The Radio Contest

Hello future readers!

This past Monday after school, I was sitting in my room listening to my radio, and playing "Dance Party" with my dolls. Sometimes I like listening to the bigger stations like KHJ in Los Angeles, but we have a local radio station here in town, KSFD. I like this station, because it has groovy contests, and the DJs come to supermarkets and schools and sign autographs or sometimes they even do the radio show from the high school gym or the drive-in and stuff like that. That day I was listening to my favorite DJ, "Madman Mike". He was playing all my favorite songs!

"You better Get It Together, or leave it alone. If you don't want my lovin', I'll be gone."

After that song, Madman Mike announced it was contest time! Yay! He asked "What 3 popular songs have the word "Baby" in the title, and who is the artist or group who sings them?" You had to be the 25th caller, and you could win a meal for you and a guest at Sam's Snack Shack! Outta site!

I ran to the T.V. room to call the station. First I was the 3rd caller, then the 10th, then the 17th! Man, I wish we had a push-button phone!

Finally, I got through! I was the 25th caller! Far out! Dynamite! Madman Mike asked my name and how old I was. I told him, and he asked the question again, "What 3 songs have the word "baby" in the title and who sings them?" I was so excited! I told him, "Baby I'm-A Want You" by Bread, "Baby Don't get Hooked On Me", by Mac Davis, and "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae. Then Madman Mike said, "Julie Ann Newman, you are a WINNER!" I couldn't believe it! I was yelling and jumping up and down!

Then I gave the station manager my name and address, so he could send me the certificate! My mom came running in to see what I was yelling about. When I told her, she started yelling too! She was so happy for me! Then came the hard part...who would be my guest? I knew I had til the certificate came in the mail to decide, but this was gonna be tough! All my friends are pretty groovy, and I didn't want anyone to feel bad. I knew at least some of the kids heard me on the radio, and they were all gonna ask me who I was gonna invite at school the next day.  No one really hounded me about it, but they were all pretty curious.

On Wednesday, we had a half-day at school so the teachers could get ready for Open House, (you know, when your parents come to school?). We got out right before lunch. When I got home, my mom told me that I got an envelope from the radio station, and it was in my room. All right!

I sat down and opened the envelope. The certificate looked real official.

This was it, I had to decide, but who would I choose? I thought about all my friends. I guess some people think it's weird that I don't have a best friend. I consider all my friends my best friends for different reasons, even the boys. But I hadn't seen too much of one of my friends lately, because she was helping her mom take care of her grandma while her dad was out of town on a business trip. That was Lisa. I figured she deserved a treat after helping her mom so much. Now that her dad was back, I knew she could probably go with me. I asked my mom and she thought it was a great idea. So I called Lisa and asked if she wanted to go, and she did!

When we got to Sam's, Jason, Danny and Jennifer were already there. Lisa and I both ordered a hamburger, french fries, and a vanilla milkshake.

Lisa thanked me for choosing her to be my guest. She told me that she's felt like she's been on another planet, since she hasn't be able to see her friends lately. I told her I figured a free lunch here at Sam's was just what she needed.

Danny and Jason were busy playing pinball (as usual), but told me they thought it was cool that I won the contest, and Lisa was a good choice since she hasn't been around much.

Jennifer was excited for us, too. She was busy choosing music on the jukebox. When she picked "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae (one of my answers in the contest), Lisa and I knew we had to get up and dance!

We had a super time. Sam even told me I could keep the certificate to remember that day with. Outta site! It was a day to remember, and so was the day I won the contest. Do kids still listen to the radio and win contests in the future? I hope you do, because I think it will always be one of my coolest memories!

Until next time, future readers,
Your friend,
Julie Newman

Kerry Babysits

Hello future readers!

