My First Day of Kindergarten

If you would have asked me last month when I decided to become a writer, I would have told you it started about three years ago. I went to a presentation where a local author spoke about the message in one of her books.

That's when the idea started to grow within me.

At least, that's what I thought.

A couple of weeks ago I was deep cleaning, and found a box of childhood memories. Inside that box, I found this:

My first book!

I wrote it in the fourth grade. I even won a contest with it, and got to go to the local library for an award ceremony. (Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit to only remembering one other book submitted from my class, and there may have even been two awards given, but still - I won!)

Apparently I have wanted to write since I was a 10-year-old kid. Now that I've found this book, the memories are flooding back. I remember the feeling I had as I walked into the room to receive my award. I imagined dozens of people (what I now know to be called "agents") to be waiting for me, each wanting to buy my book.

I was going to be famous!

I was going to be rich!

Then reality settled in.

There were at least a hundred other kids sitting in their chairs, each having "won" their own class contest. And can you believe it, no one had to protect me from the onslaught of raving fans I was sure would pop around the corner any second....

While reading through this masterpiece, I was overwhelmed by how much I've learned in the twenty years since its publication. (And by publication, I mean my hand drawn, hand written on uneven sheets of hand cut paper.)

It's time to redeem myself. Surely this time I will be famous. Surely this time I will be rich.

Without further ado, I present:

My First Day of Kindergarten

(Type-o's, tense, and grammar errors left intact)

Hi my name is Jenny. I am 5 years old. I have lots of friends and I am a popular girl. I live in a strange pretty house.


"Jenny," your father and I talked about moving to somewhere else. she said. "Where" I demanded. Rigby. "She said" I didn't want to but I had to. The rest of the month I was  glomy.


The days past. Tomorrow was the big day. I did a lot of cleaning. I packed and gave half of my stuff away. I hated it.


I went to bed. Jenny time to get up. So I got up and finished packing. The truck got here. We put all the things in the moving van. and we said good-by to our friends and went.


I got there and I like my new house. it was pink and blue. it is very pretty. I live in a fansy place.


Jenny, we are going to start school next week my mom said. your going to be in kindergarten. "I am" I ask. Ya! said my mom. I can't wait "I said." Let's go get suplies I said.


So we went to Shopko, and got all our suplies, and then we went home. we put our name on everything.


School starts tomorrow so I went to bed at 7:00. Jenny get up school starts in 2 hours. So I got up and got in the tub.


and got in my best dress. And went Down stairs and ate


and brushed my teeth and went to school


my teacher was pretty. Her name was mrs. Rose.


Recess. Jenny, do you want to come play with me on the swings. A girl ask me. I guess. I said, and we went and played on the swings. My name is Debbie. she said. Hi Debbie I said.


The bell rang. Time Passed. Time to go home and eat. Debbie can you come to my house I ask. yes. She said. So we went to my house and she called her mom.


her mom said she could eat at my house so we had some soup.


Then we went to her house and got some milk and cookies.


And went up stairs and played Barbies and other games like
     Hid and seek
     tag
     man in the moon 
     we drew
and had fun.


I always had days like that until...Jenny, we had another talk and we desided to move to Salt lake.


here we go again, I said.


I know!

Please send fan mail via the comments section of this blog. I will await to hear from you with the patience of a 10-year-old.