Each blog post I have done somehow centers around how I am grateful for something. I decided early on in the year, way before we started blogs, that I needed to focus on the positive and great things that my life has been blessed with, and show my gratitude for them.  This is my last required blog post and I think the only way I can end this blog is by expressing my humble gratitude for Holbrook High School. (Sorry if I’m super cheesy and sentimental right now. I think I’m preparing myself to leave this quaint town for something bigger and better, but most of all, different.)

I remember back to my freshman year and think of my little, very insecure self. In choir I hated doing lifts because I was too fat. At first, I wouldn’t even make eye contact with the seniors because they were too cool and way older than me. I thought I was really immature and clumsy. I was quiet. I was shy. I was scared.

During this time, I learned to really appreciate my sister, Cierra. I had only been in school with her a few years and high school meant we would be together for two whole years!:) In all of my  insecurities, I hid in my beautiful sister’s shadow and felt her confidence cover me.  All of a sudden I didn’t have to be scared when I was with her. I knew as long as I had my sister, I could take on anything. TOGETHER we made best friends with the cool senior boys. TOGETHER we took the stage by storm and sang together all the time. TOGETHER we studied for classes and worked on homework.  Never in my life had I depended on someone so much, just to be myself.

Sophomore year went by beautifully and although my senior friends left, we kept in touch. Cierra and I continued to be the best of friends and I’d say that we were pretty cool, but I might be slightly biased. We made some great memories and spent as much time together as we could, before she graduated and left for college.

One of my favorite times to look back on is our car rides. It takes a while to get to town from our house, so we would enjoy car rides together full of laughter and love. We sang songs as loud as we could and goofed off the whole time. Our favorite song to sing and rap was “The Way” by Ariana Grande. It was quite a sight to see two white girls rapping and singing ‘whistle tones.’ We thought we were so cool. :P

Then, quicker than I could say bye, she was gone. She was loving college life and talked to me once or twice every few weeks. I felt lost and alone. My best friend, and amazing person to hide behind was gone. HHS helped me realize that although I missed her like crazy, I could be fun, and myself, and interesting without her. My junior year was when I truly found who I was and I let my crazy, weird personality shine through. It was a rough ride, but finally I was happy with myself. Doing this brought more fun friends. I felt much more confident and a lot less awkward. I finally was comfortable in my own skin and the dark fears of judgement were chased away by my confidence.

This year has been much like the last. I know I’m weird, and although I’m not as loud as I was with my sidekick at my side, I don’t have to be afraid of being myself. I honestly could care less about what a lot of people think about me, and I love it! I feel so happy and free!:) 

High school was the place where I got to find myself and explore the things I grew to love. I am so grateful for Holbrook High School and the welcoming environment it has. Because of the great teachers and kind atmosphere, I was able to find myself. Soon I’ll pay it back and HHS will be able to say, “You know that famous girl, Savana Shumway? Yeah, she went to school here.”

Thank Goodness

Growing up my dad always had a huge video camera in our faces. Any birthday or party he would pull out the video camera and get a nice shot of each person in the room. It never really bothered me, and I actually never thought much about it until I was older.

Sundays are usually really relaxing days at my house. By three, my whole family is usually asleep. Today, however, after a nice dinner, we put an old tape in the VHS player. The title on the tape was “Birth of Cade.” For about two hours we watched all of the fun things that happened in 2005, starting with my youngest brother’s birth.

 

This video brushed over some of my favorite memories, not just in 2005, but throughout all of my childhood. After Cade’s birthday the video skipped to a beautiful spring morning, in our luscious, green backyard. All of us kids were in pajamas on the backs of our two miniature horses. We rode horses all the time growing up. I remember Sunday afternoons we would get in pajamas and read on the backs of lazy horses. During the summer, these horses would stay in the backyard and ‘mow’ the lawn all summer long. While in the backyard, we would ride the horses until the sunset and the stars came out.

The video then skipped to the Navajo County pageant. My family spent years immersed in the pageant, as my mom choreographed the dances and Cierra was in it every year for about twelve years. I can remember back to the rehearsals where they gave us free soda! For hours I would walk around the fairgrounds and sing the songs the pageant girls danced to. In 2006 I decided I wanted to be in the pageant, so I practiced hard and got pretty dresses. By September I was well prepared and ready for a good time. I sang “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid and surprisingly enough, I won! I had a lot of fun, but one pageant was enough for me.:)

Christmas was next on the tape and we watched our young bodies crawl out of bed as Mom and Dad sang Christmas songs. I was so excited to get toe socks from Santa. He was good to me back then.:) Christmas was always so much fun, the whole family all together. Some of my favorite times were listening to old Christmas music when it got closer to the happy holiday.

I loved the chance I had to sit with my family and laugh at the silly faces, high pitched voices, and little bodies that used to be ours. (Thank goodness my voice changed and my teeth grew back in!) My family is usually going in seven different directions, so I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with them and reconnect with the past. I loved looking back and remembering some of my favorite times when my whole family was together.

Nowadays, my brother is off at NAU, my sister is in Korea, and I will soon be leaving for EAC.  It’s crazy to think that my little family will be all spread out and my parents will only have two kids at home. I am scared to take the jump into a completely new life, but I am so thankful that my parents prepared me for the fun journey ahead. Looking back, I can be nothing but grateful for the memories they have helped me create, and I also feel excited to go make more. They have raised me so I can make good choices by myself and I look forward to relying on the principles I learned while in such a humble home.