10 facts about me!!!

Julie suggested that I do this!! Here it goes!!

1. I was born on July 9, 1957 at 3:56 p.m.
2. I am the oldest of my two siblings.
3. I have a baby sister who is DUE IN TWO WEEKS!!!!
4. I love pasta!!! In any shape or form!!
5. I'm allergic to horses.
6. I have known my best friend Ivy since kindergarten.
7. I really really wish I could live in the fifties!!! I know I did, but I was younger than 2!!! How can I remember?!?
8. I have two golden retrievers.
9. My favorite show is Rowan and Martins Laugh In.
10. This one is kind of obvious. I love my neighborhood, Hillrise!!!!

HAPPY FEBRUARY 26TH!!!!!

Okay, y'all may not know what February 26th is, but me, Julie and Ivy know!!! We've been waiting for this day...HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, HILLRISE!!!! How do we know it's Hillrise's birthday? Well, we were told that is when the first house was built. I can't believe it's been a year since Hillrise first started!! We celebrated last weekend at our weekly neighborhood picnics and sang a song! Then Julie decided to eat her mom's CARROT FLAVORED JELL-O!! Me and Ivy don't like the idea of vegetable flavored gelatin, so we went for the Cothrans' cookies. Yes, being their niece's (Julie's) best friends had its perks. I also got my hands on some pasta salad made by the Hendersons. Then the Lings (Ivy's family) brought their famous hamburgers to the patch. But I still think everyone in the Albright-Cothran families make the best food! (Maybe that's why Julie snacked on carrot Jell-O.) We celebrated in other ways too-at school, we just couldn't get our minds off Hillrise! (I just wish Mrs. Berg didn't get mad at us for doodling pictures of Hillrise on our notes! MIDDLE SCHOOL IS SO HARD!!) After school, Mom took a picture of us in front of someone's car. We were just too happy!!! You can see the picture at the left here. Hope everyone has a fantabulous February 26th!!!

My Christmas!

Okay, we all know it's been a LONG time since Christmas for you guys, but for us it was a week and a half ago. Here's how my Christmas was: (Oh, and by the way, it's my first Hillrise Christmas!)

I wake up on the couch (I tried to catch Santa!!) and find the room filled with gifts and the Christmas tree fully lighted. Santa must thing we're the best this year because we have so many presents! Maybe it's a Hillrise thing. After opening my gifts, I head on over to Julie's to compare gifts. She and Tracy got more than me and Tommy did. After that, Julie and I went back to my house for some gingerbread house making. We made a Hillrise house, of course! It isn't that hard. I have made three so far this year! The other two? Well, Julie and I devoured one, and gave another to the sales office of Hillrise to give to the guests. They devoured it fast because it was gone the next day! This one we're going to devour with my family when they (finally!) come over to our new home. I CANNOT wait to see the look on their faces when they see my house!!!! My cousins will be SO jealous. Sure, they live in a HUGE house, but it's 30 years old!! They'll be SHOCKED to see that we finally have a brand-new home! Julie is the same way because she's lived in a 2-bedroom apartment for all of her life. Then again, so have I. That's why I loved Ivy's or my cousin's house. Ivy is my best friend that I've had since kindergarten. And she moved to Hillrise, next to Julie!! We have a three-way playdate sometimes! (if that makes any sense!) But out of all of us, Ivy has the biggest house. She has the Rainier floorplan, which is the biggest one in Hillrise! She has a HUGE family, so I can see why she moved here! Ivy and I have almost always lived near each other. First we lived in the same apartment complex (across the hall) but then she moved to Oak Park, this little city near Hillrise. But 2 years later, she moved to Hillrise with me! She and Julie are also great friends. I'm so glad Julie moved here. THANK YOU, ALBRIGHTS, FOR MOVING OUT TO HILLRISE!!

So anyway, my family comes over and suddenly the entire party consists of talking about my house. My little cousins are playing hide-and-seek in my room. My older cousins are begging their parents to move here. Yep, Hillrise can make you do that. Tried to warn them. Anyway, merry late Christmas!!!

Jaycee

Brothers!!!!

