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My family means the world to me. I am very protective of every person who I am close to. I, especially, look after my little brother, Christopher. He is fourteen years old and was born January 15, 1995. My little brother is my everything now. I encourage him to stay in school, stay away from drugs and alcohol. I look after my brother and encourage him to do good things in life. I brought him up as a rocker and taught him about music, just like my older brother , Scott, taught me. Chris loves basketball and his favorite NBA team is the Phoenix Suns. He really studies Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire's moves. He has, basically, perfected his Steve Nash moves and if you've ever seen him play, you'll notice him use�Steve Nash's�cross-over and the�stutter step. He'll even go as far to, lower his basketball goal and try doing some Amare Stoudemire dunks. He also never misses a Phoenix Suns game on television. He knows the Suns by heart and is a true Suns fan. I take him to concerts in Albuquerque and make sure his experience is a memorable one. He has a friend, his best friend Mathias. This kid is like my other little brother. He, also, is a very good basketball player and I treat him like my brother. Mathias and Chris are like brothers. They play and fight like brothers do. They know how to have fun together and help each other out. I am extremely protective of Chris and Mathias, because I want the best for them. I want them go get through High School together and maybe even get to the NBA and play for the Phoenix Suns. The first Native Americans in the NBA!

My older brother, Scott, was my step-brother from my mom's first marriage. I was born when he was eleven years old and he took care of me part of my life, along with my aunt Cindy. My brother taught me about all the rock music i know. He taught me to play the guitar and to respect all music. I looked up to him for a lot of things. I saw him as a caring, hardworking, musically-skilled person. He passed away in 2000 when he was 23 years old. His�birthday�is on April 21 and he would have been 32 years old this�year. I miss him so much and wish he was still around to see me graduate and do my Senior�Speech. I would have loved for him to be there when I get married and have kids. So, my kids would have known their awesome uncle Scott. But,�I know he's looking down on�me right now and I'm sure he is� so proud�of me. I really wish he were there watching�my Senior�speech, he would have been in the front row, smiling and�cheering me on.

My mom and dad are extremely hardworking people and�spoil my brother and I like crazy. My mom owns a gallery, Yazzie's Indian Art. You may have seen it downtown or maybe even browsed the gallery when it was open. The gallery is now at a new location where�my parents will be remodeling and will re-open in the near future. My dad is�a silversmith. He started silversmithing when he was ten years old and is still doing it today. He has perfected his work since he started. My dad's customers are also some of his closest friends from around the world. His best friend is Hiro from Japan. He is also my dad's customer and my dad says, "Friendship's Always�First" and we treat Hiro with great respect and part of the family. My dad has met many people from around the world that purchase and appreciate his beautiful artwork.

My mom is always there for me and always has been since�I was a baby. She has been hauling me and my brother to school for thirteen years, this year is the last time she'll have to do that for me, sadly. Maybe she'll drive me to school at UNM. She has always wanted me to be a "glamour girl", but I obviously, didn't turn out that way, but its okay 'cuz she still loves me just the way I am. Whenever my brother forgets his basketball shorts at home or if you ever forget your socks at home and don't want to go back, my mom will take hers off and offer them to you. My dad says that my mom is the most�loving�wife�and she provides, encourages and has faith in everything she does in life and can solve any of life's challenges. I look up to her for that and she encourages me to stay in school and go onto college after high school. She has many talents, such as: painting her nails to perfection, beading jewelry that get shipped to Japan, deal with my boy problems, and she loves to spend time outside in the sun.

My dad is an extremely hardworker and no one really sees how hard he works. Being a silversmith is not an easy job at all. My dad spends a lot of time working on his orders for his customers and does not have much time to spend with family. But, whenever he does spend time with us, we make the most of our time together. Before, my dad and I were not very close. We used to argue all the time and avoid each other. After I left for Verde Valley School in Sedona, AZ, we talked more and missed each other. Everytime my mom would call me at school, she would ask if I wanted to talk to my dad and I would say 'no', because everytime I would talk to him, I would start crying and would get really homesick. I missed my dad more than anything when I was at boarding school. He missed me too, and would come out a lot to pick me up and take me home for a weekend. During my time at Verde Valley, my dad and I became closer and I would start going to him for problems. I could trust him with everything. I told him my deepest secrets that no one knew about and he helped me get over them. My dad helps me to be a strong person and encourages me to go onto college and pursue my dreams of opening my own art gallery/restaurant. My dad is my strength and my influence. I look up to him, more than anyone. I want to be just as hardworking as my dad.

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