September 23rd, 2014

Dear, Diary/Notebook/Journal thing,

This is probably not going to be an everyday thing. Knowing me, it just won't be... Until, I get into it to the point I start to dream about my day instead of my future fame or random stories I make up in my head to entertain myself when I got bored in Mr. Gomez's history class. I started to write because I got mad. Well, more so disappointed, mostly in myself. I should probably tell you about myself, because all journal-ers or book protagonists do at the beginning. So why not me?

My name is Jenny Martin (you can call me Jen though), and I'm 13 (almost 14) years old. I live in a small town in Michigan called ‘Charlevoix’. Anyway, I go to Thomas A. Edison Middle School and I'm in 8th grade. I'm not a loser, but I'm not a hyper popular supermodel kid who smokes weed in the bathroom. Just in the middle. My best friend is Mandy Aronowitz. But I got some other close friends too! (They’ll probably be mentioned later.) Anyway, you're still probably wondering why I'm disappointed.

Well, in Michigan, 14-year-olds can work a job. Which is pretty cool if you ask me. I wanted a job when I turned 14 because:

1) I owe my 10-year-old sister, Harper a ton of cash (like over 40 IOU's.)

2) I want to buy my own stuff

A job at a supermarket would make me a little over 200 bucks a week. Cool, right? Not cool. I asked my mom and she said no.

Apparently I don't have enough experience or responsibility “But I-“ That's all I could say. She was right. I want to prove her wrong. I want to prove her wrong so bad. But how?

Sincerely, Jen

The thing about entrepreneurship is that it’s never as easy as it looks. I mean, they tell us about Bill Gates at school all the time, and that ‘you could be like him too!’, but I stared at my shopping list for a very long time and found that even the initial materials for a lemonade stand was gonna run me $60 at least.

I had $10.

But, everything worked out for Bill, and as I started my walk to the grocery store, I found a pile of old lumber sat outside my neighbors’ house with a cardboard sign reading ‘FREE SCRAP WOOD - PLEASE TAKE’ in black Sharpie. I made a mental note to circle back around when I had my shopping cart.

Then, closer to the grocery store, I saw someone having a yard sale. I picked up an old folding chair and tip jar for $2, which was way less than they were at the store.

When I got to the store, I was happy to see that it was air conditioned, because September was still hot, and I walked right over to the produce aisle. They had a sale on that couldn’t be more perfect: a bulk bag of 50 lemons, limes and oranges, for $6 on clearance sale.

I almost screamed right there in the middle of the store!

I was going to be the most deluxe lemonade stand in all of town! No, not only lemonade, but limeade, orangeade, you name it, and I’d have it.

I got back home and started assembling my stall out of my new scrapwood, some of my sister’s poster paint, and nails I’d taken from Mom’s DIY cabinet in the garage.