Coat Of Arms Research Paper

What I Do Well A coat of arms can describe someone entirely just by describing your likes, experiences, tendencies, and personality. Making a coat of arms for yourself can also help you describe yourself in ways you never thought to. Someone can learn a lot about others and about themselves through a coat of arms. Someone can use it to possibly re-evaluate their life, or just to catch up with themselves. To begin with, ill talk about something I have always been not only interested in, but also good at. From an early age, I have always been interested in art; more particularly, drawing. I have always been able to fuse my feelings or things I enjoy to drawing. For example, in kindergarten, I was completely obsessed with dinosaurs.
Of course my talents were amateur, but I gave it my best. I would draw the skeletons of dinosaurs and show them to the whole class, hoping for their approval. Throughout my grade school career, I continued to draw and research my prehistoric friends. As I got older, my drawings improved, learning to draw the small details which made the dinosaurs seem more realistic. These days, I continue to draw dinosaurs from time to time. On a boring day I will put on my music and revisit my childhood dino sketching days. Of course, since kindergarten, my drawing skills have drastically improved. Now that I have a nephew and niece in my family, I have tried to get them interested in dinosaurs, and it worked! When they are in town with my sister, my nephew would ask for different drawings of dinosaurs he heard about from me. So I would draw them for him, and when I was satisfied with the look of it, I would give it to him and help him learn the names of the dinosaurs, just as I did when I was a kid. I have used my drawing skills not only to better my skills in art, but also to vent. Some days I would draw random things relating to my problem or situation. I will spend hours on the drawing in hopes that I would stop thinking about the problem from thinking about it so much. I use drawing as a way to deal with certain things, and to solve them as well. One day when my dad picked me up from grade school, he told me my grandfather had died. After visiting my aunt and uncle, we went home in silence. When we got home, I thought of what reminded me of him. The thought I came up with was my aunt and uncles house, where I always saw him. My aunt and uncles house was very scenic. It was located in the woods near Gates of Heaven cemetery, right on the lake. So to vent my feelings of the loss, I tried drawing the beautiful scene. It didn't look as good as I'd like, but I spent hours working on the drawing. During that time I remembered many good things of grandpa Damrough, and helped me ease my mind. Another example of me using drawing to vent my feeling was the day my dog passed away. For a long time our Shetland sheepdog named Kipper had been a big part of the family. We got her when I was just five or six years old. She was the greatest companion a person could have. When I would get home from school she would greet me at the door and spend the day with me. Then after she was done begging for food at the dinner table, she would accompany dad to the basement for some tv on work nights, and late night hang outs on his days off. Occasionally, we would have a fire in the summertime which she would always accompany us to, to guard the woods behind the house while we enjoyed the fire. In her later years, she began to slow down a bit. She wasn't the energetic and fast pup she use to be. At the age of 12, she developed bone cancer. She died during the summer of my junior year. Besides my drawing I tried to do on that day, I still do drawings of pictures we have of her occasionally. She is one of my favorite things to draw, because of the happy memories she brings into my mind. I have learned to do other sorts of art during my years at Prep, such as pen and ink, colored pencils, and stamp arts. However, my favorite type of art is still a plain old pencil and shading drawing. My best drawings come from when I have something to look at, and I duplicate it. This has always been my specialty, and I'm guessing it always will be. Not only do I use drawing to vent feelings, but I also sometimes draw for entertainment. I have done numerous drawings of my favorite college team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I have done drawings of players, the stadium, and its backdrop, which is the famous Touchdown Jesus painting on the side of the Notre Dame library.
I have also done many drawings pertaining to Prep. I have drawn different pictures of Prep lacrosse, because that is the sport I play. Mr. Vicary in Prep's art class has also had me do different random drawings pertaining to the kind of drawing we were studying. My drawings in class are often better, because of the techniques Mr. Vicary teaches in class. I hope to keep drawing a big part of my life, and turn it into part of my career. I plan to study graphic design in college, using my knowledge of art and drawing skills to help me along the way to becoming a graphic designer. My family and friends have been very supportive of my drawing, which had helped me strive to make myself even better. This support had helped me realize what I want to do in life, and I have my family and friends to thank for it. Graphic design is just the kind of major I can do well in during college, and I hope it plays out that way. Drawing had been a way to express myself throughout my entire life so far, and I intend to keep it that way.
