Personal History
Maddy McHale
Important events
Parents married- April 8, 1988 Manti Temple
Born- February 16, 1990 in Provo
Brother born May 13, 1992 In Long Beach
Sister born- March 17, 1997 in Lo Jolla
McHale Family 1988
In the year 1988, every seriously dating couple wanted to be married on 8/8/88. My parents did, but it worked better that they were instead married on April 8th, 1988. My Dad was a convert, and his family was not able to go to the temple. Most of my Mom’s family lived in Northern Utah; they decided to get married at the Manti, Utah temple. It was a glorious April day, just before finals. Instead of having a reception, my parents had a small party at my Grandmother Pulsipher’s house.
After they were married they lived in Provo, where my mom worked on her degree in elementary education. My dad received his masters from the MAAC for accounting. My Dad was getting ready to graduate and my mom had a few more semesters before I was born
My Birth
On the day I was born, my mother, Norma Jean was picking up her mother, Rhea Pulsipher from work at the Student Standards Office at Brigham Young University. My mother was staying with her mother as my Dad, Scott, had just started a job in Southern California. My mom was to move down after my birth. That day my mom brought my Grandma’s two cocker spaniels to go along to pick up my grandma. As my Grandma walked out of the building, the dogs were so excited that they jumped right on top of my mom’s 8 month pregnant belly! The force of two full-grown dogs caused little me to turn all the way around in my mom’s uterus. Now this is no feat for a fully-grown baby or a large pregnant woman. My mom had to get out of the car because it hurt her so much. As she was hollowing in pain, the dogs began to lap up her water, which had broken as I was practicing belly gymnastics.
My mom was rushed to the hospital, as she was super worried about me! From there they called my dad! The poor man was not expecting his first child to be born for two more weeks, so he and my mom felt comfortable with him leaving for a few days. So he hurried to get to Provo from Los Angeles.
At this point, I was turned completely around in my mother’s womb. Instead of being head first, I was ready to be born feet first! This is called “breached” so my mom had a C-section. My Dad missed it too! He drove to Vegas then flew to Salt Lake City, where my Uncle picked him up.
Living in Long Beach
While we lived in Long Beach we made a lot of good friends, who we have maintained friendships with. I met Melinda Wilkins and her family when I was just two years old, as well as the Kirby family. We are still great friends, after several moves and big changes.
The Long Beach house was great, and I remember a bit about it. My parents redid their master bathroom when I was about 3. At that point, they both slept in my bed, and I was on the floor! I didn’t like that! One night there was a huge earthquake. It was a good thing they were in there, as shelving and other things fell over! My parents were able to grab both my brother and I, and we were all just fine!
I remember that we had really nice neighbors named the Wilson’s. My little brother and I loved swimming at their pool! We both learned when we were really small. We loved being little fish. My little brother looked just like Dennis the Mennis with his bowl cut and overalls, and without prompting he would run over there yelling, “Mr. Wilson!!!”
We lived really close to my dad’s family and would get to see them often. I remember that my Grandpa Charlie would take me on bike rides, with me strapped into the back on this special seat. He would take me to get ice cream. He would order me a cone, even though I always needed help. I remember I would get so mad, because he would eat half of it to help me stop it from dripping! But I didn’t want grandpa to eat all my ice cream. He would even take me golfing, which was his favorite pass time. I had my own little club that I would use. I loved visiting grandpa!
When I’d spend time with grandma, I remember I would get up early with her and she’d be watching the shopping channel and knitting. I also liked to watch her sew and help her make peanut butter cookies. She is a huge packrat and has tons of knick-knacks that I was never allowed to touch. Even at 21 they are still tempting to play with.
When we were living in Long Beach, my mom started a day care out of our home. From what I remember and what I’ve been told, I did not like this very much. Not only did I have to adjust to having a little brother at about the same time, but also I had to share my mom and my toys. I often bit the little boys who were in my mom’s care, but never my own brother.
First Words
When I was about one year old, I uttered my first words. Apparently, I’ve never been a normal child because my first words were not “Mom” or “Dada.” Instead they were “Ut Up!” Apparently I was mimicking my parent’s yelling at our dog woofer, so that whole phrase would be “Ut Up Ooffer!” Precious.
