February 24, 1991
Hi Diary!
Guess what today was? That's right, the ribbon cutting ceremony! It was so awesome! I'm still excited, even though it was at 11 in the morning and it's about 8 at night. Let's start at the beginning, and I'll tell you the whole story.
Daddy and I got to the hospital at 9 a.m. sharp. We had breakfast with Claudia, Antoine, Steven, and Serafine. Everyone is so nice. I definitely have a new group of friends. Serafine isn't as pale as I thought she'd be. She told be she's been experimenting with self-tanning stuff, mainly on her face and hands, the parts of her body seen most often. It seems to be working.
After breakfast, I went to the locker room with Claudia to get changed. I got a new dress just for today. It's blue with white flowers and comes down a little past my knees. I wore my blue sandals too. Claudia french braided my hair. That's how she usually wears it, because believe it or not, her hair is long enough to sit on, and that's how she keeps out of the way. Just as she finished, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and standing there was our friend Elizabeth. I didn't even know she was coming. Daddy did, and so did everyone else. He's really good at keeping secrets. So am I. I have secrets of Daddy's that I will carry with me to my grave, like the one of Daddy having vitiligo. Very few people outside our family know about it. Brooke and Elizabeth know, but no one else except Grandma, Grandpa, and my Aunt's and Uncle's know. The tabloids have their own theories, like Daddy is doing something to his skins to make it lighter, because he doesn't like being black. That's not true, and it never will be. I'm sorry, diary, that I went off track, but I needed to vent.
After I was done getting ready, we all went down to the auditorium. Luckily there's only one window, and it didn't bother Serafine, because the blinds and curtains were closed. When we got there, all the kids from the children's ward were there! I didn't see that one coming, but it was so neat that they were there. :) The director of the hospital called me up and gave me a plaque. I sue didn't know that was going to happen. Neither did anyone else. It said "Presented to Kathryn Jackson in recognition for her service to Santa Barbara Hospital for painting a mural that will be enjoyed to for years to come. Everyone clapped and Claudia got a bunch of awesome pictures
After that, we went to the children's ward for the ribbon cutting. Across the door was tied a red ribbon. The head of the ward called me up to cut the ribbon, and everyone clapped some more Claudia got some pictures of that too. She's going to make some copies of the pictures and give some to Daddy and I, and send some to her friend in San Francisco. Steven also took video of the entire ceremony, start to finish. He'll give us a copy too, and make one for Claudia's friend.
After that part of the ceremony, we went down to the cafeteria to have cookies and cake. The kids got to have some too. That was nice. They deserve a treat. The cake e was chocolate and "Thank You, Katie" in blue icing. While I was having some cake, I got to talk to Serafine a lot. She's going to be here for a bit, so maybe Steven and her friends can come to Neverland.
Daddy talked to the children's parents about the kids coming to Neverland. They were all for it, but we still have to get permission from the kids doctors. When we do, they'll come. Maybe sometime next month, but we'll see.
Well, diary, that's enough excitement for one day, and it's time for bed.
Good Night, hugs and kisses, love ya,
Katie