My Psychological Home One of the most important places in the world to every person is where they feel most comfortable.
This place can be anywhere, depending on the scenery or people that inhabit it. A person's psychological home can be a quiet place to think, where they can do important things requiring much thought, or simply a place to get away from every day life where one can relax in the company of loved ones, and peace and quiet. This place could also be the exact opposite. Someone may find a place they find themselves most comfortable to be a rowdy, loud place where they can enjoy themselves with family, friends, or even complete
strangers. My place of sanctuary happens to be that of both. My aunt and uncle's house holds a very important place in my heart. Not only can it be a place of piece and quiet where I can enjoy my family and friends, but also have a fun and loud time with them. Since I was little it has been my favorite place to go to. Scenery is a big part of the reason I love their house so much. Their house is located just north of Gate of Heaven cemetery, right on the lake; and when I say "right on the lake", I mean it. Patty and Tim Riley's house is located on a hill overlooking Lake Erie, in Fairview. Aunt Patty is sister to my mother, Barb Crotty, who passed away when I was six years old. Ever since, I have sought the comfort of my blood family at the Riley house. My mother had two sisters, including Patty. Peg Kanetsky is my other aunt. Aunt Peg and my two cousins Andy and Lizzie come in from Breckenridge, Colorado to visit us over the summer and during holidays. Knowing that I can see the sisters of my mom when I go out there is always a decisive factor in my plans for the day. I love my aunts very much, but not simply because they are my mom's sisters. They also look much alike, and act like my mom. They all have freckles as I do, and have the same caring and loving spirit my mom had. My aunts love me very much, and seeing them reminds me of my mom a lot. Another one of the many reasons I find my psychological home at the Riley's is the beach. It is a beautiful scene at the beach below their house, and it is a priority to go to the beach when I visit the Riley's. Walks on the beach with my family are ways of allowing me to get away from every day life. Another great thing my mom taught me about the beach is beach glass hunting. From an early age, mom and I would go hunting for the delicate, beautiful looking glass. Ever since, I have loved going hunting, because it reminds me very much of the good times mom and I had together hunting. Of course, there was no better double team than mom and I at glass hunting, but I have found good substitutions. Naturally, my two aunts share the family skill of beach glass hunting. Also, my very good friend Lauren has accompanied me to hunts on the Riley's private beach. Beach glass hunting will always be a good way to relax, and to remember mom. Holidays are obviously a key time for family and friends to gather and celebrate history and tradition together. It is the same with my family. Of course, the Riley house is the hot spot for other Crotty family celebrations. Aunt Patty's food is always prime also. A major part of our holiday celebrations revolves around the meal served during our celebration. Aunt Patty always cooks, but everyone does their best to help in any way they can. Kevin, Dan, and Sean always help their parents prepare the house and the meal during our holiday celebrations. My three loving and hilarious cousins always love helping their mom in anyway to share the load. Christmas is looked forward to the most by all those who gather to celebrate at the Riley home. To most it is the biggest holiday of the year anyways, why not act like it? Aunt Patty, and when she is in town, Aunt Peg prepare a delicious dinner, while others either help prepare the meal, or simply wait and chat in apprehension of the meal. My favorite part of our Christmas Day celebration is visiting with my family and family friends throughout the day. Aunt Patty's famous cranberry sauce is my favorite part of the meal, closely followed by her also famous main course of smoked ham. My second best reason I find my sanctuary at the Riley's, is because of the summer celebrations. My aunt and uncle are famous in their social circle for their clam/ lobster bake they hold each July during the summer. Literally everyone that knows my aunt or uncle shows up to this exciting summer event. The backyard of the Riley house is perfect for this kind of party during the summer. On a sunny, warm day, everyone gathers to reminisce with each other in their past memories with one another. However, in the end, my most significant reason for the location of my psychological home is the people. There is no disagreement or unkindness in the Riley home, only politeness, comedy, and love. My aunt Patty treats me like a son, as does my uncle Timmy. My cousins Sean, Kevin, and Dan all see me as much of a brother as they do their actual brothers. Not only do they see me as family, but the regular visitors at the Riley's also find me as family. My aunt and uncle's friends, whom they have known for a very long time, also have known me since I was very little. My family is very tightly-knit. I believe that the center of this strength revolves around the Riley home.
