Things That Are Important to Gillian A-Z

Today I'm sharing a writing assignment from my daughter.  Students were asked to write about things that are important to them, describing one thing for each letter of the alphabet.  I think Gillian's choices say much about who she is: creative, observant, sensitive, smart, careful, somewhat literal, and an all around good kid!  Enjoy.


A
Art is very important to me. It’s a way to express myself. During my free time I like to draw whatever I’m thinking about. I love being able to do whatever I want by using art. There are so many ways to express yourself through art. Art is beautiful.

B

       My best friends have a bigger impact on me that my family sometimes. At least it seems that way. My best friends are Kaylee, Sophie, and Allison. We have had so much fun together. Some people might think we’re total nerds but we have more fun together than most people. Sometimes it’s fun to be weird instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks all the time. My best friends are the best!

C
Change is beautiful. The changing of leaves is one of my favorite things to see. Every year my dad and I drive to Mountain Green to look at all the leaves. I love all the different colors. Yellow, orange, red, and sometimes brown. Whenever I see leaves that are that color I think of everything I’ve ever seen that is beautiful, like the ocean. I look forward to the changing of leaves every year.

D
My dad is extremely important in my life. I don’t know what I would do if anything were to happen to him. He’s very funny and makes me smile. My dad supports me through everything and I know he loves me more than any thing. My dad is great, he’s my dad.

E
The ability to eat is important to all of us. Eating food is what we need to survive. I’m thankful that my parents are able to buy me food. Some people hardly even have that. I like to eat when I’m hungry. My favorite type of food is probably Chinese. Thank goodness for good food!

F
My family is great. I have my parents, two sisters, and a brother. The oldest is my sister Ricki. She lives in St.George now. The second oldest is my sister Stacy. Then there’s my brother Dustin. I ‘m the youngest. My oder siblings are really half siblings, but I think of them as whole. They came from my dad’s first marriage so we have a different mom. They’re all married with small children. I love my family more than anything.

G
My grandparents are awesome. My mom’s mom lives in Colorado. We go there at least three times a year. I love her house. My mom’s dad live in Shadow Valley. His house is also very fun. He has a small forest in his yard with a little hammock. Every time I go there I end up falling asleep in it. My dad’s parents are both dead unfortunately. I don’t remember them because they died when I was really little. I love my grandparents and the presents they give me, and I love the treats they have by the front door.

H
Happiness is contagious. I love it when people around me are in a happy mood. It makes me want to be happy. There are many things to be happy about. Happiness is the key to a good life. I think happiness is part of what keeps you healthy. Be happy and you’ll have fun.

I
It’s important to be independent. If all you do is follow everyone else, what’s going to happen when you move out? Then you have to think for yourself, cook for yourself, and live for yourself. It’s best to just start being independent and having your own mind at a young age. If you’re independent people will like you more because you’re not copying them all the time. Independence is important.

J
My Aunt Julie was very special to me. She died by suicide in May 2010. I was camping in Lava Hot springs when I found out she had died. It’s hard for me to understand why she left me on purpose. She had been depressed for a long time.  Julie had beautiful curly hair, and whenever she walked into a room she put a smile on everyone’s face. She was the one I wanted to be with when we drove somewhere. Julie was a great aunt. I will always love her, and I think of her every day.

K
It’s important to be kind to others. I always try my best to be kind to everyone I interact with. When I describe my friends one of the most important qualities they have is kindness. Hopefully, when people describe me they say that I’m a kind person. Being kind to others is important to me because I want to make a good impression on other people.

L
  I have a little black dog named Lucy. She’s black with white on her paws. My mom got her for me as a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to get a dog at all. When I got in the car I saw a little dog bed in the back seat. When I asked my mom what it was for, she lifted up her jacket and there was a little tiny puppy in her lap! I even got to choose her name. I love Lucy.

M
My mom is great. She does everything she can for me and more. She cooks amazing food for me. I like it when she makes poppyseed chicken casserole. She also does laundry and shops with me. My dad’s great too, but no one can do for me what my mom does. She understands me more than anyone, and she always knows what to get me for Christmas. I love my mom.

N
Nature is beautiful. I love to look at the mountains and the moon at night time. I also like when it has just snowed and the streets aren’t plowed yet. Everything is white and beautiful. Nature is important to me because without it there wouldn’t be anything that’s naturally beautiful.

O
It’s important to be outgoing in life. To me childhood is for having fun. I try to enjoy things as much as I can instead of just sitting around watching T.V. all day long. I also like to try new things. I hope when I get older I won’t regret not doing anything. Being outgoing is important to me.

P
Peace is important to me. I don’t like it when people are fighting. It brings tension to a room. I try to make peace as much as I can. Things are so much better when everyone is at peace with each other instead of fighting with each other. Peace is better than war.

Q

I always ask questions when I’m wondering about something. Some people are afraid to ask questions because they’re embarrassed, but I’m not. It’s important to ask questions because if you don’t you will never know. Then you might not ever know the right answer. So just ask a question, and you might get an answer.

R
Staying true to my religion is important to me. In my religion we believe in dressing modestly, no swearing, and staying clean, pure and chaste. I try to set a good example for people who look up to me. I never do any of the things that we shouldn’t do. I read my scriptures often and pray every day. I am a Mormon girl.

S
I love to swim. I’m on the Barracuda swim team. We practice at Ogden High School. My favorite stroke is the freestyle stroke. I also like to dive. To me the way people move with the water like they are one is amazing. I’ve always loved to swim. The swim team is also fun because my friend Kaylee swims with me. I like swim on Fridays the most because we play fun games underwater. Swimming is my favorite sport.

T
Having enough time to do things is important to me. I don’t like to be rushed. Whenever I am rushed to do something I usually do it wrong or forget something. I like to have plenty of time to enjoy things. I eat slow to enjoy my food. That doesn’t mean I’m slow doing everything, but I’m not too fast either. I like to have time to do things right.

U
I think having your own unique personality is crucial. Everyone is unique in their own way. I’m unique because I have a freckle on my ear right where my earring hole is. I also wear glasses. It’s annoying to me when people copy someone else. I like it when people do what they want to do.

V
I love going on vacation. The best one I’ve been on was when I went to Alaska with my dad. We went on a cruise for a week. My favorite thing that we did was whale watching. It’s weird when everyone thinks that Alaska is always cold like Antarctica. I went in July and it was very nice weather the whole time. Alaska is amazing. I love going on vacation.

W
Water is important to me because without it I wouldn’t be able to live. We need water for everything. It’s even inside us. I love the way water is so refreshing and pure. I also like to swim in it. Water is very important.

X
It’s better to live to the extreme than be careful all the time. Sometimes it’s okay to have fun and try new things. It’s also important to express yourself. There are many ways to express yourself. It could be through art, laughter, and many other things. So take a chance and do something a little outside of the box.

Y
I have a yellow lab named Sophie. She is about five months old. Sophie is a big puppy. She weighs about 50 pounds right now and we think she’ll be about 80 pounds. We got her in the parking lot in front of Pet Smart. My mom and I were shopping in a store nearby and saw the puppies. We were shopping for school supplies, but we ended up coming home with a puppy. I love my puppy named Sophie. She’s adorable.

Z
When I was little I loved going to the zoo. I like to look at the giraffes. Especially when there’s a baby one. They are so graceful. I also like to look at the elephants. They’re also very cute. The zoo is a very fun place to go. It’s important to me because of all the fun memories I have from there.