My blanket is made of soft, vanilla-colored velour. The cloth is full of memories waiting to be recollected. The cloth is an original, handmade piece of art. It depicts the story of my life.

My family is like my comfort food; they're always there to fall back on in times of emergency. They are my first square. Each person is drawn is a vivid, bright color. My grandparents stand in the middle. My mom-moms are peacock blue, since they are the centerpieces of both sides of my family. Pop-pop and Gramps stand attentively at their sides and are illustrated in a vibrant green. Surrounding them are my numerous aunts and uncle in a various shades of yellow and gold. Amongst this second generation are my mom and dad who appear in bright blue. This deep blue is a very distinctive color and represents faithfulness. Next come my cousins, sister and I sitting at the bottom. We are shown in different hues of red and orange. My family is the base of my life because they have and always will be there for me.

The patch following that depicts my first memory: the vegetable garden. My sister and I are around two and three in age. My father is kneeling down picking fresh tomatoes and cucumbers for supper. Radiant red and orange tomatoes decorate the vine-covered plant stands. I am standing there in my swimsuit with a goofy smile exploding across my face. Fresh fruit and vegetables lie on the ground waiting to be washed and served for a delicious summer meal.

The next square is joyous and depressing at the same time. My cousin Amy is swinging me around the living room while she baby-sits me one night. The square shows a black and white close-up of her smiling face. This box is one resounding memory of Amy. She died a few weeks later. Pale blue tears form a border around the box. They are tears both cheerful and mournful because I loved her and miss her.

A fourth box has only a hand and a bar in it. The silver rod is the top of a swing set in my best friend's backyard. It was a scorching afternoon in late July; you can see the damp bar and the sweat on the hand. My friends and I were playing a challenge course game on Chrissy's jungle gym. While halfway across bar, that hand slipped. A poor, little six-year-old crashed down six feet and knocked out her two front teeth. That poor little girl was me.

A few years later, I enrolled in Cab Calloway. Luckily, I made the cut. This fifth square shows a classroom. Each desk is a different color and represents a different subject. The first desk symbolizes my major, Communication Arts. It has a laptop and a notebook in lemon yellow. To me, the yellow illustrates the opportunity and fun involved in that subject. A perky teal novel rests on the English desk near the classical violet history textbook on the next seat. A lime green health binder and spunky orange math book lie on the next two desks. School is a major part of my life. It's a lot of work, but sometimes it's enjoyable.

These squares are stitched together in durable, powder blue thread. They tell of joyous and gloomy times throughout my life. They show what keep me going and what supports me. These patches illustrate my life. Apart they are just lonely memories, but together the patches form an extraordinary and unique portrait of my life.