Bloggie

I would like to nominate Hot Kool Aid as the best bloggie. Yes, she is my very good friend but that is not the reason why I am nominating her. She always makes her posts interesting and fun to read. She doesn't just explain the book she is reading, she tells her opinion and make its exciting to read. Go Hot Kool Aid!!

Pages Read

200 pages read of Lit

Easter

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Of course the meaning of it is awesome because after Jesus died on the cross, three days later he rose again so that we can be saved. There's nothing about that that isn't amazing and doesn't make you happy. So that the first reason why it is so great. Secondly, I love going to church on Easter Sunday and celebrating with everyone else that He is risen. Everyone is so energetic and excited so the atmosphere is just great. Thirdly, I LOVE getting together with my family. Everyone usually comes to my house and we eat and just have a great time. Yesterday I spent most of my time with my two little cousins Ayden and Briana. We spent most of the day outside running around and swinging. We had a blast. Overall I love Easter and yesterday was a great day spent with family!

Soul Surfer

Leaving the hospital after her surgery and days of recovery, she knew her life would never be the same. They had to walk out the back entrance because of the mob of TV people who were waiting to shove microphones in her face and get every detail out of her. Nowadays everywhere she goes she hears people calling her name and asking for autographs. She does not like being in the spotlight and doesn't particularly enjoy all the attention.

Many TV shows and news channels started asking her to come on their shows and tell her story. At first she was hesitant and didnt know if she should do it. Her family left the decision up to her. She decided that if she could talk about her faith and share how Christ has helped her with others than going on these shows would be worth it. The first TV show she was on was 20/20 and then after that she started going on them like crazy. Next was Inside Edition, Life Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Early Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CNN Live. She got asked pretty much the same questions by everyone so she got good at telling her story.

Soul Surfer

Bethany was very moved by the number of people who supported her and wanted to help raise money for her family. A fundraiser was held to support Bethany and her family. Over $75,000 was raised. A family friend organized the event and Rip Curl spearheaded the event. Hundreds and hundreds of people attended. There was a silent auction held and surf movies played nonstop. Bands performed and there were even t-shirts made to raise money for her family. She felt so blessed that so many people wanted to reach out and help her.

The spirit of giving was not limited to Hawaii. People all over America started hearing about her story and sent notes, card, and cash to her. Kids sent her pictures they drew with their classes and get well soon wishes. Thousands of letters were sent to her and she was stunned by what was happening.

Soul Surfer - Faith

In this chapter, Bethany talks about her faith and explains how she stays so strong. She believes in God and has a personal relationship with Him, she says that is how she does it. She grew up in a home where her parents taught her about God and took her and her brothers to church every week. But the decision to follow Him was her own. When people ask her what her faith in Christ is to her, she answers in one word: everything. She truly believes that her faith is a big part of what got her through the attack. She believes God has a master plan and does everything for a reason and was watching over her the whole time.

Amazing Art

In Kristin Watrous's massive and over sized drawing a fun and playful picture is created. The use of overly exaggerated notebook paper makes it feel as if you are looking at a doodle out of Kristin's notebook. The sharp and whimsical lines make the dog look real and popping off the paper. The thing I enjoy most about Kristin's piece of art is the enormous size she made it. The size adds to the picture and makes it feel like you are actually with this dog.

Soul Surfer 103-112

Bethany did not remember many things about that day in the hospital but one thing she remembered was that she was very thirsty. The loss of blood and everything that was happening was causing her to crave water. She stayed in the hospital for the next couple days. She soon told her dad that she would become the best surf photographer in the world. This was her way of wanting to stay involved with surfing even though she thought she would not be able to compete again.

But a few days later, she had changed her mind and started thinking about going surfing again. Many people started to visit her and bring her things in her room. People from church, family, friends and her entire youth group came to see her. Since she was already talking about getting back in the water, the doctor told her she had to wait until the stitches were out first. A couple days later she had surgery and everything went well.

Soul Surfer

On the next Wednesday, the doctor told Bethany she could go home and she was beyond excited. After laying in a hospital bed for so long she was ready to get out of there. Her parents warned her though that she couldnt go home because there were tons of reporters and people trying to get information outside her house. So they decided to get their stuff and sneak off to a friends house on another beach for a while.

The next day a nurse came to change the dressing and bandage on her arm and they saw her arm like that for the first time. It made some of her family cry and freak out. The next part of the year was hard for her parents. Neither of them were able to work for almost three months which put a financial burden on their family.

Soul Surfer

The same day of Bethany's shark attack, her dad was getting knee surgery done at the same hospital. About to start surgery in the operating room, a nurse rushed in to tell the doctor that an emergency had just happened and they needed that room immediately. A 13 year old girl had been attacked by a shark. While the doctor went out to check what was going on, Bethanys dad lay in his bed worrying and picturing that it may be his daughter who got hurt. When the doctor came back in he had tears in his eyes and told him it was Bethany. The next hour in the recovery room was torture for him. He tried to get feeling back into his leg so he could go see her but he couldn't.

Luckily, the doctor in the emergency room that day was a family friend and also a surfer named Dr. Rovinsky. She had a good feeling about him and trusted that he would take good care of her. He reassured her that she was young and in good physical shape and her calmness had kept her heartbeat slow so she did not lose too much blood. He was also optimistic that she would be able to function and still do many things with just one arm in the future.

TWINZ!!!!!

