Memories can’t be taken away or given as a gift. Memories are one of the only things you can truly call yours. They are locked up inside your brain and some of those memories come out in emotions or feelings. In my memoir you will see two very important memories that were milestones in my young life. Both were firsts for me that made me feel very proud.

It was a cold, wet and rainy morning in Albany, Wyoming. At around 6:00 am, hearing them stirring about the cabin.
My dad told me to “get up get dressed we're late” and so I did.

We were out of the cabin by 6:30 am.

We drove up to Lake Owens on our atvs. Lake Owens is a beautiful lake with tall pines all around it. When we arrived at the lake, it started to rain again, so we put on our rain gear, grabbed the fishing poles and started to fish. My dad caught the first fish; he used a live worm to catch it. Then my grandpa got one. I was the only one who hadn’t caught a fish yet. I had never caught a fish before and was very excited. I waited and waited. I was still sitting in the rain when I finally felt a vibration at the tip of my pole. The line was shaking.

My dad yelled “reel it in”.

I was very happy that I had finally caught one. My Grandpa took pictures.
My grandpa told me “don't let go of your memories”

After they congratulated me on my fine catch, we had to let it go. My dad showed me how to get the hook out of the fish’s mouth without killing it. It was slippery and slimy. It felt like a bar of soap that has been left in the water too long. I successfully got the hook out and watched it swim away. I was very proud of myself. It was a great experience and a favorite memory of mine.

The next memory I am going to tell you about is when I got my first Citizenship Award. I was in the fourth grade; I had been waiting all week to find out if I had got any awards other than perfect attendance, which I have got almost every semester since kindergarten. My teacher, Ms.Corder told us “I will not be there in the afternoon”. She was going to tell us before she left for the day, who got the Citizenship awards. When she called out the first name, I could not believe it was me. I was surprised, and really proud. It made me feel great about myself. Later when we were in front of the parents and other classmates, I was really excited and couldn’t wait to hear my name is called. Although my parents couldn’t be in the audience that day, they both were so very proud of me. My mom bragged to her coworkers and my dad hung up my award on my wall. I have gone on to earn the Citizenship award every year since then. I have never forgotten that first one though, and how proud I it made me feel.

I have had a lot of firsts in my life, but these are two of my favorites. Both memories bring up feelings of pride and accomplishment. I look forward to experiencing new things in life that will give me new memories to look back on and share.