This past Tuesday Kerry came over to babysit me and Susan. I normally don't need a sitter, (man, I hate that it's called a BABYsitter!), because I can always go to my friends' houses on he weekend. But this was on a school night. My mom and Susan's parents went to a dinner party. My mom and Susan's mom work together at the Springfield Canning Company. They're in charge of getting the canned foods shipped out to different places. Anyway, one of their co-workers is moving away, so they had to go to this party. Susan's older sister, Cathy couldn't watch us, 'cos she had to go to the library to look up some information for a paper she had to do for school, so that left Kerry. I like Kerry. She was a groovy counselor at Camp Echo Hill, so I thought she'd be a good sitter, too. Well, Susan was coming over at 4:30, so when I got home from school, I did all my homework right away. We wanted to play for awhile before Kerry came over at 6:15.

I ran to answer the door when Susan rang the bell at 4:30. We couldn't wait to start having fun!

We went outside to play helicopter. In case you don't play that game in the future, it's when you hold a jump rope by the end, bend down and spin slowly around in a circle, letting the rope drag on the ground. The other person has to jump over the rope as it passes them. Susan really likes this game, so I spun the rope so she could jump.

After a while, we came back inside, 'cos it was almost time for "Zoom"! (I talked about that show on my "Snail Hopscotch" entry) I brought the bean bag chair down from my room and put it in the TV room, and Susan flipped on the set. We love this show!

Our show was almost over when I heard Mom let Kerry in. She told Kerry she had to go, but she left a note with instructions on the kitchen table.

Kerry found us in the TV room just as Zoom was ending. We were glad to see her.

She told us to go wash our hands while she got dinner on the table. My mom bought some frozen TV dinners and put them in the oven before she went out. This was a treat, 'cos my mom doesn't usually buy TV dinners. She likes me to eat home cooking, but she lets me have them every once in awhile. And she even got my favorite kind; salisbury steak, potato wedges, peas and cherry cobbler for dessert! Far out!

I asked Kerry if she was gonna eat with us, but she ate at Sam's Snack Shack before she got here. Lucky! She told us to enjoy our dinner, and that she'd be right back, 'cos she had to make a phone call.  So Susan and I kept eating and talking. Now I wasn't trying to listen in on Kerry's conversation, I really wasn't, but I heard her say the name Artie. I think he's Kerry's boyfriend. Raychel's brother Randy says he's some big shot player for Springfield High School's basketball team. Once when I was in the park with my mom, I saw Kerry walking hand in hand with a tall boy. I think that must have been Artie. I don't know what came over me, but all of a sudden I got very curious. I wanted to hear what teenagers talk about. I know I'm not supposed to listen to other people phone calls, but I wondered if Kerry went all goofy over boys, like Marsha Brady does on 'The Brady Bunch". I asked Susan if she wanted to listen, just for a minute. She got this funny smile on her face and nodded. We were finished with our dinner anyway, so we threw away our trays, put our cups and forks in the sink, and went towards the TV room. We peeked around the hallway door so we could hear better. Kerry couldn't see us, so as long as we were quiet, she wouldn't find out.

We think they were talking about their date Saturday night. It sounded like they were going to the movies. It also sounded like they didn't care what movie they were gonna see because they'd be kissing the whole time anyway! Ewwwww! Susan covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud! Then Kerry said, "I think you're the grooviest guy I've ever met, Artie. I love you, too!" It was my turn to cover my mouth! I almost started cracking up, so I had to hold my breath! Yep, just like Marsha Brady! Man, are teenagers ever mushy! I hope I'm not like that when I get older! Well, Kerry hung up, so I asked Susan to go up to my room while I went to the TV room to get my bean bag chair. I invited Kerry to come upstairs to check out my room. She'd never seen it before.

Kerry liked my room. She liked the way I had decked it out with posters and stuff. I turned on my radio, and we rapped awhile. We talked about camp, and what going to high school is like, and stuff like that.

Kerry suggested we all play a game, so I got out my "Barrel Full of Monkeys" game and we all played in the living room.

