Beginning of Essay
November 16, 1982 is a special day to me. On that Tuesday afternoon at 4:09 p.m., I, Amanda Marie Burns, was born in Bedford County Hospital, weighing in at seven pounds and five ounces. My mom and I spent my first week of life in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where ....

Middle of Essay
.... my aunts while Mom and Grandmother worked. When I was four, Mom got remarried, and we moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina. We lived in a duplex for six months, just long enough for the three of us to find a house. Then we moved only five miles away to a place I could finally call “home.” In August of 1988, I started kindergarten, at Swansboro Primary School. In October of that same year Mom gave birth to my sister Kira. In 1990, to my sister Kristy was born. The next year went on to Swansboro Elementary School, where I was involved in many plays and activities and kept my grades up with honors. I was also enrolled in Spanish classes t ....