Life Today by Laura Deal

Life Today Written By: Haley Dutton

This book is dedicated to all my coaches over the past years that helped me accomplish things that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve only dreamed of doing and got me to where I am today.

Table of Contents Life in Wisconsin!...............................................................................................................5 A Birth!...............................................................................................................................6 My Neighborhood!.............................................................................................................7 Favorite Holidays!..............................................................................................................8 Big Game!..........................................................................................................................9 A Special Birthday!..........................................................................................................10 My Name!.........................................................................................................................11 A Special Family Member!...............................................................................................12 Advice from an Adult!.......................................................................................................13 A Happy Time for Me!......................................................................................................14

Life in Wisconsin ! Wisconsin.......Wisconsin......What do I have to say about Wisconsin. Maybe that it’s a beautiful state to live in. We have all four seasons, while other states may only have two or three. They haven't lived until they've shoveled snow about everyday, or go snowboarding in your backyard. Make snow angles or build a snowman. To be honest, I am in love with Wisconsin, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This is my home. ! In 4th grade I moved to California, but its so different there. Instead of pine trees, they have palm trees. Instead of snow, they get rain, and rain and oh guess what more rain. Christmas isn’t the same with out snow on the ground. In the summer there, its like when you don’t drink water for days, dry, dusty, and hot! Here in Wisconsin it’s humid, but we get rain. The grass is green not brown, clean air, not polluted. Even the people are friendlier in Wisconsin. No ones in a rush. You can trust your neighborhood, let the kids play out to midnight, where in California, once it gets dark parents herd their kids like sheep inside. You wave to people when your driving by, where as if you wave in California, you get a glare or maybe a middle finger. ! Out there, there aren't that many sports. I found my love for basketball here in Wisconsin, in California, I never would have done it, because there were no teams. The schools were weird to. The grades were spread out throughout the town. The school looked like trailer parks, two grades per school all the way through 5th grade, all the other schools were the same as Wisconsin though. ! What would I do without Wisconsin?

A Birth Mad Maddie Athletically Pathetic Dance Intelligent So Sweet On my last nerves Not unloved, always loved Simple In a happy family Shining together like stars in space Together forever Everlasting relationship Responding to another Stronger with each other March Madness Almost to summer Red roses Children outside Holding hope

My Neighborhood ! To be honest, I love my neighborhood. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full of kids of all ages, babies, teens, and graduates. I remember when we were in elementary school, we were always outside. Playing White Wolf, kick the can, bull dozer, and even thunder and lightning about every night of the week. We were drawing chalk cities and and carving pumpkins together, pretending we were super heroes, astronauts or cowboys from the west saving the day, from train robbers. ! I miss those days, when we would hang out by the bonfires for hours just talking and telling stories. When we could be ourselves and not care who we hung out with, younger or older, didn't care about what was tomorrow, just worrying about now, the present. Our parents were begging and chasing us like dogs to get us in the house, either now we are to busy with sports they don't see us, or there hounding us to get off the couch and get outside and play with the neighbors, but the truth is we are now self conscious of who were hanging out with. You don't see a ball in the ditch, bikes in yards, or even just a little chalk on the street. No ones out side playing White wolf, or even tag. All you hear if you go outside is silence, just the crickets chirping, and an accessional hoot of an owl. Dead silence. I miss the days when we were young, I wish it was like that now. We still have fun times, but it will never be the same as the late nights running around screaming and laughing with each other.

Favorite Holidays Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Red Roses Boyfriends Love Kisses Lips Smack Smack Food Chocolate My Birthday Family Gathering Bake Cake Candles Flame Fire Cold Winter Christmas Presents

A Big Game ! A big game that has just happened was on February 14th, 2013. We played Westby, and if we won, we would put ourselves in a spot to win a conference championship. This game was not like any other games though. Both teams dressed in pink to support breast cancer. Why, it was Chloe Staufers senior exit project. This game was very intense, West Salem had its biggest crowd on this date, and everyone was wearing pink. It was like we were a sea of pink. The game was even scheduled differently, There was a longer half time for Chloeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aunt to speak about surviving cancer, and at the end Chloe spoke a few words about why she chose this project. Even the atmosphere was different, people were there to support their team, but we all came together to help find a cure, and the music was inspiring music about surviving and fighting through the hard times. Finally, we had special announcers than we usually do, we had people from news channel 8 there to be spokesmen, they even read a cancer fact at timeouts and quarters. ! The game began like any other game, but more intense. Both crowds were loud, we could barley here Mr. Malott yelling at us. The game continues, but no one had a for sure lead. By the end of the fourth quarter it was all tied up. They shot and just barley missed with 3 seconds left, and now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re headed into overtime. Overtime begins and now the fans are just going crazy like rabid dogs. The games tie up again at 39 points and all of a sudden they score and were coming down and Jillie pops a three and it goes in. Now were up by one with twenty seconds left, Jillie gets fouled and makes two free throws, and that sealed the game for us. When the final buzzer sounded the court got stormed on by the student section all I remember is hugging Jillie and getting pushed and shoved, and then Mr. Malott yelling at us to go shake hands. This was a big game, and we pulled off a win!

