“Call Mrs. Smith Tuesday.” “Pick up brakes for Kelly’s car.” “Check out job in Pea Ridge Wednesday.” “Bills due soon!” Loads and loads of paperwork, paint, tools, and receipts fill my dad’s Ford pickup. He’s a contractor, and a very good one I might add. Although dad’s truck looks like a tornado has ravaged through it about a dozen times, there is a neat stack of post it notes on a pad stuck to the dashboard. This is what he likes to call his “memory stack.” No one would ever guess his amount of professionalism based on his clunker of a truck. But more on the junk truck later.
“I like to write everything on those blue post its,” my dad told me as he was folding laundry the other day. “It helps me to remember everything. And before I go to bed every night, I plan the next day, every hour, so I know exactly what I’m doing. Just as long as I get everything done on time, I’m fine. As long as everything is done right, done well, and done on time, that’s all I care about.”
My interview with dad was continuously interrupted by him watching game clips on Sportscenter, but I can’t blame him. ESPN is much more entertaining. “What do you mean my truck’s dirty? Who cares?” he suddenly asked. “I have more important things to worry about than that thing! There is so much to be done and only 24 hours to do it in. If you don’t manage time, nothing will ever get finished. And cleaning the truck is not at the top of my list.”
He’s right. His work isn’t based on that truck. My dad is such a perfectionist when it comes to carpentry. I guess cleaning his truck isn’t his forte. I do like to joke about the truck a lot. The cracks in the seats are filled with cracker, chip, cookie, and doughnut crumbs, there are paint sticks, receipts, and empty coffee cups in the floor board, jackets that desperately need ironing are wadded behind the seat, half a statement book’s pages are ripped out and stuffed in various places, plus calculators, napkins, empty food bags, and tools are thrown everywhere. Like I said, you’d never guess how professional he is based on the Ford. “The truck gets me to my job and carries my tools. That’s all it needs to do.”
When I asked daddy about multi-tasking in his job, he said the hardest thing was to keep the job flowing. “With construction, there are all sorts of people doing all sorts of different things, and it all has to be organized. Plus, there are certain time frames that you just have to follow. That’s why it’s important to be able to manage time well.” Luckily there are certain perks that come with a construction job. If you have to paint outside and it rains, you get a free day to catch up on other things. This helps dad’s stress level drop. “I don’t try to dwell over any problems. If a problem arises, you deal with it as it arises. But if all else fails, golf really relieves my stress.”
I know my dad is a busy man. Not only does he work as a contractor, he also cooks dinner, folds the laundry, sweeps the floor, dusts the furniture, and he drives me and mom everywhere. Sure, he doesn’t stress over the same problems women do, but he does do enough to keep himself busy, and he does it in a very timely and professional fashion. The best example are those funny blue post it notes.
“Life would be so much easier if everyone took time to do something for them self, something special, whether sitting in front of the TV one evening, or even buying a candy bar,” my dad brilliantly explained. “Just something for you. Your attitude will be a whole lot better if you do.” I couldn’t agree more.
I’m so lucky I have my dad as a role model. George Washington Carver once said, “When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” I think my dad has done just that.

Stress- (Since the beginning of time-now; will never die completely, just die with each person eventually). Stress went up to be with the Lord yesterday. It will not be missed however. Stress was everywhere and loved to annoy the people it was around. Everyone hated it. It passed away yesterday afternoon when it’s master retired from work, propped up his feet on the sofa, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled. Stress was a member of Divorce Rate Increase, the Nervous Breakdown Club, and Psychological Disorders Anonymous, among other things. It was preceded in death by hatred, despair, cynicism, and bitterness. Funeral services will take place at Things We Don’t Want But Have Mortuary Friday afternoon at 2:00.

A high school senior’s typical day probably includes parties, sports, and thinking about the opposite sex. However, I was not a typical high school senior. I had no desire to go partying, shopping, or do anything else other teen-agers would find exciting. I loved extra-curricular work. Not only did it keep me occupied, but it has lead me to a more well-rounded life. I have always been involved, but never to the degree that I was my senior year. I have always been a good kid. My parents taught me well. As a lonely underclassman, I was very shy and quiet, but when I reached upperclassmen status, I decided to take charge. My involvement last year has taught me responsibility, leadership, and organizational skills.