Taylor’s Birth
One of my earliest memories was my brother Taylor’s birth. He was born on May 13, 1992. Our mother has birthed a child in three ways, I was a C-section, our sister Emily, with drugs, and Taylor was born naturally. At this point my family was living in Long Beach, California. All throughout Taylor’s pregnancy the doctor said that he would be born normally, that is not a C-section like I was. Then, as my mom is situated in the hospital, water broken, ready to go, the doctor changed his mind and wanted my mom to have a C-section. His logic was based on his past experience, where women from Mexico had C-sections then tried to come up and have regular births, and their stomachs broke open due to poor stitching. My parents were very upset, as well as my Grandma Sue McHale. She was an RN at that hospital and had recommended this doctor to my mom. She insisted that he was mistaken and that my mom would be fine. The doctor refused to comply with my family’s wishes, and refused to give my mom an epidural for the pain. She was in so much pain, she almost caved in to the doctor, but my Dad talked her out of it, as it was not what she really wanted. So my brother was born naturally and was perfectly healthy! What I remember from this day is that I got to eat chocolate pudding, and everyone seemed pretty upset. But, mostly I remember the chocolate pudding.
Vasculitis
When I was about three years old I started to get severe pains in my limbs. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, and my parents would give me pain medication, thinking that I was just being awoken by growing pains. After a week of getting up with me every night my parents took me to the doctor. I ended up in the hospital where I was diagnosed with vasculitis, which is the inflammation of the blood vessels. I was in the hospital for about two weeks and received many scans and even a spinal tap. There is no way I could forget that!
We didn’t see them as much when we moved from Long Beach to Carlsbad. Carlsbad is about and hour and a half away from Los Angeles and 40 minutes North of San Diego. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We lived about five minutes away from the beach. The area is very populated, with houses right on top of one another, but many of the neighborhoods are older with lots of parks and trees. It really is a great place to grow up. We moved to Carlsbad, California when I was about four years old. I remember my mom explaining the move to my brother and I telling us that we were moving to a place called Carlsbad. One of my and Taylor’s favorite books was about a dog named Carl who would get into trouble. So we would say, “Carl-is-bad, like the book mom!” We moved in just before Halloween. I remember that my mom just had us wear the costumes we wore before. I don’t think I liked this very much but Mom told me that no one would know because they wouldn’t know.
Taylor and I really liked the new neighborhood. When we moved in there were three different girls my age on our street, and there were quite a few boys Tay’s age in our ward. We made friends quickly and I can recall a lot of the games we played. Most of those memories involve getting in trouble of some sorts. One mischief free memory I have of us would be that we were constantly in the pool. As a child I was so tan, my hair was practically green from the chlorine. We were always swimming, and all the neighborhood kids would just come over. We would pretend to be mermaids and pirates, have diving contests, and have water battles with squirt guns. Just thinking about it makes me crave summer! We would always run down to the park around the corner and have fun playing in the hill there. All of us loved to build forts, and pretend it was a beauty parlor, cabin, mansion, or what ever abode we desired. Summers meant staying out till the starts shined through and waiting around to spend half your allowance on the ice cream man.
We had TV and video games growing up but my mom monitored our use, and what games. As we got older, she loosened the reigns a lot, and I will admit I wasted a ton of time on TV. What a gross waste of time! I’m glad that she has let us make those decisions on our own though.
Started Kindergarten
I had attended preschool in Los Alimitos and in San Diego. Both Preschools weren’t affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but my mom sent us their because they helped to teach us about Jesus. That’s pretty much all I remember about preschool. Going to church once a week and eating snacks after!
I was in Mrs. Crocker’s Kindergarten class at Mission Estancia in 1995. I remember this is where I met many of my school friends that I still see and love! I remember the very first day of school I wore a cute red outfit. At that point I don’t think I had a backpack so my mom had me take my small barney suitcase. How mortifying! If I recall correctly, I couldn’t wait to get my own backpack!! Barney was for babies, and I was the only one without a backpack! I lost teeth and learned to tie my shoes. Mastered my ABC and 123s. One memory I have from Kindergarten is recess! Every day for recess we would play chase! I remember that the girls would chase around the boys and vice versa!
