Table of Contents To the Reader Introduction to My New Life My New Life Introduction to My Secret Childhood Place My Secret Childhood Place Introduction to How to Have the Best Slumber Party How to Have the Best Slumber Party Introduction to My Grandmother My Grandmother

Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

My name is Tammy and I am not a writer. I am sure you are already wondering how can that be, you have this lovely e-portfolio? I am 34 years old and a single mom. I have recently started going to college and have never thought of myself as a writer.

I was born in Everett and raised here by my parents who are still married. I have two brothers and one sister. All three are married; I on the other hand am not. I have a 13-year-old daughter and live in Marysville. I had moved back to Snohomish County last year after my sister had twins. Our families bought a duplex and live next door to each other. I am very happy with my life, except my job.

I decided if I want the job of my dreams I better get a degree so I can get it. So I am going back to school to get my degree and show my daughter at any age you can get whatever you want.

When I started my English class I was not sure if I was going to make it or not. I understand verb, nouns and prepositional phrases. But write a paper, not me is all I could think. Over the course of this class I have learned that not only can I do it, but also I like to do it.

I have picked pieces of my work that show how far I have come from the beginning when I wasn’t sure what I was doing towards the end of our class showing how much I have learned, from fragments to comma splices to complete sentences and conjunctions.

Three months ago my name was Tammy and I was not a writer, today my name is the same but I am a writer.

Intro to My New Life

My first portfolio piece is "My New Life," I wrote this the second week of class. I have picked this because it was so fresh in my mind.  This really was about the first day of class, only two weeks before.  I think the strongest part of my piece is when I am describing how I am feeling such as "I started sweating my forehead looked like Niagra Falls all of the sudden I couldn't hear anything but the thumping of my heart."

My New Life

I was so nervous my first day of college.  I could not sleep the night before so I was extremely tired when my alarm went off in the morning.  It was a bad start to a stressful day already.  When I got to school I could not find a parking spot.  I had scoped out the campus before school started but did not plan for all the other students that would be there before I arrived.  My palms then started to sweat, I tried to breathe slowly then realized I did not remember where my first class was located.  I was not even sure what I was going to do.  My heart started pounding like it was going to launch out of my chest at any moment.  I didn't know anyone on campus and had no idea where I was going.  I started sweating my forehead looked like Niagra Falls all of the sudden I couldn't hear anything but the thumping of my heart.  I started looking for a bathroom as my stomach started to churn.  As I looked up I noticed that I was in front of the building where my first class was located.  I took another deep breath wiped my forehead and said a small prayer.  I then opened the door and began my new life. 

Intro to My Secret Childhood Place

"My Secret Childhood Place" is my favorite paper I wrote because it is entirely made up.   This was our third journal entry and I had no idea what to write about.  I love the idea of describing something to the point you can picture it in your head like you are there with me.  I tried to picture the  perfect tree house and describe it as well as possible.  The best example of this is,"During the summer you could be part of the family Robinson stranded on an island without a person for miles..."

My Secret Childhood Place

As a child the old tree house was the best hiding place. It had these dark knots in the base that I used as a ladder to climb into its high limbs. The tree house had no door but an opening just big enough for a 7-year-old to squeeze into. There were no windows just four pieces plywood for walls painted green and brown to match the tree.  There was not technically ceiling, it was the branches of the tree itself lush and green in the spring and summer. During the summer you could be part of the family Robinson stranded on an island without a person for miles or just read the comic books that my mom did not like me to read. My sister was not strong enough to climb the tree, she would stand at the base screaming up at me.  Never really able to actually see me hiding there among the branches.  Laying on the floor I could peak down through the doorway of the aged wood and see if she was still there. I never was sure when she would give up and go get mom.  I would have just enough time as she ran into the back door of the house to jump down and run around the side of the house like I was never up there to begin with.

Intro to How to Have the Best Slumber Party

My next article is "How to Have the Best Slumber Party." This is my last Major Writing Assignment, also I think the hardest for me to do.  Trying to teach someone how to do something and write a paper at the same time was not something that came easy to me.  I am extremely organized and a bit of a party planner so I just sat down and made a list of what I would need to do for your party.  I think the strongest part of my paper is my conclusion, "...the time that you have spent on this will ensure your child knows how important their ideas can be as well."