Think Pink by Laura Deal

Think Pink by Jillian Olson â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some things you never forget.â&#x20AC;?

This book is dedicated to my family and friends.

Table of Contents My Name!............................................................................................................page 4 Advice from an Adult!..........................................................................................page 5 Family is Forever!................................................................................................page 6 A Happy Time!.....................................................................................................page 7 A Special Time!...................................................................................................page 8 My Neighborhood!...............................................................................................page 9 The Positives!....................................................................................................page 10 When Someone Got in Trouble!........................................................................page 11 The Wisconsin Life!...........................................................................................page 12 The Big Game!..................................................................................................page 13

My Name Gillian. That was what my parents had named me. It was still meant to be said like Jillian, just spelled with a G. To many people had called me “Gillian” pronouncing a G sound instead of a J sound. I am so extremely happy they decided to change it. Gillian is just not me. Jillian. Young, child-like; my name means youthful. I am young at heart, a child all the time. This is not totally one hundred percent true, but some of it is accurate. I love messing, having fun, and doing things I will remember for a long time, if not forever. However, I can be mature, serious, and dependable. Although, being a kid is way more fun! Jillian. For me there is no significance behind my name, besides the fact that my mother babysat a child named Jillian. Emily or Natalie, those were the other choices my parents were debating upon. Emily could possibly fit me. It means to excel and I can see how that would be me. However, Natalie probably could not. To begin with it means born on Christmas which is seventy-seven days off of mine real birthday! Jillian. I would never change my name. I guess really couldn’t even if I wanted to since that has already been done. I believe it fits me like a glove fits a hand, perfectly. It fits like two pea’s in a pod with my sister Jacey’s name.

Advice from an Adult Don’t ever back down. These were the wise words of Coach. Do not be afraid. You’ve worked just as hard To get where you are at now. Don’t give it all up. Thirty-two minutes. That is when we get to prove who is number one.

Family is Forever Mother Clever, caring Knows whats best Will do anything for us Irreplaceable. Grandpa Stubborn, persistent Watches the cookies Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watching over me Michael.

A Happy Time Underdogs. Without a doubt this describes our team. The start of the season was something else. No one really knew what to expect. Nobody really knew where thy stood. We started the season off with only loses in the MVC, none in our conference, the Coulee Conference. As time went on we unfortunately obviously lost some games, won some games, and ended up having only two losses in the Coulee Conference. Finally it was time for the “Conference Championship” game. All we had was play thirty-two minutes of chaos. Every loose ball, we had to attack it like a cat. Every rebound, we had to jump like a kangaroo. Every position, we had to protect the ball like a mother protects her kids. It was no time to mess up. We were there for business, and we were going to do our job. Unfortunately, if we won this game we would only be co-conference champions, but none-the-less champions. It was a start for the next couple of years we all planned to be having together. It was big deal to everyone. No one on my team had ever won a Conference Championship besides, of course, our coach who had won fourteen consecutive titles but the past two years had been turned upside down. It was our turn to show everyone what we could do. A team with four freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors, and a single senior was about to take over the conference. We fought hard against G-E-T. It was not our best game, but it wan’t bad basketball either. Finally the buzzer had sounded, and we were conference champs.

A Special Holiday It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The town fills with cheer and everyones mood lightens.The lights shine bright. The Christmas music blares. It’s amazing, it’s blissful, it’s what I wait for all year. Every year my family and I Christmas Eve day off at my Grandma’s house. We eat, and eat, and eat, and eat. We stuff ourselves full of fruit and veggies. Cookies and pies. Ham and potatoes. There’s so much to eat we usually don’t even know where to begin. Once we finally settle ourselves in we just spend time together. It’s really relaxing and refreshing. After awhile my little sister can’t handle it anymore and separates all the presents. We all slowly, one by one open our presents. With smiles and appreciation we eventually finish up and load up the car again and we head off to my Uncle’s house for the night. This is the crazy Christmas. People of all ages are sitting around, running throughout the house. It is complete chaos. Sometimes it’s satisfying enough to just watch it all unfold as I sit on the couch. My youngest cousins especially like the run the show. From singing to dancing or even just running circles all eyes are usually on them. Once we begin to open presents things begin to settle down. The night slowly begins to wind down and everyone finds there way home. The night turns to morning and it is Christmas Day. It’s such a glorious time for everyone. I love it. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

My Neighborhood My neighborhood is not out in the country, but just far enough out that we don’t have to worry about the town’s rules and curfew. It is a safe and comfortable neighborhood. We live just past the race track, were the road splits off into two: Western Hills Drive and Southern Hills Drive. My street is just above the other one. Most the kids are in my cal-de-sac, but a couple of my friends live down below. My neighborhood is full of kids. We have kids of all ages, but most consist of people around my age. There were thirty-two kids in my neighborhood around my age. I guess we’re down to thirty one now because Cody ended up moving last year. I feel bad for the old couple that moved in first, thinking the neighborhood would be a retirement neighborhood. There were fifteen of us that most commonly were together, or with someone for out “group.” When we were younger, we would all spend hours upon hours running around the neighborhood, chasing each other; playing game like cops and robber, white wolf, ghost in the graveyard, bulldozer, sardines, and ollie-ollie-oxen-free. However, everyone’s all-time-favorite was capture the flag. We would spend hour after hour after hour after hour playing, and we would never get bored of it. It was always at the same place, the same time, the same people, and it never got old. As everyone got older, we all started to drift. We weren’t seen as often outside hanging out together. We all had different friends, different sports, different activities, different “priorities.” Almost all of us are in high school now, and most of us seem to have reconnected with each other. Good thing too, because I really love my neighborhood.

