The Beginning:
This is the start of a story that I want to tell, and at first it may bore
others or seem like a sob story, but I feel more towards the end, if any stick
with it long enough, it will become a story that teaches.
My name is Robert Haggard, and I was born in Ventura, California in late February of '93. So to lots I may seem just a baby, which is a good time to start the story. I intend to keep on writing and keeping this blog as a story of my life and of the people and places that impact me, for better or for worse.
Back to Ventura, I was born, yaddie yaddie yaddah. I have two other siblings, Jessy who is the oldest and my only sister, and Matthew who is my brother. We were all born in the same hospital, and two of us in the same room. Not sure which two because my memory isn't as great as some, at least not in my infancy. So, this is where my story technically begins.
My parents are Mary and Robert, so I am a junior but they decided to make me a second instead. Now, the history with my parents is short lived. I was only a few months old when they got divorced. That isn't really my story, nor do I know all of the details, therefore I can't say much besides that I have been raised by my mother since that day.
Background on my mother. She is an excellent woman, youngest of seven children in her family. The only one to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 16 years old. Then she served her mission in Paris, France from '86-'87. She is a professional genealogist and loves what she does. She was born to Daniel Richard and Mildred Murphy, long ago, but it may feel like yesterday to her. (You know how those blessed with ages get sentimental.) She gave birth to a wise-crack, me.
The first few years of my life were lived in Oxnard, California where we grew up in our quaint "Mobile Home" park, "Kona Kai." There we lived with mom, Jessy, Matt and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa. It was snug with us six living there, but it was a home. Family close by, within shouting distance at all times. This was an ability to yell if needed at one time, but a few years down the road it becomes a reality that there is shouting at all times.
When I was still young, around the age of four, we moved south to a nice little hamlet of Riverside. I thought this town was petite when I lived there, but in more recent journeys to it I now know that it is quite a large town. Memories of here were spent with our dear close friends the Helsper's playing with our lightsabers as we ran around senselessly beating upon one another. Quality bonding time was spent as we whacked each other about. Then there was a pool that we often spent time swimming in, it sounds redundant when I say that... My fondest memory is when they installed a playground within our neighborhood. We were the first to play on it after anxiously waiting those long summer days. I remember that, but in description all I remember is that it was red like unto a firetruck.
I went to a few elementaries here, there was Freemont Elementary and then Mountain View Elementary. I don't remember why we switched schools, but I believe it was closer to my mom's work so it fit in with her schedule better and allowed us to not have to wait around until she got there. There is also the reasoning that at Freemont I was "kidnapped" by my preschool teacher. My mom was running just a wee bit late and my teacher had to catch the bank before it closed, and so without hesitation, she took me with her so that I wouldn't get kidnapped by anyone else... This ideology did not fly with my mom. I remember her being unphased by the situation, which I am hopefully wrong about... I mean, I hope she tried to bite my teacher's head off, who knows nowadays.
After our few short years there in Riverside, we departed for Oxnard again. It was our safety net, and at those ages I don't remember why we moved around exactly. Nevertheless we did, and Oxnard was the next step on the journey. Here is began in first grade, and I didn't really enjoy being the new kid. We also moved back into the grandparent's but this time it was more "abundant" in wildlife. We had our cousins as well as our Aunt and new uncle. So we had eleven at first with another on the way. This party was held in by a four bedroom cardboard shack. I am hoping that that won't offend anyone, but that is exactly how I felt about being in a house on wheels. This is where the headache of my life began, with endless fighting.
Here laid the dominion of my cousins, and their attention seeking attitudes, their fits and outbursts. I am saying this directly from my point of view, and to them I was probably a menace to them and their delicate lives, but I like my version better.
