Where in the world am I?

"You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?"

-Robert Louis Stevenson

"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

I love these two quotes! The reason is because of what I have come to learn since late August of 2011. You ask what is I have learned? Well, I will tell you! I have learned to stand up for three major things. These things are the people you love and care about, your beliefs, and yourself! Do not just stand around and let people down grade or harass the ones you love or yourself. Also do not let them push you around because of your beliefs. If you truly believe in something then stand up and fight for it. Do not let others tear you down no matter what is said.

            I am from this little town of Aurora, Nebraska. I love my home town, but I'm not sure as to if I shall stay here forever. I have lived here for most of my life. There are so many memories in this lovely town. I could not imagine living anywhere else! I know that I say that now, but who knows! Maybe in the future I will end up moving away to a bigger town, smaller town, or even to another state. Only time will tell.

As for now, I shall stay right where I am and keep living my wonderful life in this small town. I have come from a family of responsible, caring, and support family on one side and the other side... let's just not go there. :) On my mother's side I have my Uncle Jason, Aunt Jana, Jana's husband Aaron, and my Aunt Lori who has passed on. Jana and Aaron are going to be having a baby boy named Levi in January of 2013. Lori has two kids, Kenzie and Silis, and my mother has my little brother Adam and I. I have learned so much from my mother's side of the family. They have taught me to be responsible, a good worker, independent, and many more things. They have always been there to help me out and give me a shoulder to cry on when one is needed, half the time my Grandma is right there with me crying if it is over a certain topic that has affected us all very deeply.

I come from a big family on the other side. I have three uncles who married three women who I am glad to call aunts. They all have children and if you count it up including my brother Adam and my two half-brothers, Ethan and Micah, then there are a lot of us grandchildren. If you add it up there are exactly thirteen of us. I may not see them as much as I would like but they are family and I do love them with all of my heart, and this goes for both sides no matter who they are.

My mother and her three siblings had moved a lot when they were growing up, and I was lucky enough to have a mother who wasn't willing to move everywhere no matter what. She wanted my little brother and I to have a stable life, and that is exactly how I grew up. My life and where I am is very stable, and I appreciate it more than you could image. I could not imagine moving and switching schools. It frightens me to even think about it. Sure I like change, but not THAT much change.

I may not come from the perfect life. I may not have lived the lifestyle that I dreamed of having when I was a lot younger and I know that I am nowhere near perfect, but I do know exactly who I am, where I am, and where I stand. I will forever refuse to let people tell me otherwise.  I may not be muscle strong and I do have my weaknesses, but I will always fight for what I believe is right. I will fight for the ones I care about and I will not stand around and let other people knock me down; for I am a strong willed and a strong minded woman.  I have learned a lot from the place and family that I have came from and these lessons will stay with me forever until the day I die.

Home

This is a picture of my mom, Adam, and I!

In the back is obviously me, and then that would be my Uncle Jason next to me.

In the front from left to right is my mom, Kenzie, Silis, and Adam.

State

Community

School

Who Am I?

        Who Am I? This is a question that everybody asks me. It is also a question that I have been asking myself a lot these past three and a half years. I am pretty sure that at some point in your life you either have or will also ask yourself this very important question. My English teacher, Dr. English, has been helping my class to find out the answer to this question, and we have done some really neat activities, such as our deep maps and family traditions, to discover ourselves.

        Well to start off, my name is Allissa Ann Buller, my mother is Lisa Arlene (Sautter) Buller and my father is Matthew James Buller. My parents are divorced, but my dad has remarried, and together he and my stepmother have had two little boys and their names are Ethan and Micah. I have another brother whose name is Adam, and we have the same parents. I live with my mother and Adam here in Aurora, Nebraska; we have lived in the same house ever since Adam was born. My dad, stepmother, and my two youngest brothers are now living in McPherson, Kansas. They move around because of my dad's construction company which he use to own, but now he is working for one of his best friends and their construction company.

        Back to who I am. I am a senior in high school, I do not let what other people think of me get me down, I try to stay away from people who bring me down, I may not always show it but I have a big heart and I cannot stand seeing my friends get pushed around and bullied, I work at the Love's truck stop just outside of Aurora on the Arby's side of the building, and I am captain of the girls bowling team. My friends and family mean the world to me. I love going out and spending time with friends and having fun, but I also really enjoy spending time with the family and playing our crazy card games that are a big part of our family holiday get-togethers.  I am a very hard worker and many people would call me a workaholic, but I really do enjoy my job no matter what I may say about it on the bad days that I have every once in a while and this is because I enjoy being with my fellow co-workers.

        I love to cook and make different recipes. I am very determined in becoming a chef and owning my very own catering business. It is my dream to become a chef and so I am planning to pursue this dream once I graduate high school in May of 2013 by attending Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and earn an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and Management. I am also hoping to gain another associates degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Leadership to get me get informed on how to run my own catering business.

        I have been through a lot since my freshman year, like many others who will be graduating with me in May of 2013. All of the things that have happened to me have shaped the person that I am today. The people in my life have also played a huge role in who I am to this very day, and some of these people include my mom, my grandparents, aunt Lori, uncle Jason, aunt Jana, uncle Aaron, Derek, and many other members of my family. My teachers and employers have also made a gigantic difference in my life.

        I wouldn't say that I am extremely involved, but I do try to get involved as much as possible. I am a current member of the FFA, as I have stated before I am captain of the girl’s high school bowling team, and I try to help out whenever possible at the Super Bowl bowling alley in Grand Island, Nebraska. Working out at a truck stop that is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and is even open on holidays makes it quite difficult to participate as much as I would like to.

        I try to work as many hours as I can without it getting in the way of bowling and school. The reason for this is because, unlike most teenagers, I have a car loan to pay for, insurance, a cell phone, and many other things that I must pay for all on my own. The reason why I have to pay for all of these things on my own is because it is my mom's way of teaching me to be responsible and to have at least a little be of experience as to what living on my own would be like without all the house payments and other bills that adults must pay.

        Who am I? I think I have finally answered my own question, of course with the help from my teacher, Dr. English. Well that is it for now, but I hope that by reading this you have a better idea of what kind of person I am.

Life Soundtrack

Deep Map

This is the unfinished version of my deep map.

Deep Map 2

Here is the finished product of my deep map.

Traditions

Our biggest tradition on my mom's side of the family is that we get together on all the major holidays and we eat and play cards.