Chapter 6: “High School, the Early Years”

           Throughout all of high school, my passion for music grew and grew. I always carried my iPod and headphones around and if we were in the car for more than twenty minutes, I’d most likely be listening to it. Along with music being a big deal, so was tennis. I played on the freshman team at KC and it had its ups and downs but for the most part I enjoyed it. Coach Phan was a great coach and had a real passion and talent for the game. I met girls that year that I won’t ever forget. Nicole Spooner being one of them. She was a sophomore my freshman year and at first meeting her I thought she was nice and that was that but soon enough we got to know each other and she became one of my best friends. That year I took Photojournalism and a Creative Writing class, they were my favorite classes to be in all year because they both were and still are two of my passions.

            Sophomore year wasn’t too different. I was still on the tennis team, but was on JV that year. That year I met a new friend named Bri. We became best friends extremely fast, and have gone through so much. At times we’d stop talking all together, we had our share of fights, but we came out of them stronger. She is one of the few people that came to know every thing about me. To this day we’re still friends, three years strong. That year I fell in love with Mat Kearney and saw him in concert. 

            Junior year I was still on the tennis team, go figure. At least that year I got on Varsity. Nothing too exciting happened during the school year, but the summer was so much more eventful. In June I went to Union University, in Jackson Tennessee, for a month, completing two college classes in a program called Rising Seniors. I lived in the dorms on campus and went to class every day. It was an experience I’ll never forget. Adventures taken with cousins and memories made that I’ll always cherish. I met my best friend during that time. She wasn’t in the Rising Seniors program, or even in Tennessee. She was back home working and singing her heart out. Caitlin and I have the strongest friendship and it grew from music and things alike, to things unknown, secrets shared and trust sown. I went to church camp that year for the first time since middle school. I met some awesome people that will always stay in my heart. Cassie Tennison was one in particular. We bonded over shared music taste and Dr. Pepper iccees, late night talks and a summer full of laughter.