Page 126 - Unforgettable Memories in Life_Neat

124 The Unforgettable Moments in Life

All Grown Up

by Leilani Newman

When Mrs. Elzer was younger,

she was a very happy kid. She loved doing things outside. She liked to play basketball and jump

rope and take long walks. She grew up in a small town in central Arkansas with all the sights and

smells of dogwoods and the trees that would bloom pink or white. It was so amazing to her to see

the dogwood trees bloom. She was always outside. She never liked being inside. She loved the

outside so much that she would walk outside with her friends. The grass would get so dry

because of all the sun and all the heat that you could hear crunching as you walked over it. The

grass was crunchy beneath her shoes and her flip-flops.

She loved all the sights and how the outside smelled. The air was as fresh as washed

clothes. She walked for hours and hours every day. Sometimes she would play basketball with

her friends at the gym. The coach would open the gym, and anyone who wanted to come up and

play could just shoot around you and play pick-up games. They always enjoyed that but their

coach took a week off every summer. She also loved to jump rope and have races with her friend.

She was always the winner when she jumped rope. She had a few jump rope games, but they

would get bored of them sometimes.

Mrs. Elzer looks back on her childhood fondly because back then people were friends

with each other. People that were older than you were friends with people that were younger than

you. Everyone had a huge sense of community. It was a fun, safe, and good place to grow up.

I love the hometown where she grew up.