Okay, guess what? My stupid brother had the greatest idea to push me and Julie down my street without any warning. While we were standing on the sled. I ended up falling on my bottom (hard!!) and Julie bruised her knees. After a loud wail, Julie's grandparents took us in and gave us proper treatment. In fact, Im stll in ICE COLD water in the guest bath, while Julie is sitting next to me wailing from teh sting of peroxide. I hope Tommy gets grounded for this!!! Because he ruined a perfectly good day in Hillrise. Julie's lucky she doesn't have a brother like I do. She just has an older sister. She said she'd trade her for my brother! But I guess not anymore! I just hope Tommy will PAY for this!!!!!!!! I mean, I am on the same side as Julie because I've always wanted an older sister, and the worst thing Tracy has done is take an hour to get ready to go grocery shopping. She can't push you down a huge hill and injure your behind!! All I can say right now is THANK YOU JULIE'S GRANDMA!! She really knows how to cure two 11 year old girls who have been pushed down a massive hill! She even gave us fresh squeezed orange juice! Who doesn't love that!?? And in the BATHTUB for crying out loud! She won't care if I spill it all over the brand-new tub! (I wouldn't anyway, I care too much for Hillrise.) And she told us that when we're feeling better that we can go to Whizin's for some hot chocolate-perfect way to spend a wintry day! (Except it would be better if we had some of that hot choclate in Hillrise.) Mr. Whizin makes the BEST hot chocolate in Agoura!!!! Maybe getting hurt was worth it! But either way, my brother is still a weird monkey!!!!!

Happy Easter to you guys in the future! It's still the beginning of January in 1968!!

Well...this is weird.

You know the snow day we had the other day? The snow is still here, and everyone is SHOCKED, because it rarely snows out here. We're still doing snowy activities, like making snowmen and sledding. Julie said she could finally sled in the street because she moved to Hillrise from San Francisco. (She DROVE out here from there. That would be a nightmare for me. Poor Julie.) Today, we also fired up our brand-new fireplace for the first time ever. We haven't really had to use it before so that's why. It works great-it was warm and comforting just like Hillrise. Butterscotch was curious about it and kept pawing at the sight of the flames. (We didn't let her get too close, thank goodness.) The Albrights also used theirs for the first time ever. Julie said it was super powerful compared to her old one in San Francisco. I don't know what it is about Hillrise fireplaces, but they have enough power to heat up the whole house. Maybe that's because they're brand new,but then again, everything is best when it is new. ESPECIALLY Hillrise. And my house looks so nice snow-capped! It's so odd seeing my own backyard fluffy white and my pool frozen over. I guess it's because I'm not used to it. I mean, it's like if Alaska became a desert!! It's just something you don't hear often. I hope this snowfall lasts ALL winter long!!!

A SNOWY SURPRISE!!!

This morning, I woke up to my entire street covered in snow. Icicles were hanging over my bedroom window. All of the neighborhood kids were building snowmen and sledding down Softwind. Tommy was having a snowball fight with his friend who lived across the street from us. This is a VERY rare sight in Southern California!! And it's Hillrise's first snow!!! I guess the weatherman was right about it snowing this week. The first thing I did in the snow was make a snowman with Julie and Ivy. We named it Billy. Then we made hot cocoa for the people visiting the model homes and made snow angels on the lawn of the Shasta model home. Then some of the kids decided to pelt us with snowballs. Bad idea!!!! We had a huge snow hill where they once stood. IN YOUR FACE!!! HILLRISE!!!
Now, I'm waiting for Mom to find us a sled so we can race some other kids down Softwind. Julie and Ivy are in the bathroom after eating flavorless snow cones. (No, we did not eat the yellow snow.) I think this day-Hillrise's first snowfall-will be forever in my memories! (Well, also, my parents took pictures of our house and street covered in a blanket of snow!)
Have a snowy day!
Jaycee

A Day at the Mall with my Best friend!!

