyone for that matter because I thought I had to be the strong one. I couldn’t show people how much I was hurting because I didn’t want them asking questions or patting me on the back saying it was going to be okay. It was not going to be okay, not for a very long time. This experience was a turning point in my life. I then knew that life threw curve balls and I wasn’t a kid anymore.
I looked at high school as merely an obstacle to get through, but my friends showed me the beauty in every aspect of these four years. I joined the color guard for marching band and found that I love to perform. To smile and twirl in front of tons of people was the ultimate thrill and I longed for the Friday night lights just as much as the football players. I later became the color guard captain for the last three years of my marching career and will finally have to pass the torch. I played sports year round and learned the value of teamwork and working to accomplish a common goal. As a sophomore I was inducted into NHS; helping the community was enlightening and showed me that I am one lucky girl. There are so many people in this world who are struggling, anything that I could do to help them I did. When I wasn’t studying I was out with my friends and having fun. We spend most of our time laughing in between mouthfuls of food and Mountain Dew. I hope these girls will always stay in my life.
Now I am a senior and soon I will graduate; May 21st, 2017 cannot come soon enough. I will walk down an aisle in a white gown with my best friends beside me and my family looking on. It will be a day I have looked forward to since I was a freshman. All good things must come to an end, high school is one of those things. Good bye Pine River High School. Thanks for the memories.
I grew up on a farm filled with tractors and animals just like in all the storybooks with the animal sounds. My early childhood was picturesque. I would go for rides in the Gator through the hay fields with my family; I would sit on my mom’s lap and Luke would be in my dad’s, everything back then was perfect.
Soon the time came for me to go to school and I couldn’t be happier. I was always ready for the next thing and to begin growing up. In kindergarten I hit a minor speed bump; while playing during inside recess in the gym, I fell. No one thought the arm could possibly be broken, but it was. I had to spend Christmas in a cast and it had to be red, the one time I break something and I don’t get to pick the cast color. After that school was relatively boring until I fainted in 4th grade reading The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen. To this day I still have not read the rest of that book and have no intention to. My elementary years have taught me that sometimes unfortunate things happen, but they help to build you into the person that you will become and grow into. I developed a strong foundation for the years to come as I entered middle and high school.
Moving into the “big kid” school was fascinating. The rest of my friends were nervous and even scared, but me, I was ready. School was always easy for me and middle school was no exception. It was falling asleep boring until the summer before my 8th grade year when my grandma took a turn for the worst. My Grandma Kris died that July, I will never forget the day. As I started to walk through the walls once again people would stare at me, hug me and ask how I was doing. I wanted to run away from everything, from all those people no one could possibly understand what I was going through. I turned to steel, I wouldn’t let myself cry in front of my friends or anyone for that matter because I thought I had to be the strong one. I couldn’t show people how much I was hurting because I didn’t want them asking questions or patting me on the back saying it was going to be okay. It was not going to be okay, not for a very long time. This experience was a turning point in my life. I then knew that life threw curve balls and I wasn’t a kid anymore.
I looked at high school as merely an obstacle to get through, but my friends showed me the beauty in every aspect of these four years. I joined the color guard for marching band and found that I love to perform. To smile and twirl in front of tons of people was the ultimate thrill and I longed for the Friday night lights just as much as the football players. I later became the color guard captain for the last three years of my marching career and will finally have to pass the torch. I played sports year round and learned the value of teamwork and working to accomplish a common goal. As a sophomore I was inducted into NHS; helping the community was enlightening and showed me that I am one lucky girl. There are so many people in this world who are struggling, anything that I could do to help them I did. When I wasn’t studying I was out with my friends and having fun. We spend most of our time laughing in between mouthfuls of food and Mountain Dew. I hope these girls will always stay in my life.
Now I am a senior and soon I will graduate; May 21st, 2017 cannot come soon enough. I will walk down an aisle in a white gown with my best friends beside me and my family looking on. It will be a day I have looked forward to since I was a freshman. All good things must come to an end, high school is one of those things. Good bye Pine River High School. Thanks for the memories.
Love,
Hannah Mae Hill
Hannah Mae Hill