We played until bedtime. Of course, Kerry was better at linking the monkeys than we were. Susan and I went back up to my room and got our pajamas on. Then Kerry came up and read a couple of chapters of "Harriet The Spy".

Kerry read the chapter where Ole Golly and her friend take Harriet to the movies and her parents fire her! Wow! Just for taking her to the movies? I thought that was so mean! While Kerry read the next chapter, Susan fell asleep, then I did. I love to be read to. "Harriet The Spy" is such a good story. But I'm glad I don't need to have a nanny like Ole Golly. Kerry's a good sitter, but I'd be sad if I had to spend most of my time with her, and not my mom..

I guess Susan's parents picked her up when they came back, because when I woke up to go to the bathroom, she was gone. I had fun with Kerry. I wonder if kids still need sitters in the future. Maybe they have robots who watch kids when parents go out. I don't think I'd want a robot watching me. And even though I hardly ever need a sitter, I hope Kerry comes back to sit for me again, soon

Until next time, future readers,
Your friend,
Julie Newman

The Easter Egg Hunt!

Hello future readers!

Happy Easter! This morning I was sleeping in my room when Boomer came in and started licking my hand which was hanging off my bed.

I slowly opened my eyes. I don't usually like to wake up to dog slobber, but at least Boomer didn't jump up on the bed and lick my face! Yuck! I hate when he does that!

And then I remembered it was Easter morning! I looked at the foot of my bed to see what the Easter Bunny had left in my bucket.

Hot dog! My bucket was almost full! And there was some stuff next to it, too!

It was 2 bubble wands shaped like a chick and a butterfly! And inside my bucket was a bottle of bubbles! Outta site! There was also a flat dish to put the bubble stuff in.

I reached into the bucket again and pulled out...Snoopy! It was a little Snoopy figurine holding an Easter basket! Hey! It was just like the TV special "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown"! All right!

Boomer came over to check it out. Every time I get some kind of a toy dog, my pooch gets jealous! He's such a silly puppy!

I also got 2 stampers, 2 large chocolate bunnies and 2 small chocolate bunnies.  I didn't get any eggs 'cos Mom said after church this morning, there was gonna be an egg hunt on the school playground. Yippee!

Mom laid out my Easter dress , shoes and a new hair ribbon the night before. Isn't my dress pretty?

So after church I met Stephanie, Melody, Wendy, April and Robyn on the school playground. We were all so excited!

We all decided to leave our buckets by the hopscotch squares so we wouldn't have to lug them all around the playground. Then we scattered!

Melody and Robyn found some eggs by the monkey bars.

April and Wendy found a couple more on the bleachers.

I found some on the see-saw! Lucky me!

Stephanie found some on the ladder of the slide! I never thought to look there!

Melody had only found one egg, and she was just about to give up, when I pointed out one by the tether ball to her.

Robyn found the last egg near the basketball hoop.

All of us found 2 eggs each. I'm glad it worked out fair. But I don't think any of us would have it any other way, even if someone found no eggs, we'd still share. Friends aren't friends if they're stingy!

Later on, back at my house, my mom invited Robyn's family over for Easter dinner. Robyn and I went outside to the front steps to play with my new bubble set while Mrs. Brooks and my mom got dinner ready.

One landed on my nose!

Then a bubble landed on  Robyn's nose! We both busted out laughing!


 After dinner we all watched "Jesus Christ Superstar". My auntie knows the guy who played Judas. We were having a great time singing to the music. I always cry when they put Jesus on the cross. The only thing about that movie I don't like is they don't show the happy part when Jesus is risen from the dead. But we know that's the best part, even if it isn't in the movie.

It was a really super day. I love Easter because not only do we get candy and eggs, but it's the celebration of new life. My mom says every morning when we wake up to a new day, it's a chance to celebrate how great life is. I hope you of the future celebrate life too! Happy Easter, future readers!

Until next time,
Your friend,
Julie Newman