Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 10:35 a.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Hi! I am sorry if I haven't written; I have been so busy it is unREAL!! Even with my being on summer vacation, I have found many different activities to keep me busier than a centipede in a toe-counting contest! LOL

I have been performing at different venues around Nashville and even in states like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky. I have been going to church three times a week (Sundays and Wednesdays for services, Thursdays for choir practice). I have been doing book signings for my book, "People Say No, But God Says Yes!: An Autobiography". I have been writing to my friends on the computer and playing with my friends here. I also have been busy getting to know my new brother, Vlademir Aleksander, who is such a cutie!! :)

Healthwise, I have had my best year EVER. :) No (unexpected) asthma attacks, no (surprise) hospitalizations, no flares with my arthritis. No time in the E.R. either for me: the only time I have had to go to the hospital lately is for my physical therapy sessions (Mondays and Wednesdays in the A.M.). It's like my health problems have stopped, and--it's something I can't QUITE get used to! LOL I hope and pray it continues! :) There is nothing worse than being sick OR being in the hospital!

I have been getting ready to go to camp next month. Every August I go to arthritis camp; it's put on by the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, and I have attended Camp SteppingStone since I was about seven years old, and that's where I met my best bud, Nicole. She and I did have a falling out, but now we are tight, and it's good to see her laughing more. She's had a bad few years, and I have tried my best to be there for her in her trials.

I do know one thing, though, already: my friends at camp are gonna' blow their gourds when they see me walking on my canes instead of on crutches! I have been getting around so much easier now since my hip replacement surgery, and I am lovin' my new-found freedom! :)

Oh! Guess what!! I got my hair cut! I also got it straightened! No joke! Oh, my hair is still long, but it's definitely shorter than it was! I now wear bangs, and I look quite--um, shall we say so-phis-to-cated?? *grins* I love my new 'do; I look more like the nearly fourteen-year-old teenager I am and not so much like a little kid! (Now, if I only could do something about my height issues or my fat cheeks--then I would be doing SUPER!! *grins*) Grrrr.. this being short BITES! *GRRR!* LOL

Well, I guess I am gonna' scoot--I am going swimming with Nicole, Kenya, Aisha, and my newest bud, Hallelujah (Hallie), who moved to our neighborhood about a month ago; her last name is Marcus. She's really nice; she moved here from Africa: her parents are missionaries, and they started attending our church. I like her a lot! :)

Anyway, dear Journal, take care and God bless! C ya later! :)

Luv, your pal, Ronee' (The Ronster) Le-Anne Marie Reaux. :D