A Special Birthday ! A special birthday that I remember, was when I turned ten.It was special cause it’s a big mild stone in everyone’s life, cause it shows that you have been living for a decade. It was very memorable, but very sad. It was sad because it was my first birthday out of Wisconsin, and I didn’t know anyone, and had no family members to spend it with. I did have a small party though, with three other friends. We were pretty wild back then, like 5 year olds that just drank a twelve pack of Mt. Dew. The theme of the party I will always remember and regret because it was a spongebob theme. It was fun yet stupid. Happy yet embarrassing, but it’s ok because it is a memory I will remember. It was also a fun birthday cause my parents took me out to dinner wherever I wanted to go. We went to Apple Bee’s, but the funny part is we would go there every friday for the next three months. Eventually we got sick of it, but I had fun. I remember getting all these cards from family and friends, but it wasn’t the same as them giving it to me personally. Having everyone over, having cake with each other, having presents being opened together, and having memories made. Thats the only part I missed, with my birthday, but I did spend it with the three others in my family that I love, and thats all I could’ve asked for.

My Name ! My name means “heroic or brave” in Scandinavian, in Irish it means “ingenious,” and in Old English it means “hay meadow” or “hay field.” The name goes with the personality graceful and pure spirited, that’s about true, but with a little twists here and there. Like I’m humorous and funny and spaz like, not really calm and graceful.... I'm heroic humorous Haley. ! My name came on quick, my parents thought I was going to be a boy and named me Cole, but I am a girl. Although the name Haley would also work for a boy, but I would not want to be a boy with the name Haley. I like my name now. I have several nicknames like Hals, Hay, or HD. I like being called by nicknames, but only by certain people. If people call me by a nickname and they don’t deserve to I get really mad. I think though, when I'm older, I won’t really care what I'm called, I just think that I’ll grow out of my name. I’ll be a grown up with a child name. ! My name doesn't come from family history, my name is unique in my family, no one before me has had it, but it’s not unique in the country. Haley was the 6th most popular name in the U.S. in 2008, and it sometimes bother me when I hear it or a name that sounds similar and they weren’t talking to me, that’s my only pet peeve about my name. ! My name also fits perfect with the year I was born. I was born in the year of the ox. The ox is a strong and bold character. That’s perfect for the description of my name. It also fits my personality, but not the description of my personality for my name, but I can deal with my name. ! I am proud to have the name Haley.

A Special Family Member ! One special family member that pops like popcorn out of my brain, is my Uncle. His name is Steve and he is one of my dad’s older brothers. Even though he is five years older, they look a lot a like, besides his hair. I love his hair, it’s crazy but controlled. It’s very long. People say he looks a lot like Jesus, but his personality is way different. ! I don’t know what I would do without him. He has been there my whole life, even when we were out in California, he came and visited us. He has been there through tough and easy times. I remember whenever I would have a lose tooth, He would drive and hour and come pull it out for me. He would give me five dollars in reward. His also been to my sporting events. I have a proud family backing me up with any of my decisions. ! He’s pretty tough too. He is a prison guard, he works with dangerous people everyday, to make the worlds a better place. A unique thing about him is he has never had a cavity, and considering how much he eats in candy, thats amazing. I’ve also had many memories made with him, from Christmas all the way to him getting the cops called on him for sleeping on plywood. We’ve had some good times, and I hope the good times keep on coming my way, and I will never forget those memories that are permanently etched in my brain.

Advice from an Adult ! Some advice that I will always remember are mostly from coaches. One is “I don’t care about wins or loses, I care about the effort and intensity that you give me, but I don’t like to lose.” I will always remember this cause he said it everyday, before every game, almost every hour. This message is like an itch you can’t scratch, its always there, in the back of your mind. This advice changed everyone I think. Everyone played together, not thinking about yourself, but thinking about how can I help this team. Not one game did we play without effort of intensity, it was expected out of us. ! Another one is “Together.” This whole year of basketball, before every game and after every practice we’ve said this phrase, but we never fully put it into use till the last part of our season. Thats when we got really close to each other. There was no drama or fights, we were a family. ! “Put your best foot forward” is one that I always hear from my coaches. I think it means give it all you got, don’t matter how old you are or what people say about you, if you have skills show them off. If people don’t like you for it there jealous of what you have. It also means, always show you best side, don’t be a cranky pants, get something accomplished and make yourself better. ! Finally, “Give it all you got,” means try your hardest and never give up. Play like this play could be your last, put everything on the line, and once you pass that play, get ready for the next one cause its not gonna be any easier than the last. Don’t ever give up, never quit. !

A Happy Time for Me ! A time that I’m always happy is when I’m playing sports, whether its football, basketball or soccer, it’s my passion and I love it. I live and breath for sports. What would I do without it I don’t know, probably slowly rot away like a tree trunk. When I play sports I feel like an entirely new person, all stress is relieved, and I feel free. Just running sprints and getting out of breath relaxes me, I can take all the anger inside me and let it out on the court. All the long hours, suicides, sprints, injuries and pulled muscles, are all worth it once I step on that court . I forget about what events happened, or who annoyed me, or made me laugh that day, I just let my emotions flow out, and put it to use in the game. All I care about is winning, and bringing my team success. And that rush of adrenaline I get when I hear that starting whistle, or the buzzer, words can’t explain. The only moment I hate is when the final buzzer sounds. It means its all over, what ever happened is final, and you can’t erase whats been done. It means I have to go back to long hours, and teared muscles and soreness, but thats what I love doing. ! It may seem like I hate practices, coaches, and the drills they make us do, but thats my life. Its a love-hate relationship like what sisters and brothers have with each other. You would love to get rid of it but you can’t, because it’s part of your life and it will always be part of your life. ! !