Dear Diary

For about 10 years, ages 12 to 22, I kept a private journal/diary pretty regularly. Mostly it was just teen and post-teen angst that was pretty embarrassing so last summer I had a diary-burning party with a couple of my BFFs and got rid of all the evidence of my angst. I may regret this move... but I definitely sleep easier knowing that all that written awkwardness is destroyed forever.

I did, however, keep my first journal. I got it in grade one when I was just learning to write and it ended with an entry about my most embarrassing moments in grade seven (one being that I walked in on a HIGH SCHOOL BOY who was changing in the costume room of a play I was in, OMG, he is going to tell everyone, actually, no 12 year old, he probably forgot it happened three seconds later).

In case you have ever thought, I know Robyn relatively well now but I wonder what kinds of things were important to her as a kid???? this blog post is going to change your life.

Let's take a look through a few pages of that first diary together.

The date is slightly cut off from this very first entry, but I promise it reads "Okt 11th." Note the phonetic lines over some of the vowels to give them a long sound.

You are clearly wondering, did you ever GET to jump in the leaves? Read on.

You may notice by this point all I really wanted to do was jump in the leevs and not worry about staying in the lines with my printing or use phonetic symbols. Also, might I add that I was SIX years old here? Genius child.

Let's skip ahead a year or two, to an exciting family vacation to West Edmonton Mall...


The riveting first page reads, "Today we went and saw the goldfish. People are poisoning them by putting money in their pond. We are looking at the boats. Somebody is making one move. Now two are moving. The two boats that are moving look the same."

So... that was kind of a let-down. Excitement abounds in this next 3-page entry:

And that, readers, is the true life story of how Brehanna, Kristen, Allyson, Megan, and I saved the forest from two seven-year-old boys with a hacksaw.

You're probably thinking, that's great, these stories are cute, but where is the depth of the Robyn I know and love today? Answer: here it is.

In case you think you are reading it mistakenly: "Counting all the autographs in both 2 autograph book I have 52. Plus one more on a (sic) peice of paper shaped like a pig. 53 in all"

Next, a Christmas miracle:

4 trolls! But a ridiculously juvenile toothbrush. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT.

Remember when I told you I was really good at drawing? Here is more proof.

Marc H, the above is for you...

The black furry thing is labelled "sloth bear" and I am pretty sure a witch's hat is not an animal but who is really keeping track here.

And finally, before things started getting too pre-teen gossipy to share, I luckily included the plans for a great invention. Please recognize that I'm taking a huge risk by posting this idea on the internet for anyone to steal....

Voila! There you have it folks, a deep insight into my 6-10 year old mind.