The Positives High school. For most people, especially freshmen, it’s a scary thing, even to hear. To me it’s just another experience, a new adventure, another thing that I will learn from whether it be good or bad. It’s just a new beginning with the same people I’ve known for many years. But there are also new people to meet, new things to try, new friendships to begin, and some to end. It’s all one big mess; one big mess you have to figure out one way or another. There are going to be times when everything just is flat out hard, frustrating, and annoying. When the better times come, you will realized everything was worth it. Sometimes things don’t turn out as planned, and that’s okay, too. Some of the best things turn out unplanned. You see different people and some people, without even realizing it, can have a bigger effect on you; an effect you never saw coming. One you never expected. They might not know it, you might not know it now, but it’s simply amazing what little things can do. My freshmen year is just over half way done and I have learned so many things. I am going to make mistakes. I am going to mess up. I am going to do some things really well, and some things pretty badly. I’ll find new interests, new friends, new sports, new activities, new experiences but they all make up me. To me though, that’s why it’s all positive. It creates me. It makes me who I am and it helps me find myself. So, to me all of school in general is a positive experience, every part of it. Sometimes it might just take awhile to realize.

When Someone Got in Trouble It was just a football. It wasn’t intended to hit me. It was no big deal to me. It just hurt, that’s all. I was just a itty-bitty second grader. I looked up for all of three seconds and the next thing I knew I was howling like a wolf and blood was rushing out of my nose! I didn’t know what to do. I was so confused. It was a big injury to a little girly child like me. Blood was everywhere. Ew! The aids finally come over to me to find out what had happened to my face, and why I was bleeding. Naturally, two little boys were throwing the ball around. It was a typical recess for anyone. Of course, being second graders, they didn’t have very explicit aim. Therefore the ball bouncing off my face and the blood running from my nose. As I was slowly walked inside, I saw the boy who had thrown the ball getting hollered continuously at. The thing was, he hadn’t even done anything had I could think of, just playing some catch. While I settled in the nurse’s office waiting for the bleeding to stop he had the honorable privilege of having the dreadful chat with principle every kid had nightmares about. I never knew what happened to him. He was a kid that was only there for a week or two and then had to move away soon. When I was little I always felt extremely guilty about it, but now I find it rather kind of funny how much I freaked out about it, but it still sticks in my mind when I think of someone getting in trouble.

The Wisconsin Life Oh look it is snowing. And snowing. And snowing. And snowing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand new. It glistens so bright against the rest of the cold world. So beautiful at first, but it does get old. It gets to be to much. It seems to never end; the harsh winter days and nights. The wind pierces my skin. Piles upon piles upon piles of snow. Will it ever end I wonder as I wait for the snow to melt away. It is winter. Oh look the snow is almost away and away and away. I spot small piles of snow hide around the ground. Unit one day it gets up and leaves. That it is a happy day, such a happy day. Drip drop, drip drop. The rain falls down. The flowers bloom. The bees buzz. The Earth is beginning to come alive once again. After the long winter months, it is spring. Oh it is so hot. Oh so hot. So hot. So hot. The sun shines its brilliant rays down to the ground. No school, and it feels to me as though I am free. No early mornings, just late nights. Sunscreen and swimsuits. Campfires and conversations. Fun and friends. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want it to ever end. It is summer. Oh the leaves are so pretty. Oh so pretty. So pretty. The leaves change colors. There presence sad but refreshing. Back on the bus we go. It is time for another year, a new start. The same people, the same thing, just different this time around. New surroundings. A new beginning. It is fall. 13

The Big Game BEEP. It was the end of the fourth quarter. The games was tied 35-35, which meant we were headed to over time. So much was going on. The fans filled the gym whooping and whistling. Almost every single on of them wearing pink. Our jerseys white with pink writing, opposite of Westbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jerseys that were pink with white writing. The reasoning behind it was to raise money for breast cancer, everyone in that gym was coming together to help find a cure. It was a Senior Exit Project one of my team mates had worked so hard on. It was tough though. It was stressful. It was emotional. It was physical. It had been a long time coming. In to over time we went, and unfortunately Westby had scored the first points in four minutes we had to play in over time. Our team kept playing hard. There was no way were going to just give up an opportunity to win, and even better, a chance to fight for the conference title in later games, but only if we were to win this one. The most we could do at this point was focus on this game, and give it everything we had. A minute thirty was left and one of our players fouled out. It was me who went in. Me who got to help finish the game with my other team mates out on the court. Me who took the three point shot to put us ahead. Me who drained my free throws. It was us who retrieved the last rebound of the game to secure the victory. It was us who had won the game. Together. One team. We had did. We had won the game. The crowd went wild. The student section raced rapidly down onto the court to celebrate with our team. It was an incredible experience. It was an unforgettable moment for everyone in that gym. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trade that memory for anything in the world.