December 30, 2013
Dear Diary,
I have just gotten you for Christmas. My name is Larissa Bulow. I don’t like to write every day, so perhaps I shall write in you every month instead. How nice the clean pages look. We’re gonna make some great memories together…
May 10, 2014
Dear Diary,
Oh dear. I told you I would write in you every month, and I couldn’t keep even that little promise. I guess the only thing that was important was that the Smiths moved away. The Smiths were a family in our church. Now that they moved away, the church seems a lot smaller. I miss them so much.
You haven’t really been good these past few months, have you? I caught you letting Ethan know all my secrets. Good thing I didn’t write much. Well, that’s all, so good-bye, and be good.
June 2, 2014
Dear Diary,
You see? I am keeping my promise now. Well, May was a bit busier. My aunt, Susanna, had her wedding, and is now Mrs. Zach Dean. She had it outside, in a lovely arboretum. Ethan, Titus, and Axel Reeves, my cousin, were the ring-bearers, and Danielle, Evie Curtis, and Lyra Reeves, both cousins, were flower girls.
And Micah Perez, the intern that stayed with us last year, came up to the Memorial Day conference, in Fargo. The three oldest of us rode with him to Fargo. It was… quite a ride!
We also sent sent Brandee, our horse, to get bred so we can get another foal next year. Then hopefully we can sell the foal so we can get a foal the next year.
Then we gave away Toby, our dog, because he wouldn’t stay in our yard and needed a bigger area. Well, that’s all for now. Good-bye, dear diary.
July 5, 2014
Dear Diary,
Guess what happened? My uncle Lucas got married to Elizabeth Gliske, and I made about 100 cupcakes. People couldn’t believe that an 11-year-old made them all!
Then we went to Okoboji , in Iowa, with mom’s side of the family. While there, we were in a storm. We were in the pool when it started. It was just fine until the lights went out. So we got out of the pool, and went to the front desk. A tree outside had been blown over and was now exposed by the roots – and it was pretty big! I wish I had been able to see it fall over.
After we got home, Riana and I went to a College for Kids: Lights, Camera, Action class. We had fun, and learned a lot!
August 4, 2014
Dear Diary,
Well, July was busy. I went to a College for Kids baby-sitting class with my friend, Rebecca Kuhn, so I’m officially able to babysit! And I can mow lawns… After running into some stupid trees and posts, I have become a superb lawn-mower — even though trees still plant themselves in front of my path!
Around that time Grandma Reeves came and helped us sew both twin and full sized quilts for our beds. It is now keeping us warm… during the hot summer months… Oh, well, I’m sure they’ll work better in the COLD winter months!
Then off I headed, along with Riana, Emma Smith, Haylee and Taleena Richardson, and mom, to SBL. During our stay at camp there was a storm, and the power went out. First in Okoboji, then SBL!? Crazy!
September 1, 2014
Dear Diary,
I’m SO EXCITED! Oh, the darling, cute, adorable… OK, calm down, Larissa. Diary wants to know what it is. All right, remember we gave away Toby? Well we got his replacement! Her name is Juliet, Julie for short, and she is the most adorable puppy ever! She is an Australian Shepherd and Border Collie mix. She is… Oh, wait, you already know. Sorry. But I’m SO EXCITED! Oh, you know that too. Sorry.
What else happened? Oh yes, weekly visits to the zoo and studying the animal’s stopped, and mom is juggling homeschooling 5 kids now. It’s horrible – But Julie makes up for it. She is a darling!
October 7, 2014
Dear Diary,
Randy Amos and his wife stayed at our house in September and did a mini-conference at our church. He talked about the tabernacle, which was cool, because we had just studied the tabernacle the previous year in school! I still learned a lot of interesting things.
For Ethan’s birthday we celebrated by going to Bismarck, with our new aunt, Elizabeth, and visited some sights like the Fort Mandan / Lewis and Clark interpretive center in Washburn, the new Heritage center and zoo in Bismarck, and Fort Lincoln State Park.
Speaking of Ethan, here he comes again…he’s probably going to try to read over my shoulder; I’ve gotta get you closed!
November 6, 2014
Dear Diary,
October was a scary month. For a while it looked like mom’s thyroid cancer was coming back and treatment would be necessary but after comparing neck scans and the new doctor learning mom’s specific case, it looks like frequent blood-work will suffice. In other words, nothing to worry about!
Then, my Great-Grandpa wasn’t feeling so good, so Mom went down to help care for him in Arkansas, and left us kids at Grandpa and Grandma Reeves house in Iowa. We had a blast going to the Center Grove Orchard, sitting in on a Classical Conversations class (Grandma is one of the tutors), playing at the Swanson’s, and seeing sights at the zoo.
I really do need to start hiding you better, Diary. I heard Ethan telling Riana that if he ever found you, he would make copies and send it all over the country (even Germany!)
December 3, 2014
Dear Diary,
November was busy, and here’s what happened…First, we went to Taleena Richardson house for 2 days. Her and mom made 75+ jars of something-or-other. I didn’t care for it nor the school we had to do, but the science lesson of the infected pony was great! Also, everyone LOVED getting to ride the ponies there.
I made more cupcakes for Sarah Rockwell ‘s baby shower, which was adorable. Elizabeth Grace arrived just three days after the baby shower!
For Titus’ birthday, we celebrated by taking him and his friends to the train museum, pet store, and having lunch at Mc-donalds. It was a fun 4 hours with 4 boys on his 4th birthday!
Then we spent the day looking in bookstores and eating cookies-or a cupcake in my case!- for Danielle’s birthday, with Daisy Kuhn. Wow, did they have fun together! But, oh, I can still taste that yummy cupcake!
And Grandma Bulow finished knitting dresses for us girls and cousin Talia Faul. They are definitely the dresses for the year, and everyone ooh’s and aah’s over them every time we appear. I like telling them that part of mine was made in Germany, and that Grandma knit all of them by hand!!!
December 15, 2014
Dear Diary,
December has kept me on my toes, though it doesn’t look like it. First missionaries from Serbia, who have 4 boys, and 1 girl, came for the weekend. We all had a GREAT time, and the boy’s were contriving ways to disassemble the van so they could extend the stay!!!
Then, mom’s brother and fiancee were in a bad car crash just 11 days before their wedding! (to which we were planning to go on 12/13/14). Joel is now out of the hospital and Hannah is going to get out very soon, but has months of recovery ahead of her…We thank God for sparing her life! – when paramedics got to the crash, they thought there was no way she could have survived! Mom is keeping people updated on Facebook, and I’m constantly asking what’s new.
Right now we are traveling – we came to Iowa regardless of wedding plans to spend time with Joel and Hannah and then will visit mom’s Grandpa in Arkansas, on to Louisiana to visit friends, and then celebrate Christmas in Iowa! I just realized we celebrate Christmas three times this year! Once in Arkansas, than in Iowa, and finally at our own house! I wonder what I’m gettin