The Mystery Keeper First Second and Third Grade Years +NASCAR Champion's Week

I didn't want to interrupt my life story, so I won't go too deep into Champion's Week. My next chapter of my life story first, then a little bit of my thoughts on Champion's Week.

The school district transferred me to another closer to home elementary school within the district for 1st grade. There was 4 elementary schools when I started school but one I never went to closed when I was  finished with Kindergarten.  My second elementary school had added therapy when I was headed to first grade.  I had to take the shuttle bus in the afternoon since my bus home was at the still open elementary school I never attended as it had no therapy when I was an elementary kid.  I was in a special kindergarten and 1st grade class and did the 1st grade work.  I liked the other kids and books in the classroom, but I had a hard time in other ways.  I was still hyperactive, which made me a challenge in certain ways.  Sometimes, I got sick. One day, I started coughing at school and missed some days due to a bad cold.  I also had a rash, which was found to be a laundry detergent allergy. I would've been Barney again, probably if I hadn't had the rash as I had it on Halloween. I was never found to have other allergies but I had sinus infections as a kid. I was a cowgirl in our Western Christmas play, cowboy hat, boots and I even acted like cowgirl.  My class had a circus and I was a clown.  I was good with academic stuff like reading and math, but my behavior was my weak area.  There was a camping trip I could've gone on if my mom had been along as a second person to watch me (I had an aide), but she won a trip to that park instead.  I was one of those wandering Asperger (a form of autism) kids.  Kellie, my kindergarten friend spent half the day with a kindergarten class and the other half in the same class as me.  I made friends with a girl named Rockie, who had speech therapy with me sometimes.  I sometimes put together sentences that didn't make sense, though I no longer echoed like I did as a toddler.  I didn't have speech therapy after 1st grade. I also had occupational therapy. I don't know if I had physical therapy at that time or if that was after this time.   Though I had times of frustration and being troubled I was able to move to second grade.

I was at the same school as first grade for second grade.  My class that year was a special second and third grade class.  Hallie, Cindy and  Tiffany were friends that year.  Tiffany was a new girl and friends with Hallie.   Hallie was hyper and a year older than me. Cindy was a grade ahead of me, so she was older too. I was young for my grade yet. I was a princess for Halloween.  This was a hard year, because I knew the words of directions but couldn't process it. Think of a puzzle apart. I saw all the pieces but not the whole.   There was a point store in the classroom.  We could buy little things with points we earned for good behaviors.  I remember some stuff I bought, like a cat sticky that says "Hi there". I was a cat fan from that year on.  I had a reading class because I was ahead of what my class could give. There was an alphabet play one of my elementary years and I think it was this one.  The summer after  was the last time I had summer school, which was a social thing for me.  I got kicked out of summer school after I elbowed a boy who was behind me. I guess he startled or scared me. My parents no longer experimented with autistic supplements like algae and magnesium after this year. I just took vitamins like any kid and fluoride for my teeth as we have well water.  We went to Canada that summer.

I continued at the same school for third grade.  I was in a special ed 3rd and 4th grade class part of the day and regular ed 3rd grade the other part.  I still had my OT and PT. I also had adaptive PE along with regular PE class. I think it was every other PE day for each and we had PE twice a week. I went to a fourth grade class for reading then. I was a princess again for Halloween. They trained my aide to work with me, so things were better.  I think my second grade friends were my friends again in third grade. Hallie definitely was and when she stayed with her grandpa, she rode the shuttle bus with me. Once, we missed the bus and had to have my parents and her grandpa get us.  I started in a religious education thing because my school district offered it and still does.  It starts with third graders and is elementary only.  Once a month. most months Cindy and me, as well as some other kids would go to a church in the town for a chunk of the day. It was a bit like Bible school or kid Sunday School.  We'd sing some kiddie Christian songs and do these activities, crafts and such and there was some teaching.  We ate there, most likely lunch. We started out at school and were bussed over at start time and back to school in the afternoon.   There was an ice storm this winter and a stray dog showed up at our place afterwards. We named her Shyloh because she was shy. I had a book about a dog named Shiloh, which may have been a factor as well but we spelled our dog's named to look like shy as opposed to like the book dog's name. She had four puppies, which climbed on my mom's lap when we started socializing them. After a while, I could play with them. We named them Crystal, Brice, Cuddle and Kristy/Puddle. The two name one's names were mine and my mom's. Mine was from a book and my mom's came from puddles on the floor.  A boy took Brice the boy pup but the others found homes with children through our county's humane society.  The first two looked like our dog Sandy.   My mom's oldest brother died at the age of 55 this year and I missed school to go to the funeral.  We went on another Canada trip over the summer. We also tent camped at a local camp when my dad's family had a reunion there that summer.

NASCAR Champion's Week was last week. They honored the Chasers, champion, Rookie of the Year and gave out some awards, like Most Popular Driver. This was Dale Earnhardt, Jr.   There was more, which you can look up.  They had a banquet and the drivers gave speeches. I don't watch it but I saw stuff about it online.  Come back next week for the rest of my elementary years and probably my thoughts on the Charlotte test