Ana's Story page 111-122

At the reform center, Ana meets a girl name Pilar and starts to spend time with her. She comes to find out that Pilar got caught working the streets as a prostitute. She was kicked out of her house and the only way for her to make money to eat was to be a prostitute at the age of 12. Pilar was about the only person Ana talked to at the center. She was afraid of telling any of the girls too much about herself. After about a month went by, Ana had to meet with a psychologist named Maria. Everyone at the center had to do this twice a week. She was angry and did not want to tell a stranger about her problems. The first session, they sat in silence for twenty minutes because Ana would not speak. As time went on, she started to get more comfortable with Maria. She appreciated that Maria did not tell anyone about her HIV and kept things private. As the weeks passed she started to open up more and told Maria all of her secrets. She started to leave the sessions feeling happy and as if a weight was lifted from her.

Ana started talking to the other girls and opening up. Like all girls, she enjoyed seeing the boys at lunch. The other girls and Ana passed notes secretly when the guards where not watching to get the boys' attention. Ana passed notes to a boy she liked named Jose who was tall and handsome. In March when the school year started, Ana was excited to be able to go back to school at a place near the center.

Ana's Story page 79-110

About a week after Ana had her first communion, a policeman knocked on the door at her house. Her grandmother answered the door and he told her the Priest had contacted them because of what Ana wrote in her letter. While at first abuela was angered, she finally gave up and told him just take the girls if they didn't want to be there. Isabel and Ana gathered all their things and went to their Aunt Sonia's house. She was their only relative left alive who could possibly take care of them. The house was very small and had to be shared with eleven other family members. Ana was enrolled in 7th grade at a nearby school and made a best friend, Yolanda. Ana went over to Yolanda's house many days after school. She felt welcomed and happy there because Yolanda's mom showed her love and affection, unlike anyone at her Aunt's house.

Things started to get worse at her Aunt's. Whenever Ana arrived home a few minutes late or did something wrong, her aunt started to beat her and ridicule her. She was placed in the corner while the rest of her family laughed at and mocked her. She felt so ashamed and worthless. She was even more embarrassed when they would hit her or kick her in public in front of other people. She started to get used to the pain. One of Ana's favorite teachers at school kept her after class one day to talk. He told her that he noticed several bruises on her arms and legs and wanted to know if everything at home was okay. She finally opened up and told him of the abuse that she had to put up with. He promised he would do the best he could to help her.

Senor Garcia, Ana's teacher, gave her the courage to try to change her situation. As soon as she left school she went to Yolanda's house and asked her mom if she could stay with them for a while. She gladly welcomed her. The only problem was Isabel, Ana's sister. She did not want to leave her alone but she knew this was the right choice and the first step in getting them both away from the abusive house. Senor Garcia told Yolanda's mother he would help in filing the papers if they were considering adopting Ana. They had to go to court first though and talk to a judge. When Ana got there, the judge told her this could not happen because her family members would have to agree on the decision. She knew her aunt and grandmother would not be happy with it. The only choice was to send Ana to a Reform Center. Very unhappy and confused as to why she was going, Ana went to live there. It was basically a jail. They had uniforms, pulled weeds, ate terrible food, and slept in beds like rocks. Ana felt alone and lost there but tried to pretend that everything was okay. Inside she knew though that everything was certainly not okay and wished more and more everyday that her mom and dad were alive.

Hope College

Well we had another cancellation Friday, no surprise. Although lately I have been dreading more snow days because I do not want to keep adding days on to the end of the year, I was actually excited to get Friday off. My mom, brother, and I were planning to leave right after school on Friday to go up to Michigan to Hope College. Because we had a snow day, we got to leave much earlier then planned and got to spend more time there! We went with some families who we are good friends with. We all drove up together to watch a friend, Chris Ray, play basketball. He is on the team at Hope and is a very good player. My friend Riley and I spent most of the night with two college girls who we are friends with. They took us to their dorms and introduced us to their friends. We sat with them in the student section at the game and then went to a surprise birthday party for a friend of theirs afterward. We got to see a little bit of college life which was pretty awesome! Riley and I both liked the atmosphere and people at Hope and are definitely keeping it as one of our options for college!

2.23 Diction Exercise

a)
momentary
cynicism
spectrum
debilitating
coup de foudre
pessimism
throng
strenuous

b) 1. elevation: elegant and learned
2. connotation: foreboding and pessimistic
3. sound: bleak and grim
4. concreteness:

Ana's Story page 56-79

After a few long weeks of Ana's papa being very sicked, he passed away. The last thing he said to her was "take care of your hermana (sister)." Ana felt terrible when he said that to her because she knew she had already let her sister get hurt and there was nothing she could do about it. Ana and Isabel hugged their fathers bony body one more time. After papa died, Ana wanted to run away. She felt as if she had nothing left.

At her father's funeral, it finally hit her that Papa was gone forever and this was permanent. She did not want the moment to be real. She heard people tell stories of her father and what a happy and fun person he was. She decided to go in front of everyone and say something as well. She called out to God and asked him why he had to take her papa. When she finished she was overcome with anger and was very mad at God.

In the days after Papa died, Ana noticed her grandma looking older and drearier. She always looked tired and worn out. Things started becoming worse between the two and fights became a usual thing. It was not just yelling though, Ana's grandma hit her and abused her. She had bruises and welts all over her legs. One beating turned into many.

While Papa was still alive, Ana started taking a first communion class at her church. Ana enjoyed being there with her friends and found comfort there. She started to no longer feel anger towards God for taking her mom and dad and for the other things. At class one day, she accepted God. Although she did not accept her situation at home she trusted God to protect her and get her through it. At the ceremony, each child had to write a note stating their hopes and expectations for the future with God in their life. Ana wrote how she wants to be in a home without abuse, she is tired of the bruises that cover her body and the darkness in her heart. She asked God to protect her. After the ceremony there was a celebration with the whole family. She was proud and beaming with joy. Her Aunt Aida gave her a hug and told her she was proud of her. Those words were rarely heard by her and she felt special. She started to feel that maybe things would be different now.

Ana's Story

As I read on in this book, it seems like things are just getting worse. I fell terrible for what Ana and Isabel had to go through living with her grandmother and Ernesto. Ana tries to comfort Isabel and tell her what happened was not her fault, yet she is struggling herself to remain together. A couple nights after Ernesto did things to Isabel, Ana accidentally left the door to their room unlocked. Early in the morning, after her grandmother had left, Ernesto came in and molested Ana. Once again he threatened her by saying "Don't tell anyone." She now had another secret to keep. She wanted so badly to tell someone about what was happening, but she had no one to tell.

It was the middle of Ana's sixth grade year and her father became very sick. They moved a bed into the grandmother's house for him to stay. He became very small and sickly and could barely talk. Ana remembered all the good times they had together doing homework or dancing and wished that he was okay again. Once their papa moved in, Ernesto left the girls alone. He suddenly lost interest in them and did not even pay attention to them. To them this was a blessing.

Valentines Thrift Dance!

Tonight I attended the Valentine's Thrifty Dance for Campus Life. It was definitely awesome. You had to dress in the best outfit you could find from a thrift store like Goodwill or Salvation Army. There were some pretty awesome outfits I must say. My friends and I went to Goodwill before to get our clothes and we had so much fun. Then we got there and danced the night away. It was a great way to take your mind of the idea of not having a valentine when all your friends do :) Although I was dreading this day, It turned out to be a great Valentine's day with lots of fun, friends, and dancing!

Impassioned Sunset

In the painting “Waterloo Bridge,” Andre Derain reveals an exuberant scene depicting a view of a river leading up to a city at sunset. The vibrant and energetic colors express a lighthearted and cheerful mood. The sun beaming down on the river develops a static and jovial movement, suggesting that the sun is setting. The intense texture and use of constant stippling portrays a majestic explosiveness, almost as if the sun is bursting out onto the city. Derain’s passionate and whimsical use of color, movement, and texture collectively come together to illustrate his enthusiastic and cheery view of the city of London.

Ana's Story page 24-46

Although Ana and her sister Isabel don't live with their father, they get to spend time with him during the week. Ana feels safe with him unlike she does at her grandmother's house. Everything is an adventure with him and they have great times when they are together. In his world she was safe, in her grandma's world she felt vulnerable.

Her grandma never wanted to talk about AIDS to Ana so when was ten, she took her to a children's hospital to the nurses could teach her what she needed to know. At school she heard her friends making fun of others with AIDS and she felt ashamed. She didn't say anything though because she was afraid of being rejected and losing her friends.