Sassy Cat
That was also the year that we got our cat Sassy. She was the nicest Siamese cat in the whole world, and she was pretty! She loved to sleep on my head! When I was a senior in high school we decided I needed to see and allergist because I constantly had a headache and a runny nose. It was then that we figured out I was allergic to the cat that like to sleep on my head. Sassy was a good friend. When we would go on trips she would get really mad. My mom had to remember to not leave a suitcase open or she would climb in there and pee in it. She was a mighty huntress and was always proving her love for us by killing small rodents and birds. That was always super nasty. She loved roasting in the sun, and hated the dogs. When we moved houses when I was a sophomore in High School, Sassy pretty much just stayed inside. She was old and unfamiliar with the new house! Sassy died while I’ve been away at college and I miss her so!
First Grade
Memorable moments from first grade include learning how to read. It came pretty easily for me, but I do remember my mom struggling with me to help me master harder words. She would always read to us each night. Once we started on shorter chapter books, she would read to me and then I to her. There was this series called the “Little Sister Babysitter” books. I loved them! I remember one night, after my mom had tucked me into bed, I wanted to know what happened next so I picked up the book and kept reading. That was the start my “night owlish ways.” It was a small battle for my mom to get me to go to sleep every night because I would want to stay up late reading.
Boating
About this age was when we started going on boat vacations. Because of my mom’s health issues we didn’t go to the beach as much. My mom developed Lupus and other autoimmune disease just after Taylor was born. The sun would aggravate her symptoms, so she would try to steer clear. But she never let her limitations hinder our experiences, especially for family time. We loved going to the lake! We would go to Lake Powell or Lake Mead. We have fond memories of house boating with friends and family there. We would often go with my Dad’s friends the Snows. We would have so much fun skiing, buildings san castles, and jet skiing.
Grandpa Charlie E. McHale Died
Just before my sister was born my Grandpa Charlie McHale died. He died very young; he was only fifty-eight. He died of a heart attack while doing his favorite thing- Golfing. I remember going to the funeral, and singing “I am a Child of God” and “Families Can Be Together Forever.” He wasn’t a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and neither were his friends. It was then, even at that young age that I began to understand that aspect of the Plan of Salvation that we can be together again. I miss my Grandpa but I understand that through temple work and the atonement we can be together again. Afterward we went to my Grandma’s house for a luncheon, I remember that.
Emily’s Birth
That was also the year that Emily was born! I was seven years old and so excited that my mom was going to have a baby, specifically a sister. I told everyone! Emily Elise McHale was born on March 17th 1997. She was my mom’s only “normal” birth. Normal meaning the birth was not a C-section and with an epidural. She was the cutest baby. When she was little baby talk and say “geegle geelge geegle geegle geegle geegle geegle.” Emily would say it fast and over and over again. So that became one of her many nicknames- Geegle. She was so happy and the sweetest toddler.
When I was about seven, just after Emily had been born, my Aunt Kelly got married. She was married to my Uncle Mike Cole at the Chapel in Knott’s Berry Farm! I was a flower girl, and I remember I wanted to go on the rides so bad! Who wants to stand around waiting forever when everyone else in the world is riding rides!! Not me! But I did my flower girl duties and had fun at the wedding! This was super fun as there was lot of dancing and food!
