Suzanne's Diary
3rd grade (1981-1982)
4th grade (1982-1983)

June 23, 1981

I am visiting Aunt Martha. She and Uncle John are very nice. It is fun in Florida. We will have to leave soon.

June 24, 1981

We are going to Walt Disney World soon. Calico is Martha's cat. I have a secret room.

June 25, 1981

We are on our way to Walt Disney World. I'll probably get sunburned again.

We are on our way home now.

Sept. 22, 1981

It is getting colder now. I must wear a sweater. I am learning how to write in cursive. At the bus stop, the boys bother me. Lori and I were playing a fun game.

Sept 23, 1981

Today was Ice Cream Day.

Oct. 28, 1981

I haven't written in a long time. Halloween is coming!

Halloween

I'm happy Halloween is here.

"Fingernails,
Lunch pails,
Rotten eggs too!
These are in my witches' brew,
I got magic!
Alicazamicazoo!"

Nov. 6, 1981

Halloween was fun this year. Now in music we'll be learning Thanksgiving songs. Mom's already started playing Christmas songs.

---

January 2, 1982 (Saturday) [This is where the diary actually starts -- everything before this was copied into it out of an old spiral-bound notebook I had been keeping sort of a diary in.]

I wasn't here yesterday so here are some resolutions:

Don't fiddle with glasses.

Don't get mad at Brad.

I shall write again tomorrow.

January 3, 1982 (Sunday)

Tomorrow we go back to school. It's hard to remember to write 1982 instead of 1981. I'll write again tomorrow.

Jan. 24, 1982 (Sunday)

I've not written for a while, but today I write again.

May 30, 1982 (Sunday)

I haven't written in a long time. I'm going to copy some old entries from other diaries. We have a pool now. [The 'old entries' are everything before January 2, 1982 -- I typed them in in chronological order so they would more accurately show my life.]

Aug. 12, 1982 (Thursday)

School starts soon. I have a diary that fits in my purse. I've decided to use it for school. I need a new purse.

Jody's birthday is soon.

November 7, 1982 (Sunday)

Mom keeps getting in bad moods. She makes me mad one moment, and happy the next. She's weird. It's her job.

School is fun. I'm in ALERT, or Active Learning Experiences in Resourceful Thinking. My teacher is Mrs. May Peach.

November 8, 1982 (Monday)

Almost everything worked out right today. It has been fun.

Drat these pierced ears! There was dried blood on one of them today.

See you tomorrow.

Nov. 9, 1982 (Tuesday)

I hate mom!!!!

Two days after Thanksgiving (Saturday)

Thanksgiving was fun. We visited Grandmother, but so did [cousins] Josh and Leah. Josh gives me a headache! But he's fun too and so is Leah.

I wish Jody still went to Lonnie B. Nelson [my elementary school]. Then we could play together.

Goo' bye.

November 28, 1982 (Sunday)

Jody and I made up code names. Mine is Angelina Artemis Marie. Jody probably will end up as something Athena Josephine.

Our chorus is singing at Spring Valley high. We had an after-school practice once, but I couldn't stay.

January 1, 1983 (Saturday)

Today is the start of another year, and, I hope, a good one. Here are some resolutions, I hope to use.

• Don't listen to the kids at school.
• Try not to get mad at Mom.
• Try to improve in P.E.

Yesterday I bought a new Garfield [book, I assume].

March 27, 1983 (Sunday)

Today is Margaret's birthday. Now she's 9. I am 10.

Jody and I have used lots of code names. I have been Natasha, Susan, Peepiceek and now I'm Jasimine Heather Ivy Lily Abott Nolan. Jody was Holly and Reepicheep and now she's Lisa May Janette Winchester Nolan.

Easter Vacation! Hip, Hip, HURRAY! Tra la la boom de ay!

March 30, 1983 (Wednesday)

I have a pencil that writes in four colors: red, purple, blue and green.

Mom and I had a tiff about whether I was to watch Real People or she, The Thorn Birds. We agreed: I watch half of Real People.

Our visit at Grandmother and Granddaddy Lonon's is fun so far.