My Greatest Accomplishments Accomplishments in a persons life can shape their career.
One may find that the reason that they have made these accomplishments is that they have a knack for that thing. Someone could also have accomplished these things just because they are a hard worker, which can also shape their life strongly. Either way, accomplishing important things in life may have a very large effect on the life of that person. Many people knowingly accomplish certain things in order to send their life in a certain direction. The life of a person is strongly guided by their achievements and goals accomplished throughout their life. My first accomplishment in life came when I was in grade school at Saint Andrew's School. Every year the school would hold a school wide spelling bee for the 5th through 8th grade. At an early age, my dad taught me to read by reading me books and having me try to read some simple pages. Apparently, this adolescent training paid off. In my 5th grade, I won the class spelling bee, beating a good grade school friend of mine. The rules were that the winner, and the runner up of each grade would go on to the next stage. Within the next week was the grade competition. We gathered in the school conference room for the competition. My 5th grade companion lost early in the competition, but I continued on. All I could do is spell the words the best I could, and hope for the best. Low and behold, I won, despite going up against kids older and more knowledgeable than
I.

In two weeks, I would go on to represent St. Andrews in the Diocesan Spelling bee. My principal, Mrs. Justka gave me a sheet of words to study during the wait until the day arrived. Throughout the next two weeks, my dad and I went over these words every night. However, I had problems with some words. In particular, I had special trouble with the word "embarrassed". I could not get it into my head to spell it with two r's and two s's. Dad gave me some advice on how to spell the word. He said, " just think of spelling 'embarr-ass-ed' ". Being around his friends during sports events a lot, I was use to profanity. When the day came, I felt ready as I could be. My family came to watch me participate in my first city wide competition. I was excited to be part of it, but I was also excited to miss school for the competition. When I looked at my opponents, I noticed they looked very confident. However, I shrugged it off and focused. I survived the first two rounds with ease. However, the third round was not meant for my advance. Naturally, I was given the word "embarrassed" to spell. My mind went blank, and I panicked. I spelled the word wrong, of course, and lost in the third round. Of course, I was disappointed, but my family, and my school was proud of me. I may have lost the competition, but it did help me. Ever since the competition, I have been great at spelling. I have my dad, and my principal to thank for this gift. They gave me the support I needed to become a very concise speller throughout my life so far. I see this as an accomplishment because it has helped shape my academic English career in my classes. My vocabulary test scores have been very good ever since 5th grade, and has eased the problem of spelling errors in essays that I have written for school. My second greatest accomplishment was to be my dads best man at his wedding, when he married my step mother Debbie. My dad was a nervous wreck during the weeks prior to the wedding. I was an anchor for him to help keep him from going crazy before the wedding. My dad had been married to my real mom for a long time before she passed. Therefore, he was "a little rusty", as one might say. On the day of the wedding, dad was a mess. I decided to give him a sort of pep talk, however immature I was. He went on to marry my step mom with ease, and has been happily married to her ever since. I see this as an accomplishment to me because it made me feel like an important person during a tight situation. Another accomplishment that I feel has been a big part of my life is the reception of the sacrament of confirmation. I had felt that I was beginning to fall way from God, thanks to emotional doubt. I wondered why God hadn't intervened when bad things had happened to me. I wondered why I didn't hear a response when I talked to him. Confirmation vanished doubt from my religious life instantly. During our first meeting during confirmation, Father Sullivan confronted all of us individually about why we each wanted to be confirmed. I told him that I had doubts about God. He told me that he had noticed throughout my life that I was a very good person. He said that there is no reason to doubt God, because whether I knew it or not, through all the bad times, God was with me. Immediately, I felt a change in my relationship with God. What completely diminished my doubts in God was our retreat to Villa Maria. It was an overnight trip in which we would discuss many different topics relating to confirmation. My experience during this retreat was life changing, to say the least. Of course it was fun to go on a trip with my friends from the parish to Villa Maria, but my religious experience was even greater. My time in the chapel at VM helped to break down a barrier between God and I. Finally, I could see and talk to God in church, as well as during my own time. When I was confirmed in September, my relationship with God was cemented in stone. I felt closer to God than I ever had in past years. I feel that this a big accomplishment in my life because it has greatly increased my experience in the