Second Grade
I loved second grade! I was in a class with my best friend Shelby Benci! We would always try to do stuff together! The best thing about being in second grade was turning eight! Eight was my favorite number because that is when I would be baptized. My parents helped to prepare me for my baptism when we went to Salt Lake City the December before my birthday. They helped me to pick out my own set of scriptures, and my dad took me to Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday morning. I remember a lot about my baptism! My Grandma Pulispher and Aunt Michelle’s family came down from Nevada. As well my Dad’s family came too! Many of my friends from school, the neighborhood and my Sunday school class came. On my baptism day, February 29th, 1990, my mom wouldn’t let me go outside with my cousins before or after the baptism! I had to take a nap! I also remember helping my Grandma Pulsipher prepare cupcakes for the party we were going to have afterward! She was the sweetest Grandma! She and my cousins came down for Taylor’s baptism as well. I remember when he was baptized he got to go play with the cousins! That made me pretty mad! As well, after he was baptized everyone came over to our house to have lunch. Something funny about California Mormons… Whenever someone who has a pool throws a party they always bring their swimsuits, you know just in case. It’s always good to be prepared, even if the party invitation said nothing about a pool party! That’s what happened after my brother’s baptism, and several other parties we had.
Piano Lessons
Just after I turned eight and had started third grade, I started Piano lessons. I started with a lady in our ward that taught many students! My mom must have had me on the waiting list since birth! I wanted to go so bad, but I had to wait until she had room, and when we could afford a piano. I loved to play the piano, but after awhile practicing got old. There were a few years where I almost quit. However, once I mastered the basics and could sight read, piano became fun! I loved it and it is still a stress relief for me. My freshman year at BYU – Idaho I was called to be the ward sacrament pianist. That was probably the scariest calling of my life! I learned a lot though. Not only was I able to practice and share a talent, but also I learned a lot about relying on the Lord and just doing your best. I messed up a lot, and that was really humbling. I still love practicing, and am glad I live by the Snow building, because I can usually find a practice room open in the evenings.
Broken Wrist
The day after Christmas in 1998, I broke my right wrist. I was roller-skating on my new roller-skates, and was so cool!! Then I hit the crib wrong, and fell right on my wrist. I was screaming and hollering for someone to come help me, as I could get my balance to get up. I was just across the street but neither of my parents came out to get me! They thought that my brother was bugging me, and I was just making a fuss! It didn’t take to long for a kind neighbor to come scoop me up and take me to my parents. Dad was the chosen hospital parent, and took me to the ER. It hurt so much! I think a lot of my vivid memories have to deal with pain, as I remember this and the time I had Vasculitis really well. I had to have the cast on for about a month I think. I didn’t mind much, because everyone wanted to sign it! The cast did itch and stink pretty bad near the end though. Since that incident I have not broken a bone!
Activities
About this age I started taking Art lessons with a lady in our ward named Marta Vaughn. She was a talented artist and took in students from the ward and community! I loved art class! It was so much fun, and my mom has held onto a lot of my projects. This is where we started to get really busy! I was taking art and piano, and probably a sport too. I was horrible at both softball and soccer. I tried diving and loved that! One of my favorite activities was Achievement Days. I was the only girl my age for some time, so I loved being the youngest, and looked up to the older girls.
Switching Schools
When I was about 10 years old and entering fifth grade, we switched schools to one that was built closer to our home. That meant my brother and I had to walk to school everyday. We didn’t like that very much because it was up hill both ways! At first I was apprehensive to leave behind my old friends, but quickly made new ones. That was the same year that I got both braces and glasses. Oh my! I really needed both, and am thankful for them! I am so blind, and have gone through so much orthodontia!
Terrorist Attacks on September 11th 2001
I was eleven years old and in sixth grade when the attacks happened. That week my sixth grade class had gone up to the mountains to attend sixth grade camp. That was super fun, and our instructors waited until the end of the week to tell us about the crashes. We were in shock, and didn’t really understand what had happened. The way they explained it, it seemed like two planes just crashed. We were all really concerned, as two of my classmate’s fathers were pilots. They were reassured that their Dad’s were fine, as the teacher had talked to their parents. When we got off the bus that Friday, everyone was waving flags and my parents kept talking about Osama bin Laden. Later one of the pilot parents came and tried to put the attack in perspective for us.