There was one that always needed to be the center of attention, and always threw her temper tantrums in order to accomplish this need. The other, that was just older than I was always mean to me and my brother, belittling us with nicknames and teasing us. He was a bane to my existence in these early years of development. A splinter that began to fester and definitely played a role in emotional trauma. I mean, from a personal vantage point I think I turned out relatively normal, but I have had plenty of people in my life tell me otherwise. That is one of the main reasons that I want to write down my life and pinpoint my shortcomings. Obviously there already have been some, and probably plenty more in my writings as well.
After this time of my life, I moved off to Salt Lake City, Utah at the latter part of my second grade year. I began school in a magical snow covered place, the school was called North Star. I went here for the second and third grades, and this school put me in the Honor Student category... Apparently that is an honor system that means you are "smart," it is either smart or socially inept. At times in my life I felt like both have applied and at others neither. I never wanted to be "smarter" than other people, I had a longing to be in a group or a clique. Throughout my life I never really had a group that was something that defined me or that I fit into. Especially in Southern California where I was the "white-kid" on the block, and I was the tail end of kids hatred and jokes. At that part in my life I definitely felt as though I was socially inept.
Well, in between third and fourth grade and new school opened up just across the street from my church building, this was "Escalante." Escalante was named after a Spanish monk or father of some kind that walked across the land drawing maps and preaching the about church. I don't really remember which church, I am assuming Catholism because I remember hearing about him as well in studies of Spanish Missions throughout California. Growing up in Ventura County California I knew a bit about these since it was a town that was founded by these same Spanish missionaries. I have taken visited it many times to enjoy the beauty of the Mission as well as the lovely view of the palm trees and the ocean from that part of town.
I have a fascination with beauty, history, and the chance to learn more about the world in which we live. Those are things that I am passionate about, but I do not rank them among the most important in my life. I rather enjoy relating these wonderful things with a spiritual side of it all. I feel that I am rather religious, for I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I study the Word of God daily and pray daily, and believe in the power that is in the Holy Ghost. That Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. These things have always been present in my life through all of these events that I am and will be talking about.
This is a rather long entry and so I will end it abruptly. This covers a good chunk of my life, from birth to age ten or so. This will be continued sooner or later in a following entry. If you have read this far, thank you.
My name is Robert Haggard, and I was born in Ventura, California in late February of '93. So to lots I may seem just a baby, which is a good time to start the story. I intend to keep on writing and keeping this blog as a story of my life and of the people and places that impact me, for better or for worse.
Back to Ventura, I was born, yaddie yaddie yaddah. I have two other siblings, Jessy who is the oldest and my only sister, and Matthew who is my brother. We were all born in the same hospital, and two of us in the same room. Not sure which two because my memory isn't as great as some, at least not in my infancy. So, this is where my story technically begins.
My parents are Mary and Robert, so I am a junior but they decided to make me a second instead. Now, the history with my parents is short lived. I was only a few months old when they got divorced. That isn't really my story, nor do I know all of the details, therefore I can't say much besides that I have been raised by my mother since that day.
Background on my mother. She is an excellent woman, youngest of seven children in her family. The only one to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 16 years old. Then she served her mission in Paris, France from '86-'87. She is a professional genealogist and loves what she does. She was born to Daniel Richard and Mildred Murphy, long ago, but it may feel like yesterday to her. (You know how those blessed with ages get sentimental.) She gave birth to a wise-crack, me.
The first few years of my life were lived in Oxnard, California where we grew up in our quaint "Mobile Home" park, "Kona Kai." There we lived with mom, Jessy, Matt and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa. It was snug with us six living there, but it was a home. Family close by, within shouting distance at all times. This was an ability to yell if needed at one time, but a few years down the road it becomes a reality that there is shouting at all times.
When I was still young, around the age of four, we moved south to a nice little hamlet of Riverside. I thought this town was petite when I lived there, but in more recent journeys to it I now know that it is quite a large town. Memories of here were spent with our dear close friends the Helsper's playing with our lightsabers as we ran around senselessly beating upon one another. Quality bonding time was spent as we whacked each other about. Then there was a pool that we often spent time swimming in, it sounds redundant when I say that... My fondest memory is when they installed a playground within our neighborhood. We were the first to play on it after anxiously waiting those long summer days. I remember that, but in description all I remember is that it was red like unto a firetruck.