religious aspect of my life. I know that through this experience, I will be a devoted Christian throughout the rest of my life. My Influences One's influences in life can come from a variety of things. They may come from a successful person they know, who they have learned from and taken after. It may be a person who has died, and work hard in their life, doing the best they can in memory of that person. One's inspiration may also come simply from a person they are very close to and want to live their life as their inspiration has. My influences are a combination of these things. First, is my grandmother, Sally Crotty. In her life, she has done everything to make the best out of every situation, and has worked hard to make a good life for herself. In the World War 2 era, she was one of the famous "Rosie the Riveters". She has told me many a time that she has always been sort of a tomboy, and it paid off. Her job during WWII was an engineer, working on airplanes, tanks, and other kinds of devices used in the war. She was a strong and hard working young woman, which were obvious requirements of her job. Throughout the war, she worked tirelessly on craft of all types. After the war, she went on to study to become a nurse. After she earned her degree, she became a nurse working in Philadelphia. Grandma has always been a knowledgable person, and being a nurse put this fact to the test. Yet, she went on to become one of the best nurses in Philadelphia. During the war, she had met my grandfather, and they ended up marrying each other and living in Philadelphia together. After living there for a few years, they came here to Erie. Shortly after coming to Erie, grandma had my dad. After some years of continuing her work as a nurse at Hamot Hospital, she retired, while my grandpa continued working on a caboose in town. While my dad grew up, she was a hardworking mom, taking care of the family. Throughout her life, she has continued to do so, including watching over me for my dad while he was at work. She helped my dad and I a lot while my dad was single, doing all she could to keep us up. I envy her work ethic very much and hope I can grow up to have the same hardworking and loving mentality and she does. Next is my dad, Bill Crotty. Obviously, I have been able to watch him throughout my whole life. He has done an excellent job of guiding me throughout my life to help me to grow up as a strong and focused young man. His expectations of me are very similar to that of any father, hoping that his son grows up to become an intelligent, and hard working person. To this day he does everything he can to support me in my life. My dad grew up in a couple different places across the Eastern US, from Chicago, to Hackensack, NJ, to here in Erie. Dad was a Cathedral Prep Rambler, just as I am today. He went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business, with an added special talent of great knowledge in mathematics. Today he is one of the best car salesman at the Superior Toyota car dealership, here in Erie. To this day, my dad works hard to support our family, and has done so for many years. He is one of the biggest influences in my life because of his intelligence and loving, but somewhat strict expectations. I am happy he pushes me to excel, because this shows he only wants what is best for me, in hopes that one day I will become just as successful, if not more so, than he is today. Another very big influence in my life has been my three stepsisters, Anne, Amy, and Nicole. Taking strongly after my step mom, they have all gone on to successful careers in each of their own individual fields. Their mothers' "get it done and get it done right" mentality has pushed them to become the best they can be. These three very tight-knit sisters have each faced tragedy in their lives, and have pressed on with perseverance. Nicole, my eldest step sister went to high school at Mercyhurst Prep School. She graduated from there and went on to study at Penn State University. She diligently studied hard, and went on to successfully become a nurse. She now has a husband and two children, Raegan and Jacob, who are my niece and nephew. She leads a very successful in Feasterville, PA as a nurse to this day. Amy, my middle step sister, also went to Mercyhurst, following in her older sisters footsteps. However, she did not follow her sisters career choice. Amy found herself interested in technology. Amy chose to forgo college, and jump straight into adult life. She now leads a successful career working for her father at the Manufacturers Association of Erie, also teaching a class on computer technology. Anne, my youngest older sister followed closely in Nicole's choice of career. After graduating from Mercyhurst and Penn State University, just as Nicole did, she too became a nurse here in Erie at Hamot Hospital. However, she would not stay here in Erie for very long. My parents had decided that she might be a good match with a man named Ryan Bledsoe, whom they met when they were out one night. Anne would go on to agree with their induction, and now lives with the same man in Columbus, Ohio, working as a nurse in a hospital in Columbus. The fact that these girls could grow up to be so successful so early in their lives inspires me. This shows me that I too, if I work hard enough, could become successful in the early stages of my life. My sisters have worked very hard in life to get to where they are now, and they deserve every bit of it. I hope one day that I can become just as much of a successful, loving, and hardworking person as any of my sisters.
