I am from flat basketballs and solid volleyballs
From beachy scented candles and diet coke bottles
I am from the dark hard wood floors and tall ceilings
Comfy sectionals and a hyper lab puppy
I am from the pretty pink flowers that line the staircase in my front yard
The tall oak trees whose long limbs I remember like I saw them yesterday.

I’m from the Sunday Night Football that lights up my kitchen
And from the secret Santa drawings that happen every year on Thanksgiving night
From hilarious cousins that make me laugh so hard I have to try hard to catch my breath
And awesome aunts and uncles
I’m from pink bubble gum and family dinners on weekdays
And from wet hair dripping on the cement after a long swim.

I’m from “calm down” and “be nicer to your brother”
And “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”~Eleanor Roosevelt
I’m from Dance Moms and American Idol
I’m from Des Moines and Austria.

Microwaveable meals and Ice Cream
From going through my Moms High School yearbooks
Looking her glamorous prom pictures imagining what mine will look like
All of this information was fished out the endless brown boxes that line the storage room.

I am from these moments..
That shape me into who I am today.