Unlike most of my generation, I was burdened with heavy responsibilities. Not just responsibilities like graduating high school and working 15 hours a week. I juggled being president of Key Club, vice president of Spanish Honorary, secretary of National Honor Society, treasurer of Interact, captain of the varsity tennis team, and maintaining a 4.0+ grade point average, among other things. Now, I’m not saying that I’m Superwoman. I’m just saying that I was one busy little girl.
A typical day would start around 5:45 A.M. I had probably gotten six hours of sleep or less that night because I was usually up late typing reports or worrying about the next Key Club activity. After taking a quick shower and grabbing some food on the run, I was heading toward wonderful Cabell Midland High School. While walking through the concourse, I would hear the normal, useless conversations like “Oh gosh, can you believe she did that?” and “Those shoes are so cute!” Although I found this amusing, I kept walking because I knew I had more important things to do, like attend class. First I went to boring English where the teacher would constantly treat us as if we had the reading comprehension of a five-year-old. My television class was my favorite. While most of the class watched Spongebob Squarepants or played “Link 4” on the computer, I would go to Mr. Jenkins’ room. Mr. Jenkins was the hardest working teacher I know and was also our Key Club adviser. I would spend countless hours in his room making phone calls, filling out reports, and setting up our next projects.
After a short break for lunch was show choir. Our group, the Singsations, spent every day singing and dancing our hearts out. We would spend all period swing dancing and sweating to songs like “Down at Poco Loco’s.” After an hour and a half of jumping and jiving, I was exhausted. Although it was grueling, show choir was something I loved very much because I have been singing since I can remember. I was honored to be part of this group, and even more excited to be a soloist. I always seemed to worm my way out of going to my last two classes. Instead, I would go to Mr. Jenkins’ room for more Key Club work.
Every Thursday after school, I would host the weekly Key Club meeting. For 30 minutes we would discuss the week’s activities, sign up for projects, and think of fundraising ideas. The Cabell Midland Key Club was amazing. We made such an impact on our school, community, and state. We participated in projects to benefit the elderly and homeless, and raised money for children. We completed over 4,000 hours of community service and raised over $6,000 for charities such as Children’s Miracle Network, Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and the September 11th Fund. Because we were so busy, my senior year revolved around Key Club. The friends that I made and the joy I got by helping others made this club so special.
After Key Club, I hurriedly changed clothes and raced to the tennis courts lined beside the school. The team would either have practice for two hours or a match. Practices consisted of five minute stretching, 20 minutes of running or the occasional game of “Suicide,” and agility drills. After conditioning we would play practice matches. Practices were long for me because not only did I play singles, I also excelled in doubles. All the work paid off because I was state runner up in both.
Following tennis and a quick dinner, I would drive to the Ponderosa Steakhouse on Route 60 for the Kiwanis meeting. The East Huntington Kiwanis Club sponsored the Key Club. As President, it was my duty to attend the meetings. Both the Key Club and Kiwanis Club would coordinate joint projects such as the veteran’s dinner and the Pancake Festival. I have and will continue to attend every Kiwanis meeting I can. The gentlemen are great and so wonderful to talk to. They are willing to share a story about the good old days, a joke, or a song.
Finally, by 8:30, I would be lying on my bed writing essays, studying for tests, or translating Spanish. In a few hours, I would nestle underneath my warm comforter and start the whole process over again. Although my week was hectic, it was nothing compared to my weekends!
I realize the importance of being well-rounded, and although some people consider what I do remarkable, it is nothing extraordinary. Because of my extra-curricular involvement, I think I have become a better person. Everything I have done has broadened my horizons, opened me up to more opportunities, and made me a stronger leader. I am definitely a “go-getter” and hopefully because of my attitude and determination now, I will be successful in the future.