Jr. High
Seventh grade was just awkward. I did get contacts before starting Jr. High, but I must have blocked out most of what happened that year because I don’t remember much. I did start babysitting, and I’m pretty sure that’s about the time I stopped growing. This was about the time that our Grandma Pulsipher moved in with us. She spent the last few years of her life living with her daughters. It was hard and stressful on everyone, but was a very big blessing to have the opportunity to get to know my Grandmother better. She had gone blind and was suffering from kidney failure due to diabetes. Often times my sister and I would keep Grandma company by watching movies with her, and just talking about school. It must have been hard for to live with such a young family, as Emily was about seven, and we were pretty rowdy. She later left to live with my Aunt Michelle for a little while. Grandma invited her children to go to Hawaii with her as a thank you for taking care of her. My mom and her sister went with my Grandma, and it was there that she passed away in 2004 when I was thirteen. We went to Grandma’s funeral in Provo, Utah were able to celebrate her life and mourn her with our family.
Cello
When I was thirteen I started playing the cello! I love it so much! I kept playing through high school, but was not able to bring it up to college. I keep up with it though! I hope to take it up here the next semester I am here and take Orchestra.
Freshmen Year
This was a big year for me! I joined the debate team by accident, but ended up loving it. It was like my third choice elective? And I got put in there. It was so scary at first, but the people were so nice and funny. Most importantly the older members were very willing to help the new students. That helped me to become better! I ended up sticking with speech and debate all throughout high school. Near the end, I mostly preferred speeches. I went to state when I was a junior for a type of speech called Duo Interpretation with one of my good friends Brianna van Kan. Speech and Debate has helped me to build confidence in myself, especially as a speaker. I am able to communicate more effectively, which I believe has given me an advantage as I search for employment or in making friends!
That same year I started early morning seminary! I went all four years and graduated! I don’t think I really slept in high school I was always up so early for seminary, and up late doing homework. Somehow I survived.
That year I got my braces off! It was like freeing a pearly white lion from a cage! I couldn’t wait!
Later in the year my great-grandma Grangy died. She lived with her husband Joe Pratt in Florida, and were evacuated during the hurricanes., unfortunately it was then that my Great-grandmother died. We weren’t able to attend her funeral, as her husband had her cremated. There was a funeral help in Indiana, but we were not able to attend that.
This year, read the Book of Mormon for the first time! It started with a challenge from seminary, and I did my best to keep commitments and goals. Having that attitude really helped me to learn a lot during seminary.
Sophomore Year
When I was a sophomore in high school, we went on a trip to Mexico! I loved that trip so much! We went during spring break as a family, and spent so much time on the beach! I ended up getting a second-degree burn just below my neck from the sun! I had ugly blisters and it was super painful! We also were able to visit pyramids and ancient ruins. My family really enjoyed that part of the trip because were able to relate it to the civilizations from the Book of Mormon.
That school year was so hard! I was taking Algebra II and Chemistry and nearly died. I went to so much tutoring and managed to pass! I then developed a better work ethic in regards to school assignments. Near the end of that stressful school year, my family moved into a bigger house just near our old one. We were still in the same ward and school district. Some how I was able to pass all my classes and help move our whole house. I guess that was good practice for college. That move was the start of many changes.
I made new friends at the Stake Pioneer Trek. That summer I started dating, and even had my first kiss. To me it seemed like most of my friends had their first kisses when they were thirteen and fourteen! As well, I didn’t understand the no pairing off concept very well either because I ended up with a boyfriend from the south side of our stake! I didn’t really know what to do with him! I was shy, naïve and wasn’t too interesting. I had ambitions and passions, but we didn’t have a lot in common. There was a bit of drama with that break-up, which helped me to realize that dating in high school should be easy, unattached and fun! Pairing off just causes drama, and isn’t as fun as group activities!
Junior Year
That year we always had people over at our house almost every night of the summer, and all the time on weekends. We would watch movies, play air hockey, and swim! I went to dances, and just had fun! We went to China that year! That was amazing! I could talk about China for a year! My cousin Lori’s husband Shawn served his mission in Taiwan, so he speaks Mandarin. He works and lives there with his family now, but in 2007 they were in Beijing, China. We went just before the Olympics occurred there, so they were preparing for that. We were able to go to the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, and many markets. My family loved the markets. I think we went to a different market everyday. The culture was beautiful, and we loved trying the new foods.
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