I was seven and turned eight and I remember a lot from that year.

My parents hosted the neighborhood New Year's party and I could stay up until midnight. All the neighbors came along with this jerk boy, mean Mike, who I never got along with. Whenever we were at parties he would hide my shoes, so, since we were at my house, I hid his shoes and all of his winter gear around the house. It took a week for his scarf to show up. Nobody ever knew it was my evil doing.

I had to give my first oral report in school.It was supposed to be on our favorite animals. My teacher and I got into a fight when I tried to give my presentation on humans. She said humans aren't animals. I was sent to the principal's office. He agreed with me.

A new girl joined my class. Her name was Rasha. She became my friend.

Spy Kids came out that spring. My grandma took my brother and me to see it and then out for hot dogs after. She slipped on the floor and the manager brought us all free chocolate cake milkshakes! I was lactose intolerant but I pinched my brother when he tried to tell Grandma. I drank my milkshake. It was fabulous. My brother told me Spy Kids stories for the rest of year, adding me as a special character!

That summer I accidentally traumatized my girl scout troop by wandering around the water park by myself for three hours.

Third grade started. My friend Rasha and I were in the same class. People started to leave threats in Rasha's mailbox and painted on her garage.

The first Harry Potter movie came out and I desperately wanted to be Hermione Granger. I memorized the books and dressed up for our showing, even though the tickets had sold out so quickly at our local theater that I wasn't even able to go until the afternoon after it had come out. For some reason that seemed almost tragic to my younger self. My mom waited outside the school for me because she knew how excited I was.

I liked to read under my desk. My teacher did not like me reading under the desk. One day she caught me and I got so sassy in response that she threw the desk across the classroom and made me pick up the mess she made. Mom didn't believe me until the principal called her the next day to apologize.

I was in church choir and we had practice every Wednesday. I hated church choir but after practice I would go to my friend Shannon's house and watch Bring it On. Shannon's mom would make food that my mom never made, like Hamburger Helper! It was the only thing that kept me in choir.

I was cast as a lamb in the church Christmas pageant. One of the angels got sick the night of the pageant and I was the kid who happened to fit in the costume. My brother made fun of me for years.

My next door neighbors hosted the New Year's Eve party. Mean Mike hid my shoes. I tried to get revenge but Dad stopped me.