The Laybolt Family
Story of my Life:
I was born on April 16th, 1998 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital weighing nine pounds one ounce at birth. My father was ecstatic he now had a baby girl and instantly nicknamed me Turk. To this day my parents call me this and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
When I was three and a half years old I was in the field working with Dad. He was a potato farmer at the time. My little sister was exactly two weeks old. Dad got out of the tractor to kick some weeds out of harvester and he didn’t bother turning everything off because he was so used to doing this. As he was trying to fix this, his foot got caught and
both of his legs were pulled into the harvester up to his knees. I was absolutely mortified and still remember this accident like it was yesterday; I got
out of the tractor and started screaming my head off. The next thing I remember is my Poppy coming to my rescue and taking me home. To this day Dad still has problems with the circulation in his legs.
Some of the earliest childhood experiences I remember are always going to Rainbow Valley with my family. These memories are important to me because they include me with my grandfather who is no longer here. After someone is gone, the only thing you can do is rely on memories and I’m glad I have some. I remember when they closed Rainbow Valley and everyone was upset. Family gatherings were another experience
that is fun to look back on. All the children and grandchildren would all gather in Nanny and Poppy’s house for holidays and celebrations. All I remember from this was everyone got along and we were all happy.
A time of pain was when I lost Poppy on May 8, 2009. After I experienced the wake and funeral of my grandfather, I knew I would be affected forever. I never opened up to anyone about the emotions I hold inside. To this day if someone asks me about him; it still digs up all the pain and emotions I have yet to embrace.
Eight years ago we went to pick out a chocolate brown puppy. I didn’t think I’d fall in love with a dog the way I did when we got Zoey. No matter what my sister and I did to her, she didn’t care. She’s my best friend and she’s always there for me when I’m upset. Even though she may think she’s intimidating, the worst thing she’d do is lick you to death.
When I was in Grade Five there was
talk about the school district shutting down smaller schools for obvious reasons. The decision was made and the changes were going to apply the following year. At first I was not impressed about two other schools coming to mine but I quickly realized it wasn’t going to be that bad. I had more people to become friends with. The two people I instantly clicked with were Shelbie McQuaid and Katie Cleveland. After our friendships grew I couldn’t piece together why I was so against this change. I am happy that the school board made this huge decision because I may not have formed those friendships as strong as I did if we met later on in high school.
each season doesn't interfere with the other,
I’ve been playing sports practically all my life and it is something I take very seriously. I have two main sports that fit perfectly together; softball and basketball. Softball starts around May and lasts until September and the basketball seasons starts in November and lasts until March. These are two of my favorite sports and the timing for
that’s something I really like. I don’t have to worry about anything while I’m out on the court or the ball field; I totally clear my mind. The only thing I have to focus on is putting my heart and soul into every practice or game.
My education is absolutely crucial to me because it is something I need to excel in. I’ve been going to school since I was five and I have quickly learned that teachers shouldn’t change how good you do in a class or even the classes you choose. Even though my expectations are high, it is still important to make sure you balance a social life into the situation.
The first time I ever left the Maritimes was when I took a trip to Toronto. When I was there my family and I went to the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, Marine Land, and the Toronto Zoo. I was absolutely astonished by the huge city; I loved the hustle and bustle of everything. Doing the mayor tourist attractions was fun, even though it was dreadfully hot. When I was at the CN Tower, I got the opportunity to visit every level. I didn’t hold back on anything I wanted to do because you never know when you may get the chance to go back to these places.
In March 2014, I jumped on a plane and flew down to the Caribbean. I went to Varadero, Cuba. This was the first time I left Canada and it was amazing. Flying in and seeing the perfect blue water and white sand was something I have never seen before and it was a good way to start my trip. Going to a third-world country is extremely eye-opening. On the way to our resort they are constantly explaining their country and situations to you and I learned a lot from witnessing this. After two
days it wasn’t hard to fall into the flow of how this type of vacation works. I had no problem with eating, swimming, and lying around all day. When we were in Cuba we went on one excursion; to swim with the dolphins. We went out into the middle of the ocean where they had a place set up to swim with these incredible mammals. I got to go for a ride holding onto their fins, I received kisses from the dolphins, and also got to give them kisses. Just when I thought the excitement was over the instructor asked for a maximum of ten people who could partake in something extra if they were willing to. I volunteered to be one of these people. I got to ride up in the air on two dolphins noses; this was an incredible experience that still gives me goose bumps.
On April 17th, 2014 I wrote my beginners test to get my license. I thought this was a huge day until January 17th, 2015 came along. On this day I took my road test, and passed.
I got so worked up over this and it was easier than easy.
Getting a license is a big deal in most people's lives because it's a huge step to freedom. Yesterday after I passed my test, I was absolutely ecstatic.
