4 Wheels 4 Girls

August 14th, at Lansing Fish Days, Me Stella and Ana got in the line for bungee jumping and waited in the burning hot sun for at least a hour. It seemed like 100 years until there were 4 people left and then they went and so we were AFTER THEM!!! They got lifted up and started doing flips. Cool. Then their turn was over yay.

Ana is doing a flip

They told me to go over to the one I wanted. I waited and then they got me in the harness and I was ready to go. I got lifted up and it felt awesome. Then I started jumping and it felt like my brain would fly out of the top of my head. I did a back flip and it was so so so cool. I tried and I tried but then finally did a front flip. It was way harder than the back flip. I had a great time and never wanted it to end but sadly it did end.

Working on my flip

Stella and me up in the air

On Sunday, August 14th, our family went to watch the parade for Fish Days.

Waiting for candy to fall out of the sky at the Lansing Fish Days parade

We walked up to Main Street, where we would see all the floats go by. We were looking forward to seeing our cousin Kelly’s float for her hair and nails shop, and we looking forward to all the candy! Once the parade started, we got a bucket and started picking up all the candy that was thrown at us. We saw firetrucks, trackers, and other floats advertising businesses all over Lansing. When Kelly’s float drove by, Annie and Kristy, our cousins, threw extra candy for us. It was super cool!

The awesome Studio K float!

By the end of the parade, we had an overflowing bucket of candy. We shared it with all of our relatives there, and then we ate lunch and went to the Fish Days grounds. It was a great parade!!! 🙂

August 12th, we were at Fish Days, hurrying after dinner to get over to the tractor pull, the activity for the night. When I saw what we were going to have to do, I told our parents that I didn’t want to do it. But guess what? They made me. There were tons of little kids, and not very many kids my age. The only kid I saw that I knew my age was a girl that was in my class named Nicki. That’s who I mostly hung out with on Fish Days besides another girl named Annie. She had done the tractor pull before but she didn’t do it that time. Which left me alone with Nicki. I looked around some more and Dad pointed to a trailer on the back of a truck, filled with different colored and sized mini tractors. My mouth hung open at them as I realized I’d have to ride one of those things and look like I’m struggling because Dad told me there’s a weight on the back that gets heavier as you peddle. And they were teeny! I mean, this was going to be a total embarrassment to look like I’m trying. I didn’t want to seem like I was determined, because then people would think I’m a showoff, but I didn’t want people thinking I’m weak, either. It was SO embarrassing! Well, I had to do it, so I did.

Ana at the Fish Days tractor pull

Finally, I did it and it was over with. The point was to get as far as you could without stopping. And I actually made it pretty far. My aunt and uncle congratulated us by getting us ice cream. Yum! Suddenly, a bunch of my friends that didn’t do the tractor pull but were watching ran up to me yelling my name. I was so confused at first but understood when they told me I’d won. I was given a trophy and my picture was taken. I guess it wasn’t so bad after all!

I won a trophy?!

August 8. After dropping off Aloe, me and Nell went over to ask her mom if we could have a sleepover. When we got there she was not there. We went back and called her and she said sure. YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Me mom and Nell went to go get her things. When we got back we were ready. OUR parents said bedtime girls! UUUUUUUUHHHHHHH!!!! We went and got ready for bed and then jumped into our beds. Me and Nell shared a bed. Greta and Ana shared one and Stella slept in a different room. Nell took all the covers once and I stole them back. She would pinch me and I would do it back and so on. After a while Mommy came downstairs and read so we were very quiet. After that I fell asleep and wanted to do this again sometime with Nell.

Hanging out with Nell and Aloe

Oue day we hade to pick up aloe. Thats mashels babb aloe is so cute. Then sarenade came we placed. Aloe is 4months. Sarenade is 5 yerse old. My and Sarenade place somting that I don’t no what it is called. We would tie a pease of string orpd are feet and see how far we gould go. I liked to hang out whith aloe and serenade.

With our new cousin, Aloe

[Editor’s translation:]
One day [August 8] we hade to pick up Aloe [2nd cousin]. That’s Michele’s [cousin] baby. Aloe is so cute. Then Serenity came, too [Aloe’s big sister]. We played. Aloe is 4 months old. Serenity is 5 years old. Me and Serenity played something that I don’t know what it is called. We would tie a piece of string around our feet and see how far we could go. I liked to hang out with Aloe and Serenity.

August 7th, my parents announced that I would be going off to some camp for middle school girls. I was like, What? At the last minute, you’re just telling me about a random camp that you signed me up for without even telling me? And now you’re saying I have to go? Well, if I was mad, I certainly wasn’t when we got to camp.

I had packed a bag of clothes, my swimsuit, a sleeping bag, and a pillow for the overnight camp. When we pulled in to Lonnings Landing, (which was where the camp was) I spotted a sign that said,
GIRLS 2 B GIRLS THIS WAY
And there was an arrow pointing right. Jean and Dad said bye to me and Greta and dropped us off by the sign. We followed the arrow, carrying all our bags. I was really nervous, but I faced my fears and went up to the woman with blonde hair to sign in. I saw all the other girls heading over to the pavilion, which was where I was. There were about 30 of them. The woman told Greta and me to put our bags over by the picnic tables, so we found a spot and plopped them down. Then another lady told me and Greta numbers and pointed to which table to sit at. I sat down next to a girl that I recognized… Who was she? Oh! I knew her because she was my third or fourth cousin! I said hi to everyone at my table, and I felt really stupid because I felt like everyone already knew each-other since Jean and Dad had taken us an hour late.