I went to a few elementaries here, there was Freemont Elementary and then Mountain View Elementary. I don't remember why we switched schools, but I believe it was closer to my mom's work so it fit in with her schedule better and allowed us to not have to wait around until she got there. There is also the reasoning that at Freemont I was "kidnapped" by my preschool teacher. My mom was running just a wee bit late and my teacher had to catch the bank before it closed, and so without hesitation, she took me with her so that I wouldn't get kidnapped by anyone else... This ideology did not fly with my mom. I remember her being unphased by the situation, which I am hopefully wrong about... I mean, I hope she tried to bite my teacher's head off, who knows nowadays.
After our few short years there in Riverside, we departed for Oxnard again. It was our safety net, and at those ages I don't remember why we moved around exactly. Nevertheless we did, and Oxnard was the next step on the journey. Here is began in first grade, and I didn't really enjoy being the new kid. We also moved back into the grandparent's but this time it was more "abundant" in wildlife. We had our cousins as well as our Aunt and new uncle. So we had eleven at first with another on the way. This party was held in by a four bedroom cardboard shack. I am hoping that that won't offend anyone, but that is exactly how I felt about being in a house on wheels. This is where the headache of my life began, with endless fighting.
Here laid the dominion of my cousins, and their attention seeking attitudes, their fits and outbursts. I am saying this directly from my point of view, and to them I was probably a menace to them and their delicate lives, but I like my version better.
There was one that always needed to be the center of attention, and always threw her temper tantrums in order to accomplish this need. The other, that was just older than I was always mean to me and my brother, belittling us with nicknames and teasing us. He was a bane to my existence in these early years of development. A splinter that began to fester and definitely played a role in emotional trauma. I mean, from a personal vantage point I think I turned out relatively normal, but I have had plenty of people in my life tell me otherwise. That is one of the main reasons that I want to write down my life and pinpoint my shortcomings. Obviously there already have been some, and probably plenty more in my writings as well.
After this time of my life, I moved off to Salt Lake City, Utah at the latter part of my second grade year. I began school in a magical snow covered place, the school was called North Star. I went here for the second and third grades, and this school put me in the Honor Student category... Apparently that is an honor system that means you are "smart," it is either smart or socially inept. At times in my life I felt like both have applied and at others neither. I never wanted to be "smarter" than other people, I had a longing to be in a group or a clique. Throughout my life I never really had a group that was something that defined me or that I fit into. Especially in Southern California where I was the "white-kid" on the block, and I was the tail end of kids hatred and jokes. At that part in my life I definitely felt as though I was socially inept.
Well, in between third and fourth grade and new school opened up just across the street from my church building, this was "Escalante." Escalante was named after a Spanish monk or father of some kind that walked across the land drawing maps and preaching the about church. I don't really remember which church, I am assuming Catholism because I remember hearing about him as well in studies of Spanish Missions throughout California. Growing up in Ventura County California I knew a bit about these since it was a town that was founded by these same Spanish missionaries. I have taken visited it many times to enjoy the beauty of the Mission as well as the lovely view of the palm trees and the ocean from that part of town.
I have a fascination with beauty, history, and the chance to learn more about the world in which we live. Those are things that I am passionate about, but I do not rank them among the most important in my life. I rather enjoy relating these wonderful things with a spiritual side of it all. I feel that I am rather religious, for I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I study the Word of God daily and pray daily, and believe in the power that is in the Holy Ghost. That Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. These things have always been present in my life through all of these events that I am and will be talking about.
This is a rather long entry and so I will end it abruptly. This covers a good chunk of my life, from birth to age ten or so. This will be continued sooner or later in a following entry. If you have read this far, thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment