June 17, 2006

Hi Everyone, 

I just got back from Russia. Wow, it was a great place to visit!

The arena we competed in was really nice. I got to compete with Anna Pavlova and Elena Zamolodchikova, which was kinda neat. The competitions were really long though, but it was a great experience for me. I was really excited to get a bronze medal on floor. 

The hotel we stayed in was very nice, just the beds were really small. I was glad I got to room with Kayla. We get along so well and really had a great time together. Also, Shawn Golden was fun to be around too.

The food in Moscow actually wasn't too bad; they served mostly the same thing for every meal but that was ok because at least it was something I could eat. On Saturday after the meet, we got to do some sightseeing. We visited Red Square, which is like the center of Moscow. We went into some old churches and got to see a lot of the town. They had so many neat souvenirs too, so I brought back as much as I could. 

One day we were getting on a bus, some man on the sidewalk was waving through the window for me to come back around to the front so he could give me something. He handed me this really cute stuffed animal bear and said "this is so you will remember Moscow and maybe come back one day." He was so excited, he was even taking pictures of me with it. 

Well, it was a great trip and one I'm glad I had an opportunity to go on. I will never forget it! It was a long trip back home, but I was so glad to get back to see everyone again.

 

January 1, 2006

Today is my 16th birthday! Wow, I can't believe it's finally here. This past year has been really exciting. I got to travel to a lot of different places and accomplished many things. Met and made friends with a lot of nice people too. I'm so excited to finally be competing as a senior.

For the last couple of months, I've been telling my parents I would really like a car for my birthday, but was pretty much assured that was not going to happen. After a while, I finally gave up on it. Saturday, the day before my birthday, started out like any other Saturday, I went to gym and everything was going along as normal, until gym was almost over. Then my parents came out onto the floor where I was training, and I was thinking what in the world are they doing. Then I saw the wrapped box they had and all my teammates gathered around me. I sat down to open the gift and noticed it was really light. I opened the box and was so surprised to find a birthday card with a set of car keys attached to it. I was so shocked! Like I really believed there was no way I would get a car for my birthday.

So they told me my car was in the parking lot, but didn't tell me what kind it was, I had to go find it. They had like put tape over the logo on the keys so I couldn't tell what it was. So we all went out to the parking lot. They gave me clues as I walked around the cars. Then I got a glimpse of a bright red Ford Mustang and was thinking that's not the car I would expect my parents to give to me. Anyway, I started toward it hoping to hear "you're getting warmer". I did. It was the Mustang! I could hardly believe it! I was excited... everyone was excited! I took it for a spin around the parking lot. This was such a great day! I will remember it forever!