Friday, September 4, 2009, Hope, Arkansas, 11:16 a.m., D.S.T. (study hall)~

Dear Journal~

Howdy!  It's  me, Reagan Laura Peterson!  Hope this finds y'all well!

I'm doing good.  I am in the fifth grade now here at Hope Springs Elementary School; my teacher this year is Mrs. Bean.  She's okay, I guess; I still don't know her that well; school only started back up on Monday.

This weekend, I'll have a long one:  no school Monday.  Labor Day.  Which means we will watch the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon all day and then go to the park, for a picnic.  Hope it doesn't rain; it's been raining here lots lately, and I am getting sick of it!

Lindsay, my baby sister, has had an ear infection; that's why she's been crying so dang much.  Mama got her some ear medicine from the doctor; I hope it helps  her out!  She's really been miserable!

As for my brother, Johnathon, I am glad I don't see him until we get back on the bus after school is done for the day.  He's really a terrible little pain in the you-know-where!  He continues to torment "Jewels", my little Pomeranian puppy-dog, and if he tries to put "Spike", our iguana into our food again, I am going to make HIM eat "Spike"!  That's nasty!!  It's no wonder I lose my appetite just about every night because of Johnny acting so stupid!!

I feel sad whenever I watch the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon:  I have a cousin, Willie, who  has muscular dystrophy.  He's thirteen, older than me, but he is in a wheelchair; he used to walk, but now he needs his chair to get around.  He wears braces on his legs, and he's gotten so weak he needs help doing a lot of things.  I just wonder how long he will live; I don't like the thought of my cousin dying!!

He was supposed to go to muscular dystrophy camp this past month, but because of the swine flu outbreak, they cancelled all muscular dystrophy camps.  Bummer.  So he had to stay home this year; bet he wasn't too amused about it!

I have a new friend here at school:  her name is Reaux.  Reaux Michelle Delahoussaye.  She used to live in Louisiana, near New Orleans, but Hurricane Katrina chased her out of there; she now lives here in Arkansas.  She's really nice, and I love her Cajun French way of talking; I could listen to her all day!  She's in my grade:  fifth.  She was six years old when Katrina hit; she said it was something she hopes never to experience ever again; that is one reason why she and her family moved here to Arkansas.

I told Reaux we have tornadoes and thunderstorms here; she says she'd much rather face a tornado or a thunderstorm than a full-blown hurricane!  Don't blame her, especially since Hurricane Katrina took her home!!  She and her family came with nothing but the clothes on their backs and very few possessions; she is very lucky that she got out of that alive!!

Well, I gotta go.  Study  hall is fixin' to end; then it's lunch and then music afterwards.  What fun!!  I love music, and today for lunch, they're having tater tots, hot dogs, and salad with apples or oranges for dessert.  Yum!!  I love tater tots!!  They're my favorite!  I will write in here again soon; until then, take care and may God bless you always!

Love, your friend, Reagan Laura in Arkansas.