The History of Hailey Jean Hammon
My name is Hailey Jean Keller, although I have only been a Keller for three short years. I was born Hailey Jean Hammon on Aug. 5, 1988 in Boise, Idaho, to Darrel Levi Hammon and Joanne Louise Boltz Hammon. I am the second child and second daughter of Darrel and Joanne.
Idaho Falls, Idaho Memories
I grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho, attending preschool through third grade there.
· Walking down the street and watching the fireworks with my Dad every 4th of July
· Playing with Ingrid, Thor and Evan Koda, my next door neighbors
· Selling Girl Scout Cookies and earning patches
· Going swimming and playing in the park
· 1749 Whitney Street, my home
· The smell of the orange disinfectant wipes we used to wipe our desks in Kindergarten
· Mrs. Edget, my first grade teacher. I really did not like her.
· Eating enchiladas in the school cafeteria. We were given the month’s lunch menus in advance from the school and my mother allowed us to choose several days out of the month to eat “hot lunch.” I always chose enchilada days.
· The song “I Love You, Always Forever.” Still one of my favorite songs of all time. My mom would blast that song and sing a long whenever it came on.
· The “Macarena” or “Low Rider” coming on the radio. My dad would always dance.
· Playing Four-Square and falling, seeing my knee bone through the blood. Then, weeks later, sliding on that same knee in the carpet downstairs and slicing the wound back open. More stiches.
· Dad rocking me to sleep and telling me “Bob the Bullfrog” stories that he made up.
· Mom tucking me in and recounting my favorite nursery rhyme: “Sing a song of six pence a pocket full of rye, four and 20 black birds baked in a pie…”
· Riding my bike home from a birthday party, crashing my bike, stiches in the chin.
· Chicken pox in second grade. They were the worst.
· Getting glasses in third-grade. They boy I had a crush on called me four-eyes
· Playing on an all-boys basketball team, because my Dad said it would make me a better player.
· Staying at Grandma’s house, watching “I Love Lucy” and “Bewitched” while eating muddy buddies and drinking cherry 7Up.
· Going to my Speech Pathologist during class. We read “The Bernstein Bears” and practiced tongue exercises for my Ls, Rs and THs
· The librarian recommended that I read “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Loved it.
· Finding my Grandma’s cat, El Gato, dead in the neighbor’s yard across the alley while playing hide-and-seek. We buried him in the backyard.
· Tried out and was cast in my first Missoula Children’s Theater play as a Baby Doll in Pinocchio.
· Working in the garden with my dad
· Picking raspberries and strawberries. My dad would make THE best raspberry milkshakes. The best.
· I was always sick. Every month, I would get strep throat and an ear infection. Every month, until I was eight. Then, I finally got my tonsils out.
· Horseback riding lessons for my birthday
· On my baptism day, my Grandma told me that the shoes, which happen to be brown, looked terrible with my white dress. I have been particular about shoes ever since.
· Hispanic Youth Symposium. Every year, we went to Sun Valley, Idaho and spent several days. My dad was the director of the Hispanic Youth Symposium. While he was in meetings, my mother took us swimming in the heated pool, bowling in the lanes in the hotel, ice skating, bike riding, shopping. She would always buy us jawbreakers the size of our fists. Those lasted quite a while. I loved Sun Valley. It was a magical place to me. The resort was gorgeous and I loved every moment we spent there.
Lewiston, Idaho Memories
We moved from our home in Idaho Falls and journeyed to Lewiston, Idaho. I went to fourth through seventh grade there
· I didn’t really like Lewiston. I didn’t really have any friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and practicing basketball.
· Played basketball all the time. We had a hoop in our driveway. My dad had me do left-handed days. I was supposed to do everything (eat, brush teeth, comb hair, etc.) with my left hand
· Summer camps. My dad worked at Lewis Clark State College. Every summer, I went to several summer camps including: basketball, volleyball, science, theater, etc.
· Fourth through sixth grade I went to Camelot Elementary School.
· I won the costume contest in sixth grade for the best Renaissance outfit. I won a Snickers bar.
· Junior High. Played basketball and volleyball through seventh grade
· Frutopia and soft chocolate chip cookies from the cafeteria
· Ran track
· My aunt had given me a porcelain doll for my baptism that was made to look like me. In the Lewiston house, my mom displayed her in my room. I hated her. She scared me. I stuffed her at the bottom of my toy chest.
· I watched “Congo” at my friend’s house. I couldn’t sleep for weeks. I still today hate monkeys and are scared of them because of that movie. Shudder.
· Dogwood Festival. Tried kettle corn for the first time
· Sang in the choir.
· The smell of Potlach, the paper company, on rainy days. Yuck.
