! Ali Servais 1

Table of Contents

..........................................................................................................................My Name! 3

...................................................................................................Special Family Members! 4

...............................................................................................................Life in Wisconsin! 5

.................................................................................................................Special Holiday ! 6

.............................................................................................................My Neighborhood! 7

......................................................................Games and Favorite Toys From Childhood! 8

...............................................................................................................Special Birthday ! 9

.......................................................................................................Washington DC Trip ! 10

......................................................................................................................Babysitting! 11

................................................................................................................Freshman Year! 12

! Ali Servais 2

My Name! My name came about several hours after I was born. My mom was still unconscious from having an emergency C-section to deliver my twin sister and I. The nurses had been asking my dad for our names several times but he refused to name us until my mom had woken up, so my sister and I remained baby A and baby B for almost a whole day. “So tiny like footballs”, my dad called us, as he would carry both of us each in one of his fore arms. My parents knew they were having twins but knowing our family history were certain they would have at least one boy, so they only had only one girl name chosen. The name they had chosen previous to us being born was Samantha which they gave to my sister her being born first. When my mom had woken up her and my dad looked in the baby name book at the hospital trying to figure out a name for me. They turned to the A section, it being the first one, and came across the name Alison which my mom and dad decided on. I like my name but I feel my full name Alison is too formal for me so I like to be called Ali, and sometimes my close family calls me Al. ! My name means being truthful and noble. I think that describes me because I try to be honest and I’m noble because I’m always there for my friends and family when they need me. I’m usually the person most of my friends call when they need help or advice on something. Alison also means someone of kind nature which I think also describes me because I try to help people as much as I can and be nice to everyone. I think my name fits me because it is simple and my nickname Ali is small like me.

! Ali Servais 3

Special Family Member

SisterFunny, Smart

Dancing, Laughing, SmilingAlways makes me laugh.

Twin

MomSmart, Strong

Helping, Caring, SmilingAlways there for me.

Role Model

! Ali Servais 4

Life in Wisconsin! I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life and for the most part really like it. I like having all the space and room to be outdoors, but also having pretty close access to bigger cities. Wisconsin also has a lot of lakes and rivers and I love to go boating, swimming, tubing, and water skiing in the summer. Another good thing about living in Wisconsin is the weather we get to experience all of the seasons. We get to enjoy the warm weather and sun in the summer and the snow and cold in the winter. I like snow and winter so I don’t mind the cold weather but I do like the warm summers a little more.! One of my favorite things about Wisconsin is the love for sports. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go to baseball games and watch baseball. I grew up around baseball and it is by far my families favorite sport and we look forward to it every year. I not only like to go to Brewer’s games I also enjoyed going to La Crosse Logger games last summer when my cousin played. It was so fun going on the field after the loggers won the championship. I will never forget when the Packers won the Super Bowl two years ago. It was such a fun game and having a winning team is always exciting. I also enjoy watching the Badgers in football and basketball. I guess you could say I am a die hard Wisconsin sports fan. ! I love living in Wisconsin and I think it’s a great place to grow up. I’m a cheesehead and proud of it!

! Ali Servais 5

Special Holiday ! Walking into the cool crisp air, seeing the sparkling white snow on the ground, and the twinkling lights strung on roof tops lets me know Christmas isn’t far away. Christmas time and basically the whole month of December is my favorite time of the year. Everyone is running around like busy bees trying to get everything ready for the holidays. I love the chaos and hard work that goes into shopping and planning for christmas. I think it gives me something to do and I like picking out the perfect gift for my friends and family. Christmas time is a time to be with family and friends I love my family and I can’t wait to see them all on Christmas. It can be crazy when we all get together but I love it and wouldn’t trade anything for it. For me Christmas isn’t all about the gifts its about spending the time with your family and making special memories. ! Another thing that is special about christmas time is family traditions. One of my favorite family tradition is baking Norwegian christmas cookies with my family. My mom learned how to make them from her mom and I’m learning the recipes from her. I also just love food around the holiday season in general. I can never have too much of my grandma’s cooking and her wonderful christmas desserts. ! For me Christmas in a time to be with family and friends. I also think Christmas is a time to remember family traditions and what Christmas is really about.

! Ali Servais 6

My Neighborhood

In my neighborhoodNestled behind a farm field

Calm,in the country

In my neighborhoodKids playing all the time

lots of room, big

In my neighborhoodBeautiful when the snow falls

Sparkling roof tops

! Ali Servais 7

Games and Favorite Toys from Childhood! My favorite game as a child was anything using my imagination. My favorite game to play with my sister and friends was house. Before my basement was finished at my house my sister and I set up our own little house to play with in the basement. We would spend hours in our basement rearranging the furniture and playing lots of different games of house. We had probably every doll you could imagine and even set up a little nursery for them. When we played down stairs it was like we were in our own world and would lose track of time. We could play for hours using our imaginations we rarely got bored always thinking of new games. ! I also liked to play outside with our neighbors. From the time we moved into our house at the age of 5 until 4th grade 2 boys lived next to us. One was a year older than Sam and I the other was 2 years younger. They were our best friends and we spent almost every day together. In the summer we would play together sun up until sun down even taking turns eating at each other’s houses. We would have bike races, play pirates and adventurers on the swing set, have water fights, go swimming, have popsicle eating contests, and much much more. I loved using my imagination when I was younger and still do. These memories were a great time in my life and will never be forgotten.