If I Had One Year Left To Live Many people in their dying days talk about their regrets, things they wish they could have done, etc. Everyone wants to live their life to the fullest. However, sometimes things are out of reach, and people go through their life without accomplishing some of the things they have always wanted to do. However, everyone should be happy with the life given to them by God, and live it to the fullest. I know that even if I only had one year to live, I would not be able to accomplish everything that I have ever wanted to do. Similar to my liking of art, I have also had a strong liking of music. When I was little, I would fall asleep in a cradle to the sounds of my dad's loud rock and roll music on his day off, when he would watch me as mom would go to work. Even after my infant years, I would fall asleep to my dads music on the stereo at night during his nights off. I loved falling asleep to music, as I still do today. One of the first things I would do if I discovered that I only had one year to live, would be to learn how to play music. I have a guitar and a piano at home, and am good at picking up on tunes, but don't know how to actually play the notes on paper. When I was little, I took piano lessons, but I have since abandoned them. I strongly wish I would have kept in touch with these lessons, because I feel that I could have put them to good use. With my knowledge of how to play musical notes, I would try to create a name for myself in the musical world. I have been told my those close to me that I have musical talent, and I would put it to use in my final months. I would try to put a band together, and begin making songs. In my final year, I would want to make good use of my musical talent. I would use this as a chance to write songs about situations in my life, and important people and parts of my life. Another thing I would partake upon in my final months, would be to go to Ireland. I don't know if one could tell, but Crotty is an Irish name. My family obviously is mainly Irish, and I would love to go to the homeland of my historical ancestry. I have heard that Ireland is a beautiful place, and would love to experience its scenery and the company of the people who live in Ireland. While in Ireland, I would do some research on my family relating to Ireland, and would travel to the part of Ireland in which my family comes from. I have always seen ancestry as a big part of my life, and in my last year I would want to learn and experience all of Ireland that I possibly could.
Thirdly, in my final days, I would want to connect myself to God as well as I possibly could. After receiving the gift of confirmation, I have become much closer to God than I ever have before. In my final days, I would want to experience all about God as a possibly could. However, I want to experience God in life to the fullest anyway. While experiencing my last year alive, I would set a personal goal to devote a good portion of my life to God, just as I plan to at this point in my life. I would want to start a family, and become a family man, who would go to church every Sunday and be faithful to God in any way possible. As a catholic school student my whole life, I have learned that this the proper way to go about later life in any case. I know that whether I have one year to live or not, through my years as a developing young Catholic man, I will not have to worry about doing this. I know that in any case, I will grow up to be a developed man of God. However, were I to only have one year left on earth, I would make sure that I would have God as a big part of my life. Another achievement I would strive to complete in my last year given to live would be to spend as much time with my family and friends as I could. Family and friends have always been a big part of my life, and I intend to keep it like that. To be as devoted and honest with these important people in my life would be key. I would want to live the most honest one year with my family and friends as possible. I would spend as much time with my nephew and niece ad I could, so that at least for one more year I could see them grow up at least that much. I would also significantly strengthen the relationships with my parents. Although I do have a strong relationship with each of them already, I would want to have the best connection with my parents during my last year with them and love them as much as possible. During my last year on the planet, I would want to make the most out of my career also. I know that my talent in art can get me far in the future, and I would try my hardest to make the best out of a career in graphic design. I would want to leave behind a design for something worth remembering. Lastly, I would want to follow my favorite sports teams, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and my own Prep Ramblers very closely. I would try to go to any event I could possibly go to. Especially, I would want to go to as many Notre Dame lacrosse games as possible. During my sophomore year in high school I started playing lacrosse, and ever since I have fallen in love with the sport. During my last days, I would want to attend as many games as possible.
