August 17
Dear Journal,
Nationals are today! Whoopie!

-Morgan Raducan

July 25 #2
Dear Journal,
'Ello again. It's Morgan. Today was fun! I did my team workout and individual workout and yadda yadda yadda (all of my 'work'). Then, I ate and just talked. I talked a lot with the Lilly Squad girls, which I what I think we needed! Some quality bonding time! It was so much fun! I got to know them, and they got to know me. And the same for all of the other girls. I really hope the new stars Alana and Emily can help us win the squad title again! We've only seen victory once so far! I'm hoping that I'll do better myself, too. I have the most experience on the team, but since I am older, I'm not as ready to jump out there, if that makes sense. I'm almost 17! Whoopie! And I'm gonna get my Californian licesence next week! Yay! I haven't ever bothered to because I never drive in California. I always take muni (the San Francisco subway and bus system) with my friends whever we go, but now I get to drive! I already have a license for Indiana. Whoo hoo! Watch out, Morgan's driving! =! ) Well, I'm gonna go to bed now.

-Morgan Raducan

July 25
Dear Journal,
Hello! I should be on a plane back to San Francisco right now, but like I said yesterday... or was it the day before? Anyway, I'm not leaving until after the intersquad. This way I can build a little more experience and maybe place well! I just hope I don't qualify for a meet and then have to decline! Maybe I can just go there and then go home or something. =) I'm so happy for Jennie! Four intersquad wins in a row! Go Jen! =) I'm also really happy for Eva and Tia. They have been in the top five like almost every time in the past few weeks. Tia has been top 3 like every time she has competed! It's great to have such competition and hard working girls at Topopolilly. This week I think Alana is gonna kick some major butt, and she will help the Lilly Squad a lot as well! With her on the squad and competing the whole week (last week she joined mid-week), she could easily place top ten maybe even top five. Emily is still somewhat leading the team, even though she is quite new. Ma! dison and I are considerably the team leaders based on age and experience, but she finished at the bottom of the rankings on Monday and I have been floating around somewhere in the middle, so I'm hoping we'll do much better this week. I'm expecting to!
-Morgan Raducan
July 24
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was pretty good. I started off with an okay workout, and then I started to pack. Instead of leaving tomorrow (mid-week), I decided to leave after the intersquad on Sunday. So I'll either leave late Sunday night, or early Monday morning. Either one I won't be too please about. I think that if Alana didn't join mid-week, she would have place much higher. I'm surprised she did so well. And considering Elizabeth Jarvis just about joined on Saturday, I'm surprised she beat Moranda! I finished 13th, which is pretty good considering I didn't really train at the beginning of the week. Unfortunately, the Lilly Squad only finished 3rd. I hope that I'll do better at the next intersquad! Go me! Go Lilly! =)
-Morgan Raducan

July 23
Hello! Today was pretty good. I had a good team workout as well as individual workout. It was pretty much my first day back... Funny that it is my second to last day until August... I'm going home! Yippie! I'm leaving Topo! Noooo! I wish I could like move Topopolilly closer to home. =) Oh well. I have to go, but I'll write later! -morgan

July 22
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was OK. I am back home, and it feels good! I'm almost happy to hear thegrunts of Madison and the flushing of toilets at one in the morning (well, maybe not thetoilets). Anyway, I did the meet day workout because we have our intersquad today.I'm not planning on doing all that well. I haven't trained very hard this week, and my goalis pretty much top 15. =) Some of the other girls are doing great, though. Arika seemsto be flourishing right now, and it looks like Emily is making the scene for the Lilly squad.Despite my non-training performance, it looks like Emily, Vada, and Alana (who I amso happy to have on our squad) will be leading the way and we COULD have a Lilly win.We would probably have had one almost for sure if Alana didn't join during the middleof the week. Unfortunately, this means that she has 1/2 the chance of another gymnast.Well... I have to go, bye!
-Morgan Raducan

July 21 #2
Dear Journal,
Hello... I'm on my way back to Topopolilly right now. I'm still not in a travelling mood, but oh well.I had a blast at camp and I'm looking forward to... Oh joy, resume summer school on Tuesday.Fun fun fun! I'm gonna have a ton of homework since I missed another week. Oh well... I guessmy late TV nights with Jennie are gonna have to wait until August. We have an intersquad tomorrow, but I don't think I'll do very well.
-Morgan Raducan

July 21
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was pretty good. It is the last day of the training camp. I'm having my "lunch break" right now, but I'll probably be working out again some time in the near future. I don't really want to go back to Topopolilly... Well, I mean I do, but I don't want to ride in a car or fly there... I'm just not in the travelling mood. Oh well, maybe I will be later.
-Morgan Raducan