· Art class. Listened to rap for the first time. Didn’t like it.
· Tried out and was cast as Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio
Miles City, Montana Memories
When my Dad said that we were moving out of Lewiston, I was relieved. We sold the house and moved to Miles City, Mont. We lived there from the time I was in eighth grade, until I graduated from high school. I claim Montana as my home because it was there that I finally grew into myself. I had friends. I had an identity.
Eighth grade: Ms. South’s class, first period, Washington Middle School. Was late to class, and no one else was in the hall. Came rushing in, found my seat, but no one noticed me. They were all watching the TV. Smoke, people running, screams on the TV. Shocked silence in the classroom. Footage of a plane running into the Twin Towers. 9/11. Changed rooms and teachers, but watched the footage all day.
· Part of yearbook. Decided that writing was something that I was OK at.
· Tried out and was cast as the Fat Step Sister in Cinderella. I wore a fat suit. Everyone thought that was hilarious, as I was tall, but very skinny
· Made the middle school basketball and volleyball teams
· Mr. Trenka, Algebra teacher. Horrible man. Decided that I despised math.
· Loved history class, decided that I wanted to be a history teacher.
· Had to take seventh grade science, even though I was in eighth grade, because I had already taken eighth grade science in seventh grade at my old school in Lewiston. Took it with Tyler Stark, another new kid. We became friends.
Ninth Grade:
· Joined Speech and Drama and the Drama club. Met some very interesting people.
· Speech and Drama, tried Serious Oral Interpretation, did not rock at it. Recounted “The Highway Man,” like Anne Shirley in “Anne of Green Gables.” My attempt was not as successful.
· Made varsity tennis freshman year. Played doubles with my sister, Anna Rose. We went to state.
· Took composition. Wrote my first short story, well, it was about 100 pages. Decided that I really loved to write.
Sophomore year: Took a sewing class. That was a disaster. Dropped the iron on the carpet, which left a perfect imprint of the iron on the brand-new carpet. My teacher was more than upset. When I was a senior, I was still hearing complaints from that teacher. Oui.
· Was a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). Put on a skit for the entire school outside on school grounds. The scene was this: My sister, Anna Rose, and her boyfriend had been driving drunk. They crashed the car. So, there was a crashed car on the street in front of the school. The ambulance and fire department were also present. Anna Rose was carted off in a body bag. Robert was handcuffed and taken by the police. I had also been in the car, but thrown a few feet away. Before the school had come out, the medic had ripped my pants clear up to my thigh and poured fake blood all over my leg, face, etc. When the school came out, I screamed and screamed and screamed. That was fun.
· Another time, one of my best friends, Ryan Matlack and I, were part of a training course for the police station. We played husband and wife, but I had apparently shot him. He lay on the ground for hours during the training. That’s the first time I touched a real gun.
· Competed in Speech and Drama again for the season. Did a piece on Euthanasia. Made it to state.
· Played doubles tennis with my sister, Anna Rose again, made it to state.
Junior year: Worked at McDonalds. Turned 16. Dated Josh Kuper. He was a hockey player.
· Competed in Speech and Drama in Expository on washing your hands. Had a perfect season, racked up over 10 medals in regular season. Division Champion and got fourth at state.
· Made captain of the Tennis team and captain of Speech and Drama.
· Started taking dual-enrollment classes Junior year at the college during my summer break. Spanish, public speaking, chemistry, biology, history, etc.
· Started running, ran six miles every night around my amazing Miles City.
· Summer before senior year. Went to Martin’s Cove. Pioneer Trek. Very powerful. Gained a strong testimony of the faith and sacrifice of the pioneers.
Senior Year:
· Started dating Josh Yates.
· Competed in Speech and Drama. Decided to shy away from speech and try my hand at drama. Chose to do Mime. Amazing season. Division champion. Second at state.
· Fishing with Ryan, Robert, Logan and Anna Rose
· Shooting rockets with Robert and AR at the lake
· Taking long walks
· Canoeing
· Listening to bagpipes every Wednesday as I ran by the park
· Trying to get a tan, but to no avail
· Watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 with Elise in her dorm room.
· Captain of the Tennis team. Captain of Speech and Drama.
· Standing in line for hours and hours and hours for the newest Harry Potter movie. Left school early.
· Advanced English. Mrs. Horton. Tough. Also took “stupid” English so I could be with my best friend, Sevina and Josh.
· Dance parties with Steven, Bryan, Sam, Parker,Lauren, Alexis, Ryan
· Made a horror film with Steven, Bryan, Sam, Parker, Lauren, Alexis
· Pizza Shows and learning choreography for Steven’s dances
· Graduation.
