My name is Courage Danielle Watkins.  I live in Redding, California.  I am 11 years old.

I have a mom, a dad, and three brothers (all younger).  Their names are Colvin Dexter (10), Chevron Daniel (8), and David Malcolm (5).  I'm the only girl (and the oldest).  We also have two Ragdoll cats named "Blueberry" and "Bostwick".

I am in the fifth grade. 

I have long, reddish-brown hair that I usually wear tied back into a ponytail, big, grey-blue eyes, and freckles sprinkled across my nose and cheeks.  I am fairly short for my age: I take after Mom.

I like to hang out with my friends, read (anything will do as long as it isn't about horror or monsters or kids acting stupid!), talk on the phone, watch television, draw, write stories or poems, go on trips, help out at church (I help out with the younger kids every week after children's church), and tell others about Jesus Christ.  (I accepted Jesus at church camp two years ago when I was nine.  Got baptized when I was ten.)

I don't know why Mom named me Courage: I don't know any other kid with that name.  It's not bad, but I think it's pretty weird.  I would have rather been named Calissa or Cori, but I have to be content with what I have.

Maybe it's 'cause I was born early.  I weighed less than two pounds; I was teeny.  I spent months in the hospital and I had a bit of a hard time the first few years.  Maybe that is why I got the name of Courage: it's the only thing I can think of.

I've seen pics of when I was in the hospital, and I was tiny-tiny!!  It's a miracle I even survived at all!

I'm just glad being born early didn't mess me up.  I do have some learning delays and dyslexia, but I do pretty good, all things considering.  I am in the Special Needs class and the teachers there have really helped me a lot, as have my parents.  I am a lot better off than I used to be, but I am still somewhat behind my classmates.

Well, I gotta go.  I'm at school now as I write this and it's almost time for my next class, which is math.  YUCK.  I HATE math with a purple passion!  I will write in here again soon; 'til later, this is Courage Watkins saying I'm outta here!  Take care and God bless!

~Love, your new friend in California, Courage.  :)

To be continued.~