Today I went to the mall with the Albrights because Julie didn't want to be around Tracy the whole time. Maybe being the oldest isn't half bad-at least I'm not obsessed with the mall! So anyway, I went to the mall near my house and did the WEIRDEST things in each store. In the Robinson's May, me and Julie tried on mens' clothes. We looked like crazy people!! Then at home Julie decided to try on these hot pants that Tracy had bought. (It's not even spring! Who wears hot pants in January?) Anyway, after Robinson's May me and Julie headed to the food court to eat a pretzel and some lemonade. Who knows what Tracy did after that. Mrs. Albright told us she went to shop with her friends. While we waited, me and Julie went to the electronics store and looked at fancy remote control TVs. We have one but we just got it this November. Julie on the other hand does not and she could not stop pressing the buttons. Me and Mrs. Albright had to carry her out to get her away from that TV. Afterwards, we headed back home to Hillrise and visited the model homes for the seven billionth time. Let me tell you, I was overjoyed to see Hillrise!! According to Fred, a salesman in the Hillrise sales office, Hillrise was becoming more and more popular. Also, according to Tiny, someone bought the house next to me!! (Not Julie's but the one on the other side.) I'm super excited to have another neighbor!! Hopefully they'll like Hillrise as much as the rest of us!!
Jaycee

HAPPY 1969, EVERYONE!!!!!

It may not be New Year's where you are, but here we're 10 minutes away from the ball dropping to 1969!!! 1968 was an awesome year for me. It is the year I moved to Hillrise and entered junior high. It is also the year I got straight A's for the FIRST time in my life!! Plus, my little dog Skittle had a litter of 3 puppies that she gave birth to the night before we moved. One we kept (her name's Butterscotch) one we gave to the Albrights, and one was given to my aunt Dolores and uncle Richard. (They have wanted a mini Skittle ever since they saw her at my seventh birthday, all wrapped up in a little bow!)
Here are some of my favorite happenings of 1968:

• The move to/the building of Hillrise (of course)
• ROWAN AND MARTIN'S LAUGH IN!!! (The only TV show I watch.)
• Meeting Julie!! (She moved to Hillrise from San Francisco!)
• The birth of Butterscotch
• Graduating elementary school (We celebrated at Whizin's restaurant and in Hillrise!)

1968 flew by FAST!! I remember celebrating New Year's for 1968 at Aunt Elena's house! This year, we can FINALLY celebrate at my house. Half of my family and Julie's family is in here. And three of the Albright descendants live here-Julie's grandparents, Delancy and Corky, her aunt and cousins, and her uncle. For my little family, my mom, dad, brother and me are the only ones so far that live in Hillrise. But that's good-I can brag about my BRAND NEW HOME to my entire family!!

Okay, 4 more minutes left of 1968!!!

We're coumting down the minutes as we munch on some of Mr. Albright's steak that he made during the barbeque. He's a better cook than Mrs. Albright! (Don't tell Julie I said that!!)

Okay...two more minutes...

I can't believe it is almost time for a new decade!! I've only been around for one and a half. (The 50's and the 60's.)

ONE MORE MINUTE!!! EEEK!!

Mrs. Albright brings up some of her famous lemon cookies and places them on the center table. They're gone in the blink of an eye. (That's because me and Julie took most of them.)

Okay....30 seconds!!!

10 seconds!!

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

HAPPY 1969!!!!!!!

I hope y'all have a great year!!!

Backyard Fun Times!

Today, me, Julie and Ivy played our most extreme game of hide-and seek. Then Julie's little cousin thought ut would be so funny to roll Julie's Slinky down the hill from her Hillrise home. I had to go down to my neighbor's house on Trailway to get it out of their backyard! While little Mandy is cute, she can be a bit of a challenge. Just ask Tracy, Julie's sister. Or Julie. Anyway, Slinky incident aside, we also skipped in the streets of Hillrise and eventually went out into the open fields behind our houses. Overall it was a fun, memorable day! Including the fact that Julie now has a muddy Slinky-oops!

Jaycee

Introduction!

Hey there, and for y'all who don't know me, I'm Jaycee! If you want to know about me, this is the place to be! Well, sort of. I spend most of my time in Hillrise! I don't even know what a 'blog' is. I was told by my friends from the future that it was like a virtual diary. I'm not sharing anything personal considering others can see it! I'm not from this era, so I don't know your customs. Okay, so this is about me:

I'm 11 years old.
I have blonde hair and blue eyes.
My favorite activity is playing in Hillrise.
My best friends are Julie and Ivy.
I'm afraid of spiders.
My favorite candy is Walnettos. No one gets it.
My favorite food is my Mom's Macaroni Casserole.
I have two dogs: Skittle and Butterscotch. Both Labrador's.
Hillrise is my new favorite place!!!!

This is my 'blog' thing. I'm not sure what the Hillrise this is for, but I guess I'll give it a try!

Jaycee