Thoughts by the Sea

This journal hasn't been completely filled yet.
I bought it on a trip with Singers
when a friend pointed it out to me.
It was perfect because it combined two things
I love: the beach & journaling. :)

 People often ask me what I write in my journal. As you can see from this entry, I write whatever I think. I write about things that have happened that made me laugh, things I want to remember. Although most of this is probably only significant to me, hopefully something here will bring a smile to your face or an encouraging thought to your mind. Sorry I write so small & sloppy...& sporadically. :)

By the way, I was totally joking about the reason we invite Mrs. Christine. She's an awesome friend of my mom's & is always so much fun. She really adds a lot to our trips to the beach...even when she doesn't bring bathingsuits for me. :D (And the bathingsuits look just as cute on her; she just doesn't think so.)

Don't forget to comment on or email me about the "Enjoy the Moment" Giveaway Challenge for July.

When I Grow Up

I think Grandma might've given me this journal.

I forgot that I wanted to be a writer then. I've gone through a list of things I wanted to be:
photographer, counselor, missionary, etc.

I LOVED Mrs. Leverette! I really liked all of my teachers. I have good memories of each one. :) I remember Mrs. Leverette telling me to get my book made into a movie because we had watched a movie of a book we read in her class. This is making me miss elementary school. :) It also makes me want to encourage teachers to have one-on-one conversations to encourage their students. I don't remember everything all of my teachers said or did but I remember SOMETHING about each one of them. You never know which moment each child will remember. Ok, now this is making me wanna write memories of each teacher/grade. I started it, but realized it would take a long time. So, I'll save that for a later blog post. :) To give you a sneak peak, I'll go ahead and let you see what I had to say about preschool. :)

Preschool: I remember not wanting to take naps, so one day they didn't make me. I got bored & took a nap anyway. Mrs. Reesy (sp?) did flashcards of the alphabet while sitting in one of our short chairs...I guess to be at my eye-level. I don't know why I have such a clear picture of that. I also remember fried bologna & the whole class saying loudly, "Awooooooooooooooooooo" anytime someone did something bad. What if life was like that? That'd be awesome & terrifying. :D Oh, I also remember dressing up as a clown...everyone wanted me to tell them how I did my trick. :)

Taco Bell, a Werewolf, & the President

I've been cleaning & packing this week & have found a few journals I didn't even know I had. They've only been partially written in, but here's one of my favorite entries. I wrote it to a friend (I think she's the one that bought me the journal, so it was a record of funny moments we've shared).

Journal Cover

I don't even remember what we did to make him so mad. He's really a nice guy. :)

Proud to be an American :)

She gave this journal to me & is in Guatemala right now (for a year). I miss her so much!

There's nothing like a trip to another country to make you appreciate your own. I remember that 4th of July having new & stronger meaning for me. I was so thankful to be back in America even though I loved Africa so much & want to go back! One thing I didn't expect was to be so excited about the smell of the U. S. :) I kept inhaling deeply to drink it in. :) I hadn't even realized how different Africa (& even England for several hours) smelled compared to the U. S. So I hope you enjoy this day & its smells wherever you are. :) Happy 4th!

This Day 4 Years Ago

Today's entry is from this journal given to me by my grandmother.

August 5, 2007

A friend in high school wrote this poem & gave it, along with a diary, to everyone in the class.

August 15, 2005

This journal was from my high school teacher.
 It may have been one of the prizes in cute little bags
 that she hung from the ceiling
& gave to us when we had earned enough points.
The pages of this one smell good. :) 

 So, this journal entry is kinda weird & embarrassing & boring. But many of my journal entries are quirky like that, & people have often asked me what I write in my journals. Well, here's a tidbit. :) I was trying to find something suitable in a hurry because I'll be at camp all next week & unable to work on them. I'm trying to get a few ready so that I can just post them from my phone.

Part One of entry 8/15/05 

 

Here's the rest of that journal entry.
It was at the beginning of my senior year of high school.

Dear Spottie Dottie Diary

I thought I'd start with a few pages from a Diary when I was a child.

This is the awesome outside of the diary. :) Lock & everything!
Inside it are my deepest, darkest secrets, as you shall soon find out. :)

This is the entry on the first page.  

Typically I'll put a picture of the journal & then put the name of who gave it to me & what the occasion was, but that entry already said it all. Well, except Abbey's last name which is Smith. :) Bet she never thought I'd still have it 15 years later...filled to the end, too. :)

This is the rest of that entry. :) Normally I'll probably type my journal entries,
but my handwriting & spelling were just too cute!

Here's one more just for kicks.

Aren't little kids great? :) By the way, Alyssa & I are still friends...& I still don't tell her secrets. Well, not good special ones at least. ;) Ansley is her sister who still kills frogs, accidently of course. But don't tell, ok?