Alyssa "Ali" Michelle

There really aren't enough words to describe Ali's personality. Mostly because it can change in seconds. Ali can go from calm and cool to explosive and full of spit and vinegar in about 30 seconds. I have never seen anything like it before, but I have a feeling my parents would say they have. Ali is just like me. Everything about her spit fire personality is a spitting image of me. Bryan and I tell Ali all of the time that she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut and every time we tell her that, I can hear my Mom and Dad saying the same thing to me.

From the time Ali was born, she was Miss Independent. She wanted to do everything there was to do and she wanted to do it now. She skipped crawling and went straight to walking and couldn't get where she wanted to go fast enough. Much like she is today!! She could carry on an adult conversation when she was about 2 years old. My Grandma used to put Ali on speakerphone in her office just so her coworkers could hear how she could talk.

Ali has always been very involved with everything. She has always played some sport and much to my amazement she is good at every sport she tries. That part is amazing to me because it is the one thing that is definitely NOT like me. I am not at all athletic. Ali played soccer until they made her take her earrings out and then she stood in the middle of the field and cried. She has played basketball, volleyball, tennis and even dance. But her true love is softball. She has played since her first year of tball when she was about 6 years old. We have traveled many places to watch some really good softball with a great team that at times became a second family to us. Our softball adventures have taken us as close as Ohio andKentucky and as far as Alabama and Mississippi.Granted Ali has broken many bones playing all of these sports. The orthopedic surgeon and I are on a first name basis because we have been there so many times.

Ali has never met a stranger in her life and will talk and become best friends with someone in an instant. But, she is also very sensitive and gets her feelings hurt very easily too. She has spunk and charisma like no other.

Ali is now a senior and looking back through pictures and my own memories, I could go on for hours about all of the funny stories and tales and adventures that Ali has put us through, but I will save all of those to tell her friends at Graduation. :) I hope and pray that Ali's senior year is all she wants it to be. Ali is president of Best Buddies this year. This was a position that she worked so hard to get and we couldn't be more proud of her. It takes a special person with a big heart to do what Ali does for those kids and Ali definitely has a big heart.





Through all of the ups and downs that all teenagers put their parents through....we know the following about Ali:

She will succeed in life...she will push herself until she gets what she wants.

Ali wants to be a special education teacher....Bryan and I think she would make a great lawyer. :)

She will always fight to the bone for what she believes is right.

She will overcome obstacles and become a stronger person throughout those obstacles.

But most of all we know that we are proud of Ali and we love her very much.