Ana's grandma lived with her boyfriend Ernesto. He is described as looking like Humpty Dumpty. When he came home from work he stripped down to his white tank top with his gut hanging over his belt buckle. He had black greasy hair and heavy eye brows. Ana and Isabel did not feel safe whatsoever around him. They were always afraid to be left alone in the room with him. Many nights their grandma and Ernesto drank heavily and smoked, ending up in big fights with doors slamming and screaming. The girls would stay in their rooms afraid of what was going on. As time went on, Ernesto became more and more scary to the girls. Sometimes he would pull them close and touch them in bad areas. It got worse and worse as time went on. Ana didn't know what to do or who to tell. She finally got the nerve up to tell her grandma what he was doing to them. She did not believe her. She told her to stop lying. The next time she saw her dad, she told him about it. He became angry and said if it ever happened again he would hurt Ernesto. A couple days later, Ana woke up to the sound of a slamming door. She sat up and saw Isabel leaning against the door sobbing. Her hair was tangled and her skin was red and blotchy. Next Ernesto walked into the room and threatened Ana. "Tell your father and you'll never see him again," he said. She screamed for her grandma but she was not there.

Ana's Story pg 9-23

I finished the book Crazy Love and so now I have started a new book called Ana's Story. This book was written by Jenna Bush, the daughter or President Bush. The story is told in the perspective of Ana, a young girl who was born with HIV. It is a real story about a real girl. When she was very young, her mother died. Her sister and her were sent to live with their grandmother because their father was too young to take care of them alone. Ana never knew why she had to take a pill every morning that her grandma gave her, but she did it anyways. Finally one day she was told why. Her grandma told her she was born with the disease HIV but that she was not allowed to tell anyone. It was to be kept a secret. From then on, Ana worried about the way people looked at her and was scared they knew. She feared the secret was bad and something to be ashamed of, so she never told anyone.

So far this book has been interesting to me. Most of all it has been sad. I feel bad for any young girl that is going through so much and is so ashamed of herself. At that young of an age you shouldn't have any cares in the world. Unfortunately for her, she has a lot to deal with. Her home situation and her disease are keeping her from enjoying her childhood and just being a kid.

Profile of the Obsessed

Obsessed: To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic.

This chapter of Crazy Love is about being obsessed with God.

It starts off by talking about lovers. Only loving the people who love you back will get you no where. Of course everyone loves their friends, their family, and the people that love them back. Even non-Christians do that. There has to be more to our faith than friendliness, politeness, and even kindness. In Luke chapter 6 it says "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" love those who love them. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back." Francis Chan says that "True faith is loving a person after he has hurt you. True love makes you stand out." Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for them. He commands that we give to people without expecting them to give us something in return. People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. They love those who hate them and who can never love them back.

Next he talks about risk takers. We are so consumed by our safety and make it our highest priority. Often times we pray to God and ask him to keep us safe on this trip or drive. In the words of Chan "we have elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God's best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world." People who are obsessed with Jesus care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

The humble. Too many people in our society today who have faithfully served Christ and praised by others and start to believe they are really important. What is more important than anything else is giving God the glory. Without Him none of it would be possible and through HIM we can do all things. Pride and selfishness is something that keeps us from being the best we can be and giving Him everything. I find myself struggling with this a ton. If I do something good or praise worthy, I first think of myself and how great it was. In reality, I should be giving all the praise to God because without Him, I am nothing and can do nothing. A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that sin of pride is always a battle. They seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known.

Teenagers, Friends, and Bad Decisions

This article about teenage driving is very interesting but not very surprising. It is no surprise to me that teenagers are bad drivers. I see it every day in the parking lot at school. When teenagers get around their friends, things change. Everyone wants to look "cool" in front of their friends and be a risk taker. Obviously this is getting people nowhere. So many car crashes and deaths are caused by teenagers these days and their reckless driving. This article reinforced the idea that teenagers are influenced greatly by their peers and friends. Our driving changes when our friends are around which is not a good thing at all and is making the roads less and less safe.

Ski time!

I'm in the airport right now waiting to board the plane to Utah! I'm so excited to go skiing for the weekend in one of the most scenic places ever, Salt Lake City. The mountains, the snow, the trees, and everything else about it there is beautiful. My dad is taking just me skiing for two days and I'm so excited to spend time with him! I'll try to put some pictures on if I get a chance!