After Graduation:
· Moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., with my parents. Took classes in Mass Media, fell in love with Journalism, newspapers, graphic design. Got Associate of Arts and moved to Provo for BYU.
Idaho Falls, Idaho Memories
I grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho, attending preschool through third grade there.
· Walking down the street and watching the fireworks with my Dad every 4th of July
· Playing with Ingrid, Thor and Evan Koda, my next door neighbors
· Selling Girl Scout Cookies and earning patches
· Going swimming and playing in the park
· 1749 Whitney Street, my home
· The smell of the orange disinfectant wipes we used to wipe our desks in Kindergarten
· Mrs. Edget, my first grade teacher. I really did not like her.
· Eating enchiladas in the school cafeteria. We were given the month’s lunch menus in advance from the school and my mother allowed us to choose several days out of the month to eat “hot lunch.” I always chose enchilada days.
· The song “I Love You, Always Forever.” Still one of my favorite songs of all time. My mom would blast that song and sing a long whenever it came on.
· The “Macarena” or “Low Rider” coming on the radio. My dad would always dance.
· Playing Four-Square and falling, seeing my knee bone through the blood. Then, weeks later, sliding on that same knee in the carpet downstairs and slicing the wound back open. More stiches.
· Dad rocking me to sleep and telling me “Bob the Bullfrog” stories that he made up.
· Mom tucking me in and recounting my favorite nursery rhyme: “Sing a song of six pence a pocket full of rye, four and 20 black birds baked in a pie…”
· Riding my bike home from a birthday party, crashing my bike, stiches in the chin.
· Chicken pox in second grade. They were the worst.
· Getting glasses in third-grade. They boy I had a crush on called me four-eyes
· Playing on an all-boys basketball team, because my Dad said it would make me a better player.
· Staying at Grandma’s house, watching “I Love Lucy” and “Bewitched” while eating muddy buddies and drinking cherry 7Up.
· Going to my Speech Pathologist during class. We read “The Bernstein Bears” and practiced tongue exercises for my Ls, Rs and THs
· The librarian recommended that I read “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Loved it.
· Finding my Grandma’s cat, El Gato, dead in the neighbor’s yard across the alley while playing hide-and-seek. We buried him in the backyard.
· Tried out and was cast in my first Missoula Children’s Theater play as a Baby Doll in Pinocchio.
· Working in the garden with my dad
· Picking raspberries and strawberries. My dad would make THE best raspberry milkshakes. The best.
· I was always sick. Every month, I would get strep throat and an ear infection. Every month, until I was eight. Then, I finally got my tonsils out.
· Horseback riding lessons for my birthday
· On my baptism day, my Grandma told me that the shoes, which happen to be brown, looked terrible with my white dress. I have been particular about shoes ever since.
· Hispanic Youth Symposium. Every year, we went to Sun Valley, Idaho and spent several days. My dad was the director of the Hispanic Youth Symposium. While he was in meetings, my mother took us swimming in the heated pool, bowling in the lanes in the hotel, ice skating, bike riding, shopping. She would always buy us jawbreakers the size of our fists. Those lasted quite a while. I loved Sun Valley. It was a magical place to me. The resort was gorgeous and I loved every moment we spent there.
Lewiston, Idaho Memories
We moved from our home in Idaho Falls and journeyed to Lewiston, Idaho. I went to fourth through seventh grade there
· I didn’t really like Lewiston. I didn’t really have any friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and practicing basketball.
· Played basketball all the time. We had a hoop in our driveway. My dad had me do left-handed days. I was supposed to do everything (eat, brush teeth, comb hair, etc.) with my left hand
· Summer camps. My dad worked at Lewis Clark State College. Every summer, I went to several summer camps including: basketball, volleyball, science, theater, etc.
· Fourth through sixth grade I went to Camelot Elementary School.
· I won the costume contest in sixth grade for the best Renaissance outfit. I won a Snickers bar.
· Junior High. Played basketball and volleyball through seventh grade
· Frutopia and soft chocolate chip cookies from the cafeteria
· Ran track
· My aunt had given me a porcelain doll for my baptism that was made to look like me. In the Lewiston house, my mom displayed her in my room. I hated her. She scared me. I stuffed her at the bottom of my toy chest.
· I watched “Congo” at my friend’s house. I couldn’t sleep for weeks. I still today hate monkeys and are scared of them because of that movie. Shudder.
· Dogwood Festival. Tried kettle corn for the first time
· Sang in the choir.
· The smell of Potlach, the paper company, on rainy days. Yuck.
· Art class. Listened to rap for the first time. Didn’t like it.