! Ali Servais 8

A Special Birthday! A special birthday for me was my 9th birthday because as part of my birthday present my parents took my sister and I to Walt Disney World. About 2 months before our birthday, which is November 24, our parents told us about our big trip we would be taking in October for our 9th birthday. They sat us down in the living room and told us that they wanted to give us a present, being eight we didn’t really question this and opened the wrapped boxes with excitement. Inside the present lay a disney travel book and a note from our parents. I read the note excitement building inside of me I looked at my sister waiting for her to finish reading. We both jumped up and hugged our parents we were so excited to be going to Disney World for the first time. Soon after my parents told us about the trip I found out that one of my best friends at the time, Sammy Peterson, was also going to Disney World that fall and would be there around the same time I was and we were beyond thrilled. ! When the day had finally arrived sometime in the end of October we got on our flight and were ready for the adventure. The first night I got there my family and Sammy’s family got to eat dinner together at a Japanese restaurant in Epcot we had lot’s of fun and thought it was very cool how they cooked in front of us. We loved Disney and thought it was especially cool to be there over halloween and get to trick or treat around the park. I also enjoyed seeing one of my friends there and getting to spend time with her My sister and I loved going on rides and especially the warm weather. This birthday present was very special to me and one of my favorite vacations I have been on. It will always be a very special memory in my childhood.

! Ali Servais 9

Washington DC Trip! One of my favorite memories from school was our class trip to Washington DC in 8th grade. We not only looked at sights in Washington DC we also went to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was fun to be with all of my classmates and teachers having a good time. The bus ride felt like forever but it was worth it because we all had a great time. Mrs. Sawyer was my chaperone for the trip and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. Mrs. Sawyer was my A/A “Mom” so she knew me really well and she is just an amazing teacher. My partner for the trip was Maya she is one of my best friends which made the trip even better. ! In Cleveland, Ohio we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a lot of fun and really interesting to learn about all of the past and present musicians. The weather was beautiful there and the museum was right on the lake. The next place we went was Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The tour was one of my favorite things about the trip I love learning about history so I enjoyed it very much. Finally the main part of trip was spent in Washington DC. My favorite part of the trip was going to the White House because it is such an important part of history and so many important people have stepped foot in that building. On the last day we went to six flags. I loved riding all the rides and having fun with my friends.

! Ali Servais 10

Babysitting! The only job I have right now is babysitting for family, friends, and neighbors. I love working with kids which is why I love to babysit. Babysitting is a very important job and a big responsibility, but it is also really fun. I’ve always liked working with kids and fell very comfortable working with them its almost like it comes naturally to me. ! Before I started babysitting I would help take care of my cousins and family friends kids. I’ve been babysitting since I was 12. Babysitting isn’t all about making money for me its about being with children and doing something I really like. One of my favorite kids to babysit are my cousins Teagen, Lucy, and Karis. Teagen is 7, Lucy is 5, and Karis is 2 months old. They are so sweet and look up to my sister and I and are very close to us. One of my favorite moments when babysitting is holding a baby or child when they are sleeping they are as peaceful as a lake on a calm day. Another thing I like is having movie nights with the kids especially my cousins they love watching movies and snuggling with us. When it is summer I also think its fun to play outside with the children. One of my favorite things is to have a water fight and run through the sprinklers with them. I love working with kids and babysitting is one of my favorite jobs. When I get another job I’m sure I’ll still babysit when I have time because I love doing it.

! Ali Servais 11

Freshman Year! My first year in high school so far has been a very happy time for me. In high school we have a lot more freedoms and more class choices than middle school. I have also met a lot of new people this year that I probably wouldn’t have met. I have also enjoyed doing dance team which is an experience that I didn’t have in middle school. I loved being on dance team and it is my favorite sport. I love all the girls on the team and they have been there for me when I need them. ! I have also met a lot of new people this year including my boyfriend and one of my best friends right now. My boyfriend makes me feel like I’m on top of the world and I don’t what I would do with out him. One of the girls on dance team who is a sophomore has become like a big sister to me and always there when I need her I can go to her about anything and we have a great time whenever we are together. ! Another thing I enjoy about high school are the classes. My favorite class is Spanish which I am looking forward to taking through out my high school career. I also plan on joining Spanish club when I get older. One of my other favorite classes is band. Mr. Kies is and awesome teacher and I love to play music so I enjoy going to that class everyday. I think my first year in high school has been very good so far and I can’t wait to see what else high school has to offer.

! Ali Servais 12