May Miscellany of 1995

Revisiting these old journals really has been a window, not only into my past self, but into the minds of the students I work with now, in terms of what's important to them and how they probably interpret events. 

Miscellaneous reflections after reading through these entries:  

1) My spelling is largely improving, which makes the errors all the more strange looking. Although Beethoven remains a very difficult word. 

2) My use of the word "cool" as an all-encompassing adjective was...probably very annoying to the adults in my life. 

3) My reasoning on church membership was absurd. Except I was 11, so...right on track?

4) The narrative about the ballet recital is a hoot.  I now understand the focus on developing students' chronological writing skills in my grad classes.  Apparently, it's rather difficult to communicate a chain of events clearly.     

May 4, 1995

Hi! April is finally over! 22 more days and we're otta here! 17 more days till Piano recital.  I'm playing a Scott Joplin song and Fur Elise by Beetonvan.  Strange combo - huh?  We finished our dance in ballet and got our costumes!  There so pretty!  They look like Juliets!  Empire wast, puffed sleeves, pink ribbons, and white gauze! 

The "Juliet" I'm referring to was the glorious Janie Parker in Houston Ballet's production,
which I probably saw with my mom and grandmother earlier that year.   

PS. It's awful the way they beheaded people left and right in the middle ages, huh. 

May 20, 1995

Hi!  Schools almost out (yeah yeah yeah) Schools almost out, (yeah yeah yeah) Arn't I tallented?  (HAHA) 

Tomorrow is my piano recital and I'm playing Fur Elise by Beetoven and The Entertainer by Scott Joplin.  I hope Amy can come but she has a bad sunburn on her legs and feet.  

On Monday is DARE graduation and we get to wear our DARE shirts and jeans all day!  

It's difficult to communicate to anyone who did not wear school uniforms
how notable and exciting a "casual dress day" or even a "DARE t-shirt day" was on the Bracken campus.

I went swimming today, it was so much fun!  

Summer, were are you?  Just around the corner.  But schools in my way! 

I hate school.  (Well, the work part.) 

May 25, 1995

Hey!  on Wednesday at ballet, Dorthy came to dance with us.  It was pretty cool!  

Today we went to the Riverwalk for our 5th grade graduation!  It was fun!  Tomorrow is the last day of school!  I'm so excited!  Well I'de better go and clean my room!  

Yaaaay 5th grade.

May 28, 1995

Hi!  You know I really want to go to church at Shepherd of the Hills.  I mean, I like ACBC but, I just feel more at home at Shepherd of the Hills.  The preachers good and plus almost everybody from school goes there.  (TJ & Amy)  Like, a lot of middle schoolers and high schoolers.  

Well, yeasterday we had the first major rehersal in ballet.  It was pretty cool.  

Friday was the last day of school - YES! 

Mommy leaves on Tuesday, BOO-HOO.  

This is where "Mommy" was headed for a week or two, along with dear Auntie Mary,
leaving the kids with the dads.  My nearly-30-year-old present self says,
"GOOD DECISION, LIBBY AND MARY!"

June 3, 1995

Yo!  The ballet recital was cool!  Jennifer and Betsy picked me up and took me to a hair place and they did my hair in a bun and plastered (I mean plastered) my bangs back (Since mom is in London and Aunt Jeniffer isn't to sure of herself).  Then when we got home Betsy caked on base, blush, and maskara and some other junk.  Then we grabbed the costume and left for Lila Cockeral (The place where we had our recital - it's huge!)  Then we got to the dressing room and I got into my costume and Betsy caked on more base, blush, maskara, and lipstick!  

Then I got everything done and Jennifer and Betsy left to go sit with daddy in the seats.  Some of the girls were acting up but I streached out.  Finally we were called.  We're Dresden Dolls who are up in the attic.  A girl Dorthy finds us and we come to life.  After our act is a maypole scene with 3-8 yr old dancing.  Since it takes so long to organize the "babies" they put a screen behind us and behind the screen is the babies.  After our act, the screen rises and there they are.  Set to jet! We are behind a curtain, while the overture is playing, it's closed.  We where all talking and laughing while it was playing.  Of corse - there were several false alarms.  But finally it was ready.  
I don't think I messed up.  