At Least Three Words To Describe Me Depending on a persons personality, tendencies, and actions, there are different words to describe them. Of course, most people live their lives in hopes of being described with positive words. I am one of those people. I have lived my life in hopes of only being seen as a good person, being described with positive words only. Just as the people who influence me, I try to live my life positively, being the best person possibly. First of all, I would like to see myself as a humble person. I do not boast about my personal achievements, and I try not to take to positive comments very selfishly. I don't want to see myself as a person who is very arrogant and self centered, but one who quietly accepts good comments about me, and goes on with my day. To say I am a humble person, I like to think that I am saying I am like the people who influence me. My mom, dad, grandmother, and many others are all humble people. Seeing as I am very close to them, I want to be like them. They have all lived their lives as humble people, only accepting comments but not acting upon them. I hope that not only other people, but also these people who I try to live like, see me also as a humble person. Most humble people in life seem to be the more level headed people. The way I see it is that if I too try to be a humble person, I can be a steady centered person in life. I want to make sure that the way I act in life currently, stays that way in later life. This way, I can become a humble and good person just as my influences in life have become. I don't mean to judge, but sometimes I see people who rather self centered and arrogant, and it seems that people are rather turned off to the attitude of that person. I hope that if I try to be a humble person now, that it will stay like this in my adult life. Kindness is a key part to leading a successful and preferred life. People that are kind to others generally have good social lives, interacting with other people who are kind also. I don't mean to say that traits of a person cause cliques to form, only that people tend to interact with other who behave the same way. To be a kind person isn't a hard thing to do. To be kind one simply isn't judgmental of others, and is a friendly person. I hope that others see me as a kind person. My mother in particular was one of the most kind people I have ever met in my life. She only had good things to say about others, and was never judgmental toward others. The same can be said of my other influences, such as my dad and grandma. I suppose my family just has a tendency to be kind to others, which certainly isn't a bad trait to inherit. Kindness in life can only take you to better places. Sometimes even, in return for your kindness, it will be returned to you, which can boost self confidence. I see myself as a kind person only because I like being kind. Being kind to someone can only make their day better, and may even make the persons day in general. I try to be kind to everyone, every day, no matter how bad my day may be going. I have learned to be kind mainly from my influences, because their kindness always made me feel better on a bad day. I look at those people who have been kind throughout their lives, and see that they all have good social lives, as well as successful careers. I don't think that simply being kind can be your main reason for success, but it may certainly help you. Honest is another word I would use to describe me. Not only is honesty just the right thing to do, but lying is also a sin. I have noticed that people who lie frequently in life often are sometimes "two-faced" as one might say. People who are like this irritate me, because they aren't being honest with others, which hurts the relationship between the two people. People who are honest in life are respectable, which is a good trait to have. People who are up front about things are more truthful, which makes them more reliable. I respect people like these because I know I can trust them to be truthful to me, and I will I hear what I need to. Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, criticism is always welcomed by me. This way I can improve upon myself in areas that an honest person can tell me I need to improve upon. Another reason I like to see myself as honest is because then hopefully I can be seen as a respectable person. I want to be the best person I can be, which obviously involves being honest to myself, and to others. Being a dishonest person in life will not give you true success. Being deceitful throughout life means that you are living a false life. If you cannot be honest with yourself and be open to self criticism, how can you be honest to others? Lastly, I would use the word generous to describe myself. In my life, my family has always been generous towards me. Being generous shows kindness, as well as friendliness, which are great traits to have in life. My family has raised me to be generous towards others, because it is the right thing to do. Also, being generous towards others is infectious. Generosity towards others can make others want to be generous to you, as well as other people. Having these traits in which I have described myself can only help you be better in your life. God said to " do unto others as you would have them do unto you", which I see to be the most truthful statement ever made. I try to follow this statement as closely as I can, in hopes that these traits make me a better person in later life.