July 20
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was a very busy day. In fact, so have the past couple of weeks. I need totake some time of for about a week and a half in late July/ early August. My knee is actingup a little bit (I can still train and compete) and my cousins are coming in to town. I thinkI do deserve a little bit of a break. =) But other than that, I think I'll be fine. I hada good workout today. It's fun to be working with other gymnasts. I hope I benefit!
-Morgan Raducan

July 13
Dear Journal,
Hello! My morning workout was great. I can't write much now, because I have to go and get ready for the MSGA Summer Specialties! It was really fun watching everyone yesterday, but now it's my turn! Wish me luck!
-Morgan Raducan

July 8 #2
Dear Journal,
Oh my gosh! You'll never guess what I have just been through! Eck... I sound likeMadison... =) Oh vell... VELL... Anyway... I had the funnest pillow fight and **weirdpen marks on journal** sorry, was just wacked by Tia. Gotta go!
-Morgan

July 8
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was pretty good. I did the 'slacker workout' because I was tired.It went well. I did a few routines on each event, and then called it a day. Afterworkout, I just hung around in the dorms. It was hot today! Very very hot! But I'mglad I'm not at Kimball Park. I was talking to Terrin and she said it was boilingthere! I also wrote a letter to Kitty... I actually talked to her on the phone, too.Well, I gotta go. Bye!
July 7 #2
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was pretty good. We don't have the exact results, but we know the Russian team beat us. How disappointing... It is disappointing that also we only have four gymnasts place in the top ten. So, we didn't do all that well. But on the plus side, we got more experience! =) Well, it's been fun having the Russian girls here. They left earlier today. I'm looking forward to competing in the MSGA Summer Specialties meet. I get to compete on one event, and my top two choices are, of course, balance beam and vault. I'm happy that I'm getting experience. I checked with Coach Lois, and she said my index was 5th at Topopolilly, which I am very please about. I'm hoping my experience points will soon bump me up. I'm third in experience points, and I think I'm above both Vada and Cameron, index/rankings wise. I'm excited about competing! I can't wait! Go Topo Go! I'm stalling because I am waiting for Coach Lois to post the results for the dual meet... La di da di da... =) Well,! I started school NEXT week... So I have a nice little break, which is good. Whoopie! I finished 11th in the competition! I'll spare the details until later. Adios!
-Morgan

July 7
Dear Journal,
Hello! It's super early in the morning... I guess I just felt like waking up. I forgotto mention a few things over the past days. Like when I faked snoring to wake upMadison? Well... sort of. I was faking snoring to wake her up as a joke, and thenI fell a sleep. It turns out, that after I faked it, while I fell asleep, I was stillsnoring. Anywho, so they went to crash in the lounge (yes them, Cameron,Madison, and I think Kelly). So, of course when I woke up and start to shakeMadison, I missed the big lump she's usually in (I usually just lean on her) andfell straight off the bed! You can imagine the next five minutes. I checked literallyevery bathroom on the first floor, Lois' private room (she wasn't too happy aboutthat), stormed in on Grandma Benni, and even checked "Lester's room"... AKA -the garage. Finally, I walked past the lounge to find three girls sleeping away.You have no idea how I felt. So I figured, maybe I'll just let them sleep a littlemore. =) So I got ready and was a little late for practice because I had spent mywhole morning looking for Madison.
-Morgan Raducan

July 6 #2
Dear Journal,
Hello! I am about to compete in the intersquad, so I can't write much. I had a good workout,like I said this morning, and I'm ready to go! Whoo hoo! Go Lilly Squad! =)I wrote a couple letters today. One to my friend Lindsey, and another home tomom and dad. Well! I gotta go compete! bye!
-Morgie

July 6
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today has been pretty good so far. I did my workout in preperation for the meettonight/this afternoon, and it went really well. I think that I will place pretty high. I havebeen working really hard. I hope that the rest of the Lilly Squad does well, too. We allplaced pretty high last time (excluding Madison who has been VERY busy) and placedsecond in the team competition... Or, squad competition. Anyway... I have one moreweek of no summer school and then it's back to the books. Well, I hafta go. Bye!
-Morgan Raducan

July 5 #2
Dear Journal,
Hey! I just wanted to wish myself goodluck before the intersquad! Kinda pointless... Oh well!
-MOrgan Raducan

July 5
Dear Journal,
Hello! Today was pretty good. I did the day of meet workout since the intersquad is supposed to be later today. I think that I will do well. I have been waiting to make my mark in an intersquad for a while now. The first two I was in the top 5, and then I dropped down and my last placement was 9th. I am looking forward to this meet and hope that my experience points will help!
-Morgan

July 4 #2
Dear Journal,
I am just going to write very quickly. We are at the campout and it is so much fun! I am having a blast!
-Morgan