Then a counselor passed out two starbursts to each person, and then handed every table a card. We looked at the card. It had little colored squares; each a color of a starburst! By each color square was a question. Then I understood the game completely. I had a red and a pink starburst. So that meant that I had to answer the questions by the pink and red squares.

That's me up on top, about to jump on my beach ball

I got used to everyone and made lots of friends. We did all kinds of fun things like tubing, swimming in a lake and jumping off a platform into the 16 feet deep water, eating, watching movies, roasting marshmallows by the fire, hanging out, listening to cool, healthy music, making homemade ice cream, and lots of inspiring activities for girls. I had a great time with my friends, and the next day, when it was time to leave, I was really disappointed that it couldn’t go on longer. I had my friends sign my shirt that I had painted a few hours before, and one of the counselors passed out CDs with the girl music that we had been listening to for the camp. Another counselor passed out sheets of paper with information about a different girls camp. Then another counselor gave us each a silver and red beach-ball.

I had the funnest time ever! I am so going back next year!

Saturday, August 6th, the first day we were in Lansing, we left Grandma’s house to head out to the Lansing Pool on our bikes. It wasn’t that far; last summer, the year before, and the year before that, every day, my sisters and I would ride our bikes up to the pool. It’s only, like, a mile.

So anyway, we slipped our swimsuits on, gathered our towels and clothes for after the pool, went outside and into the back garage, pulled on our helmets, and were off to the pool! It’s all uphill to the pool and all downhill back. I like that because we’re so tired on the way up, which makes the pool feel better, and then after swimming, we’re kind of exhausted from all the exercise, so it’s nice to have some relaxing time on the way home.

Cooling off in the pool

So we finally made it up to the pool and I took off my helmet as fast as I could so I could jump in the pool. It’s very unlike me to jump in instead of walk in slowly, but I was so hot! I didn’t even bother to put my hair in a ponytail; just plopped right in. It was freezing and I kind of wanted to shriek, but it felt so good that I didn’t. I waved to my sisters to get in and they followed me into the water. I ducked my head under and shot through the water, trying to get used to the temperature. I came up and shouted, “I was the first one under!”

Hanging out with our cousin, Abby

Then I noticed my cousin, Abby, sitting in the red lifeguard chair with a long, red, floaty lifeguard equipment thingy. Abby was on duty today! We walked over and said hi. (We would have ran, but at the pool, if you want the whistle blown at you, all you have to do is run.)

We played until it got cold. Then we hopped out, showered, and started home. It was nice going there again!

Playing games at the Lansing Pool

August 6, Jean and I were invited to join in the morning ritual of coffee on the river. Coffee on the river is a very simple thing: Folks gather at the boat of Jean’s brother, Mike, with their morning cups of coffee, Mike pilots his boat upriver a mile or so and cuts the engine, and the boat slowly, quietly drifts home. We had such a nice time hanging out with family: Mike, Lisa, Barb, Rose and Mark. Thanks Mike and Lisa!

Coffee and conversation, floating down the Mississippi river

August 5th, once we were in Iowa, Aunt Rose told us that that night, we’d go out to dinner. We didn’t know where we were going until we got there. We were in a little town called Rossville. The town really was teeny, and the only restaurant was a little fried fish place called the “Ol’ Rossville Store”. Which is where we ate.

When we pulled in to Rossville, I saw that the restaurant was packed. We had to drive around the parking lot twice to try to find a spot. Finally, we found one, and we hopped out and headed for the building. I had rode out to Rossville with Aunt Barb, and since Jean wasn’t with us, she told me that we were here as a surprise party for Jean. I hadn’t known that before!

We stepped into the restaurant and I saw Jean behind me. Yes! I couldn’t wait to see her face when she realized this was all for her! She came up beside me.
“Hi, Jean,” I said, trying not to sound excited.
“Hello, Stella!–” she started, but was interrupted when we stepped into the party room by a huge, “SURPRISE! Happy birthday, Jean!”
Jean’s face went first to confusion, next to joy, and then she started laughing and crying and she hugged everyone and said, “Oh, guys! You didn’t have to– oh, wow.”

Enjoying a surprise birthday party

I said hi to everyone. All of Jean’s brothers and sisters were there, which is a lot. She has three brothers, Gary, Mike, and Greg, and four sisters, Mary, Rose, Barb, and Janice. All of them have husbands and wives except for Barb and Janice, who both once had husbands but got divorced. So then I have Lisa, Fay, and Kim, and then I have Mark and Bob. So there were a lot of people there, including our family, which has six people. And Greg and Fay have a little boy that’s my cousin that was there named Thurgood, AND there was Grandma. SO…

I ordered the special, which was fried cod fish with tarter sauce. It was good, but I couldn’t finish it because I filled up on the salad bar. (And, but don’t tell, the fruit jello.) So I took my leftovers home. Jean got a few presents, and she got great cards with things like, “Wait, why did I come in to this room?” and “Where did I put the phone?” when the 50-year-old lady in the picture had it in her hand. They were really funny, and, thankfully, Jean though they were funny, too.

I had a great dinner, and plan on having it again (by my leftovers) some day soon!

agusent 4 we woke up and Nell and Makennae and Neva came over to play. we got out the barebe stuff and playeithen was time for them to theve. Then they back. they cepep mackcing qeck stops. we are starting a here salon with only Nell i cant wate to open nouwe here solone i am gone a tack a shower in then they are gona pant my nels and do my i cant want to do all that!

[Editor’s translation:]
August 4 we woke up in Lansing and Nell and Makenna and Neva came over to play. We got out the barbie stuff and played. Then it was time for them to leave. Then they came back. They kept making quick stops. We are starting a hair salon with only Nell. I can’t wait to open a new hair salon. I am going to take a shower and then they are going to paint my nails and do my hair. I can’t wait to do all that!