I am Shelby Nicole Lydon.
I was born on Thursday, February 13th, 1992 in Southern California in the same hospital as my mother. My family consists of me, my older brother Wes, and my parents Laurie and George. When I turned three, my family moved to Northern California in a place called Antelope, a sub-city inside of Sacramento, the state capitol. Because this is a brief history, rather than giving you a timeline of my life I will give you my memories instead.
As a child, I had long blonde hair that has since been dyed and re-dyed to black. My eyes have been called "crystal", "ocean", "narnia mystical" and piercing. The first book I can remember reading was Curious George; I would sit on the couch with my dad, who also read Curious George as a child. My first drawing was on a (clean) Bandaid wrapper; my dad still keeps it in his wallet 23 years later. When I was little, my brother (who was and is still a huge role model and hero to me) used to read me Shel Silverstein books to bed. As a second grader, my favorite thing to read was Bram Stoker's Dracula comic book. Vampires would become a life-long interest.
I used to help my mom clean and garden, but would never clean my own room. When my dad came home from work every day, I would check him for scrapes and bruises and then play nurse with band-aids. My best friends were Jennifer, Sara, Allisha, Felica, Kristine, Elissa, and Travis.
As a child, I had long blonde hair that has since been dyed and re-dyed to black. My eyes have been called "crystal", "ocean", "narnia mystical" and piercing. The first book I can remember reading was Curious George; I would sit on the couch with my dad, who also read Curious George as a child. My first drawing was on a (clean) Bandaid wrapper; my dad still keeps it in his wallet 23 years later. When I was little, my brother (who was and is still a huge role model and hero to me) used to read me Shel Silverstein books to bed. As a second grader, my favorite thing to read was Bram Stoker's Dracula comic book. Vampires would become a life-long interest.
I used to help my mom clean and garden, but would never clean my own room. When my dad came home from work every day, I would check him for scrapes and bruises and then play nurse with band-aids. My best friends were Jennifer, Sara, Allisha, Felica, Kristine, Elissa, and Travis.
In elementary school, I entered an after-school softball team with my friend Jennifer. I never considered myself an athlete, and I found the pressure of sports along with the shadow of my brother's success as a baseball player took a lot of the fun from the game. In the end, I played softball for nine years. I was always very envious of him. When I was seven, my nana taught me how to play my first song on piano; I started taking lessons the next year. I joined a jump rope team called Jump Rope For Heart and attended choir for my elementary school. I'm still a terrible singer.
When I entered junior high school, my brother moved out of the house. I took my first art class with the same teacher who had taught my brother, and she congratulated me on both of our abilities; it is a compliment I will never forget. I made new friends and began to change and grow. Meaningless things like trends started to creep into my life, and I found myself falling into a societal group in school. My mom let me dye my hair and wear makeup; the first color I changed my hair to was red.
It was in middle school that I was introduced to anime and my very favorite was InuYasha. My friend showed me her collection of InuYasha episodes and this was the first time I can remember hearing Japanese alongside Japanese animation.
This is a crucial moment in my life.
I became an assistant editor for a school magazine, acting as photographer, comic artist, submissions editor, and graphics director. I started writing poetry, and in fact wrote a poem for my mother for Valentine's day. She still has it.
In 2006 I entered Oakmont High School at 15 years old. The next summer I would travel abroad for the first time for three weeks as a Student Ambassador for California, the first time I ever left the safety of my home and family. On this trip, I went to Malta, Italy, and France. I climbed the Spanish steps, stood below the Eiffel Tower, and walked the streets of Pompeii.
When I entered junior high school, my brother moved out of the house. I took my first art class with the same teacher who had taught my brother, and she congratulated me on both of our abilities; it is a compliment I will never forget. I made new friends and began to change and grow. Meaningless things like trends started to creep into my life, and I found myself falling into a societal group in school. My mom let me dye my hair and wear makeup; the first color I changed my hair to was red.
It was in middle school that I was introduced to anime and my very favorite was InuYasha. My friend showed me her collection of InuYasha episodes and this was the first time I can remember hearing Japanese alongside Japanese animation.
This is a crucial moment in my life.
I became an assistant editor for a school magazine, acting as photographer, comic artist, submissions editor, and graphics director. I started writing poetry, and in fact wrote a poem for my mother for Valentine's day. She still has it.
In 2006 I entered Oakmont High School at 15 years old. The next summer I would travel abroad for the first time for three weeks as a Student Ambassador for California, the first time I ever left the safety of my home and family. On this trip, I went to Malta, Italy, and France. I climbed the Spanish steps, stood below the Eiffel Tower, and walked the streets of Pompeii.
When I returned from Europe, my parents announced they were getting a divorce.
This is a crucial moment in my life.
In high school I joined an art club, but did not stay in it long. I found that structured drawings of fruits and shapes was incredibly boring, but I would not stop drawing even to this day. I took a Driver's Ed Course my sophomore year; this would be the last year they offered this class in high school. I went to homecoming in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. When I was 15 I got my first job filing papers for my mom's work. I maintained a 4.0 GPA for 3 years. At 15, I met a boy in health class that would later become my fiance; we are getting married in 2016.
This is a crucial moment in my life.
In high school I joined an art club, but did not stay in it long. I found that structured drawings of fruits and shapes was incredibly boring, but I would not stop drawing even to this day. I took a Driver's Ed Course my sophomore year; this would be the last year they offered this class in high school. I went to homecoming in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. When I was 15 I got my first job filing papers for my mom's work. I maintained a 4.0 GPA for 3 years. At 15, I met a boy in health class that would later become my fiance; we are getting married in 2016.
In 2008, I entered my first Japanese classroom and began to learn the language; here I would discover a passion for Japan that would never leave me. When I turned 17, I got my driver's license and my first car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. In high school I took another art class, learning how to use charcoal, create block prints, and paint. The following year, I was privileged enough to travel to Japan for two weeks with my Japanese class; the foundation for a lifelong dream was being created. That same year I hosted a Japanese exchange student in my house for two weeks; her name was Kanna.
I graduated high school with a 3.9 GPA and various academic achievements such as numerous Principal's Honor Roll awards (equivalent to College Dean's list).