Easter (Sunday)

Tomorrow we go back to school. Since I've written, we've visited Grandmother and Granddaddy Saunders' house. We got there Thursday. Friday Grandmother had to work. Granddaddy gave me a flying lesson. We didn't get off the ground though. It wasn't bad at all. [My grandfather Saunders owns a two-seater airplane.]

Saturday we went shopping. I bought some paddle wheel beads, some Star Princess and Pluta paper dolls, and 3 comic books. We went grocery shopping at Lowes, too. Uncle Scott bought us two orchids, but we forgot to bring them. Maybe next year I'll get to wear a corsage.

We ate at Quincy's. Grandmother and Granddaddy ate with us. We went to a steak house, and only one of us got meat!

All in all, this Easter vacation has really been a fun one.

April 15, 1983 (Tuesday)

I hate Mom! She's mean and she breaks her promises!

May 14, 1983 (Saturday)

I am rather lonely. One can't always take company in books, and I am not studious. Dolls get boring at times, and I have not many pastimes. Our pool is not ready to swim in yet, so I can't swim. Sometimes I wish I had a sister.

How does one get rid of a pest? There is a boy named Donald in my reading class who is always bothering me -- on the bus especially. I think he likes me, but I don't like him!

Next week will be busy. We have a chorus performance Tuesday night, one Wednesday we have another chorus performance during the day and our dress rehearsal for ballet later, and on Thursday we have the second to last day of ALERT and our recital. Our costumes are baby blue and are decorated in white and gold, with downy white feathers on the top front edge. [I believe that would be the neckline.] We also have cute little crowns, with five points. The points are covered with gold glitter, and the part that touches our hair is covered with downy white feathers just like on the top front edge. The costumes are very pretty.

We are using hula hoops in our dance. It may sound odd, but we are. I'll describe our dance. We move our arms up and down four times, boray [bourée] turn, tondu [tendu] to he left, right, left, right, peekay [piqué] front four times, join hands, bauma [battement] back, then front, potabouray [pas de bourée] four times, run into a kind of V, shanay [I don't know the correct spelling of this one] three times, run in, run out, every other person go get a hula hoop, put it over the person on your right, put it over the person on your left, join partners and run around in circles, lift up, down, up, down, everyone but Sue and I puts down their hula hoop; we hold ours high and everyone runs under it, we put ours down, either boray [bourée] back or boray front, peekay [piqué] right twice, peekay left twice, run off the stage. We dance to a song called Star Maiden, or maybe its Star Maker. Bye.

May 15, 1983 (Sunday)

Today was kind of boring but we filled the pool today.

May 19, 1983 (Thursday)

I am nervous. (written right before ballet recital)

May 21, 1983 (Saturday)

Wednesday was rather confusing. Christine and I (and Lei and Reagan) were sitting together when Lizzy [ballet instructor] found us. Then we moved way up front and sat for five or six dances. Then we moved into the wings. We did our number twice. After the dance we had our group picture taken. After that we stood in line to order pictures. Mom bought some indivuduals and a group picture. It took quite a bit of persuading to get her to buy the group picture, plus a promise to pay for it with my allowance.

At ALERT we played Mrs. Padget's class at Concentration. We creamed them twice, 29 to -3 the first time and 10 to 2 the second!

We also planned our picnic at Sesqui [Sesquicentennial State Park]. I have to bring cookies and brownies.

The recital was fun. We got to watch the first half of the show. I found out that Ward Bates and Barry Simmons take tap! I saved a program.

Jennifer Beachum performed in one of the dances that I didn't get to see. So did Ward and Barry.

Our dance went well, only Nicole and I couldn't hold hands [we were too far apart] and the audience laughed. After our dance we had to go downstairs with everyone else.

Friday we had Arts Day. At nine o'clock we visited a storyteller for half an hour. The we saw some cloggers (Page Spillane's teachers) until ten. Then we went to the bathroom. After we saw a woman who plays the banjo. Then, in the artroom, we saw a woman who makes her own paper. Finally we had lunch.