Today we called mommy!  She was good.  But, I miss her.  But, tommorrow I get to go to Corpus!  YEA! And see Hol-Hol and Bonster!  (Otherwise known as Holly and Bonnie)

Tonight we watched a movie called "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweilder."  It was good!  I had already read the book (wouldn't you know it?!)  

So good.

Although the experience didn't make it into my diary, I believe this Mommy-goes-to-London trip was also the first time I operated a washing machine, thus learning the life lesson that teal underwear will cause white socks to become a pale shade of blue.  

PS. Beheading people WAS awful.  

No Noticable Cuts

Note: The heading of this entry is a revealing window into my decades-long battle with how to spell the word "Saturday."  Even post-college graduation, I would pause while writing and briefly wonder "E or U?"  I'm delighted to share that now, in my 29th year, I believe I have finally mastered the word. 

Saterday 

April 15, 1995

Hi!  Yeasterday (another tricky word) we had lunch with the Nelsons!  It was really fun!  Today me and mommy went to Beth's house and me, Beth, Sarah, Josh, Jared, and Elisha had an Easter party!  It was a lot of fun!  Tomarrow is Easter!  Cool, huh?  Well, now I'm going to play King's Quest V!  

Kings Quest V was a CD-ROM computer game to which Adam and I devoted many hours.  A king loses his castle and family somehow and has to travel around his magical world with his friend the owl searching for them and encountering adventures.  Like drinking tea?

I mean, you had to fight a Yeti by throwing a pie in his face! How awesome is that? Sadly, there was a glitch in our copy that caused the computer to basically shut down every time we reached the final, climactic showdown with the evil magician, so we never knew how it ended.  Bummer.

Sunday 

April 23, 1995

Hi!  Yeasterday (there it is again) I shaved my legs for the first time.  I didn't get any noticable cuts!  I saw a movie at Amy's called The Princess Bride. It was really good!  Well I can't think of anything else to say so - bye! 

Woa - the first time shaving my legs AND seeing The Princess Bride all in the same day?!
That's one exciting day.

And I'm still quite relieved when I have no "noticable" cuts after shaving.

In Your Face, Becky!

Note: Wow. This entry reads like I downed a double shot espresso into my little 5th grade body.  I don't mention the romantic escapade again in the diary, but I'm pretty sure "the relationship" lasted about a day.  It's just too funny not to share.  I think the experience is made better if the entire entry is read aloud super fast in a high-pitched voice. 

March 9, 1995

Dallas likes me!  Can you believe that?  And I like him too!  It's wierd isn't it?  (Note: Ha! Yes.  Liking people is SO wierd.)  I knew because TJ and Dallas are best friends, and tomorrow the speech meet - oh and I'm going, I'm saying "I have a dream" - so we put our chairs in a cemi-circle and played "gossip" and at the end when we were all leaving Dallas said "I know what I would have said, It's about Lee!"  I kept on bugging him and finally I said "Sarah, make TJ tell you!"  So she did and she started cracking up!  and I'm all "What? What? Tell me!" And she did!  And I felt kind of wierd.  Then I asked TJ if it was true and he said "Yes" and told him I like Dallas too!  Beth told me later that after I left Dallas asked Beth if I liked him and Beth said, "Lee would kill me if I told."  And TJ said "Yes, she likes you!"  And Beth said Dallas started jumping around majorly! Anyway, I'm happy and now when this brat Becky at ballet asks me if I have a boyfriend I can say "yes!" 

After all, what's the point of liking someone if you can't brag about it to your arch-nemesis at ballet? This entry is quintessential example of why I'm glad I've kept a journal throughout the majority of my life.  Without documentation, I would've forgotten all about this, but thanks to the trusty college-ruled single subject blue notebook I kept from 1994-1995, the moment is recorded in all its pristine, 5th grade ridiculousness.  Too bad I didn't write about the "break up"....if it could even be called that? Maybe we just went to school the next day and acted like nothing had happened?  What happens in the "gossip cemi-circle" stays in the gossip cemi-circle?