· Tried out and was cast as Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio
Miles City, Montana Memories
When my Dad said that we were moving out of Lewiston, I was relieved. We sold the house and moved to Miles City, Mont. We lived there from the time I was in eighth grade, until I graduated from high school. I claim Montana as my home because it was there that I finally grew into myself. I had friends. I had an identity.
Eighth grade: Ms. South’s class, first period, Washington Middle School. Was late to class, and no one else was in the hall. Came rushing in, found my seat, but no one noticed me. They were all watching the TV. Smoke, people running, screams on the TV. Shocked silence in the classroom. Footage of a plane running into the Twin Towers. 9/11. Changed rooms and teachers, but watched the footage all day.
· Part of yearbook. Decided that writing was something that I was OK at.
· Tried out and was cast as the Fat Step Sister in Cinderella. I wore a fat suit. Everyone thought that was hilarious, as I was tall, but very skinny
· Made the middle school basketball and volleyball teams
· Mr. Trenka, Algebra teacher. Horrible man. Decided that I despised math.
· Loved history class, decided that I wanted to be a history teacher.
· Had to take seventh grade science, even though I was in eighth grade, because I had already taken eighth grade science in seventh grade at my old school in Lewiston. Took it with Tyler Stark, another new kid. We became friends.
Ninth Grade:
· Joined Speech and Drama and the Drama club. Met some very interesting people.
· Speech and Drama, tried Serious Oral Interpretation, did not rock at it. Recounted “The Highway Man,” like Anne Shirley in “Anne of Green Gables.” My attempt was not as successful.
· Made varsity tennis freshman year. Played doubles with my sister, Anna Rose. We went to state.
· Took composition. Wrote my first short story, well, it was about 100 pages. Decided that I really loved to write.
Sophomore year: Took a sewing class. That was a disaster. Dropped the iron on the carpet, which left a perfect imprint of the iron on the brand-new carpet. My teacher was more than upset. When I was a senior, I was still hearing complaints from that teacher. Oui.
· Was a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). Put on a skit for the entire school outside on school grounds. The scene was this: My sister, Anna Rose, and her boyfriend had been driving drunk. They crashed the car. So, there was a crashed car on the street in front of the school. The ambulance and fire department were also present. Anna Rose was carted off in a body bag. Robert was handcuffed and taken by the police. I had also been in the car, but thrown a few feet away. Before the school had come out, the medic had ripped my pants clear up to my thigh and poured fake blood all over my leg, face, etc. When the school came out, I screamed and screamed and screamed. That was fun.
· Another time, one of my best friends, Ryan Matlack and I, were part of a training course for the police station. We played husband and wife, but I had apparently shot him. He lay on the ground for hours during the training. That’s the first time I touched a real gun.
· Competed in Speech and Drama again for the season. Did a piece on Euthanasia. Made it to state.
· Played doubles tennis with my sister, Anna Rose again, made it to state.
Junior year: Worked at McDonalds. Turned 16. Dated Josh Kuper. He was a hockey player.
· Competed in Speech and Drama in Expository on washing your hands. Had a perfect season, racked up over 10 medals in regular season. Division Champion and got fourth at state.
· Made captain of the Tennis team and captain of Speech and Drama.
· Started taking dual-enrollment classes Junior year at the college during my summer break. Spanish, public speaking, chemistry, biology, history, etc.
· Started running, ran six miles every night around my amazing Miles City.
· Summer before senior year. Went to Martin’s Cove. Pioneer Trek. Very powerful. Gained a strong testimony of the faith and sacrifice of the pioneers.
Senior Year:
· Started dating Josh Yates.
· Competed in Speech and Drama. Decided to shy away from speech and try my hand at drama. Chose to do Mime. Amazing season. Division champion. Second at state.
· Fishing with Ryan, Robert, Logan and Anna Rose
· Shooting rockets with Robert and AR at the lake
· Taking long walks
· Canoeing
· Listening to bagpipes every Wednesday as I ran by the park
· Trying to get a tan, but to no avail
· Watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 with Elise in her dorm room.
· Captain of the Tennis team. Captain of Speech and Drama.
· Standing in line for hours and hours and hours for the newest Harry Potter movie. Left school early.
· Advanced English. Mrs. Horton. Tough. Also took “stupid” English so I could be with my best friend, Sevina and Josh.
· Dance parties with Steven, Bryan, Sam, Parker,Lauren, Alexis, Ryan
· Made a horror film with Steven, Bryan, Sam, Parker, Lauren, Alexis
· Pizza Shows and learning choreography for Steven’s dances
· Graduation.
After Graduation:
· Moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., with my parents. Took classes in Mass Media, fell in love with Journalism, newspapers, graphic design. Got Associate of Arts and moved to Provo for BYU.