After lunch we visited a woman who makes ceramics. Mrs. Jones picked a name from a box of names. It was Jonathan Fogle and Jonathan got a Garfield pencil holder, the lucky duck!

Then a woman visited us. She had a dulcimer and an autoharp. We sang some songs.

After school I visited Lori. We had a great time. But just before I left we had an arguement. We patched things up today, though.

Today we installed our pump. The pool may be ready to swim in tomorrow. I sure hope so! Bye.

May 24, 1983 (Tuesday)

I'm not feeling good. It seems like EVERYTHING is coming to an end. ALERT, ballet classes, EVERYTHING! Both will start up again next year, but it seems as if they'll never start again!

Well, I'll try to get off the subject. Our pool is ready to swim in, FINALLY!

Mom is ALWAYS yelling at me. She blames me for everything, EVERYTHING!

Bye.

May 25, 1983 (Wednesday)

Today was our last ballet class for this year. We didn't do anything special. First we danced our recital dance. Then we did things one at a time across the room. After that we made up some dances and danced them. Then we saw Lizzy dance. Then we made up another dance. After that it was time to go. Lizzy gave us candy.

I wish it didn't have to END!

May 26, 1983 (Thursday)

The last day of ALERT was today. It was fun. We had an egg-throw. I ended up being partners with Willie.

Also we did a Trust Walk. I was paired up with Lisa Turner. What we did was one person took their partners elbow and closed their eyes and their partners led them around. We got to "take pictures," that is, at three different times our partners would tell us to blink. We would blink, and our picture was what we saw when we blinked.

Secret Assignments was another thing we did. We got a card with a category written on it. I got "Things that are rough." We had about 15 minutes to pick up things that fit in her categories. Then we tried to guess each other's. Stephanie Stephenson guessed mine.

We did skits, too. Our was about piano lessons (Margaret's). Sarah Lefton was the piano teacher.

At the end of the day (I forgot to put down that all of this was at Sesqui. We had to walk to get there and back) we got a candy bar, some of Margaret's candy, a balloon, and a Burger King pencil.

Everyone in the class got an award, 1 or 2 people got two. I got Best Listener. Margaret got Best Writer and Best Student. Chris Harjes would have gotten the Most Forgetful award, but Mrs. Peach didn't give it out.

Jody is spending the night tomorrow.

Tomorrow is May Day Play Day.

May 28, 1983 (Saturday)

May Day Play Day wasn't too bad. We each signed up for 4 things. I signed up for limbo dancing, hoops and ropes, tug of war, and novelty relays.

After lunch (we had bag lunches and ate in the room) we had a frog-jumping contest. Fourth grade got 3rd place. Bobby Otts represented 4th grade. Ms. Ross represented the staff, and a girl I know (she takes tap at the Bailey Studios) named Nicole Dasho represented 5th grade. I can't remember who represented the other grades and kindergarted, but 5th grade won.

Jody spent last night here. She left a bunch of stuff here. Yesterday we went to see "Space Hunter" in 3-D. We got to keep our 3-D glasses. When got home we watched most of "The Sound of Music".

Today we went to Sesqui before Jody went home.

May 29, 1983 (Sunday)

Today I found out some sand news. Joe [my dad] has had trouble with his nerves. It may be because Mom and he don't get along well. If so, Joe may not live with Mom and I. He is spending the summer with Ed Ewing to see what it is like without us. All I can do is hope and pray. Please, God, keep our family together!

May 30, 1983 (Monday)

Except for one thing, the day was boring. The one things was chorus had a party. We had ice cream sandwiches.

June 4, 1983 (Saturday)

During the week was boring, except for Friday. Friday we would have seen "Annie" but our TV didn't work. So we went to music class, imagine, on the last day of school! We played a game where (its like kickball) instead of batting Mrs. Corbitt asked you a question. If you got it right you went first base so forth and so on. 3 outs made an inning. No stealing bases, though. The other team won.

After that we split into 3 groups. 1 group went to each of the other three classrooms. We started to watch "Star Trek," but it was boring so I went back to Mrs. Jones classroom.

On to the 5th grade
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