Weird

Back to Reality

Spring Break 2011 was an awesome week and I had a blast. Of course, like the rest of the school, I was not ready to come back to school today. Waking up at 6 in the morning and going through my normal routine of school, homework, and lacrosse practice did not seem so appealing to me. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. So I am happy to say that I made it through my first day back at school and I am still alive. Although I am already dreading the rest of the week, I think I will be fine and make it through. To look on the bright side, next week is Easter which means we have Good Friday off and I will get to see all of my family. That makes it all seem so much better. If only next week could come faster though. Oh well, I guess there is nothing to do about it and so with that I will just be happy that summer is on its way and keep a positive attitude!

Soul Surfer

People started gathering around Bethany as she lay on the beach. She started to get very cold and very thirsty because of all the blood leaving her body. She then started to fell more and more pain in her stump of an arm she had left. It seemed like forever before the ambulance got to the beach. They decided they couldn't wait any longer and carried her to the car on the surf board. She barely remembers what happened in the ambulance but she knew that she was getting poked with needles and loud sounds around her. The last thing she remembers the paramedic saying was "God will never leave you or forsake you."

Jeff Waba, a friend who was also a surfer, made the call to Bethany's mom to tell her what had happened. At first she thought he was joking and playing around with her. After he said it again with a serious tone, she knew something was wrong. Of course, being a mom and hearing your daughter just got attacked by a shark was terrible new for her and she broke down. She became numb and did not know what to do. She then told her son Noah and they both rushed to the hospital. On the way there, Noah called a friend from church to come ride with him and help him get there safely while staying calm.

A few minutes later someone told Noah that she had lost her arm. He knew he couldn't tell his mom yet because it would be too overwhelming for her while she was driving there. He then started calling all of his Christian friends and telling them to start a chain of prayer for Bethany.

Soul Surfer: The Attack

Right after the shark attack, Bethany did not even scream. Many times people ask her if she was terrified or scared she would be eaten but she think she was in denial or shock. The first thing she did was swim towards the beach and that's all she could think about. She never saw the shark coming towards her of after he bit her. She is thankful she did not see him and is not sure if she could ever go back in an ocean if she had.

They had been surfing only about 30 minutes on that halloween morning, when they attack happened. She did not notice the shark coming up on the other side of her body until she felt a pressure and tug at her left arm. Surprisingly, it did not cause her much pain and was over in a few seconds. She remembers the water around her turning red and then saw her arm had been bitten off. The first thing she did was yell that she had just got attacked by a shark. She stayed pretty calm which is very unusual. Her mind was set on one thing and that was to get to the beach, so she started paddling as fast as she could. Byron and Holt, Alana's dad and brother, got to her in a flash and rushed her to the beach. While they were trying not to freak out to keep Bethany calm, Holt took of his shirt and made a tourniquet for her arm. Byron called 911 and Holt tried to keep her from passing out. Although Bethany was very scared, she stayed calm and prayed to God that everything was going to be okay.

Soul Surfer

Bethany, like most 14 year old girls, lives a pretty normal life. She likes music, movies, and doing normal things like that. But in some ways her life is very different. Living three thousand miles from the rest of the US is one example. Living in Hawaii is not like the rest of the country. There are much fewer people and pretty much everyone in her town knows each other. It is pretty much the opposite of living in a big city such as L.A. or New York. The things she likes most about it is that it's never cold and there's always something to do.

Another way she stands out is that she only has one arm. Of course that is a major difference than most people, but she doesn't let it stop her from doing anything that a normal person does. But besides the fact she lives so far away, she still loves to spend time with her friends and do normal teenager things. She is also very involved with her youth group and her church.

Soul Surfer page 40-50

Bethany's parents started signing her up for competitions while she was still in grade school so she had an early start in the competing world. They started traveling around the state of Hawaii to compete in competitions. As she started winning more contests, the idea that she could become a professional surfer one day was brought to their attention. Her brother Noah became here promoter and started filming her surfing. He set up websites and programs to get the word out about his sister. He contacted almost every surf clothing company and told them about her, in hope of getting her a sponsor. He was the one who helped her get her sponsor which is the company Rip Curl.

More and more girls have started surfing, which means that womens surf has become more popular and is being taken more seriously these days. Women on the pro surf teams are very close and tight knit. Before Bethany's competitions, she prays. She prays for safety for everyone and wisdom on the waves. Although surfing seems like a very dangerous sport, she says it is actually pretty safe. If you fall, you hit the water and besides sharks and surfboards, there is not much more to get injured by on the water.

Soul Surfer page 1-40

The book starts off with Bethany telling what she did the day of her attack. It was a Halloween morning just like any other and she decided to go surfing. Because the waves were not very big at the spot her mom took her to, she decide to go to a different beach and surf with her best friend, Alana, and her dad and brother. They were on a mission to find something good to surf in. With the approval of her mom, she decided to stay with them for the day.

Next, Bethany goes on to tell about who she is and what she is like. A lot of who she is comes from her parents. They are hard working people who always strove to reach their goals. They support her in everything she does and unlike many teenagers, she thinks they are pretty cool. Both her parents are surfers and have been all their lives.

Bethany has two brothers Noah and Timmy. They are the reason she has come to be so competitive and good at sports. Growing up with them and always being with them caused her to become very competitive. Like her parents, both brothers are surfers as well. She admires her brothers greatly and has very close relationships with them. They help her out alot with her surfing and her competitions and are always there to support her. They always pushed her to try new things or sports and how to be a good loser with a good attitude while still being competitive.

Spring Break!

Spring Break is finally here! I am so excited to be in Florida and having tons of fun. While my family sits at my brothers basketball game in a cold town of Illinois, I am soaking up the sun in Naples, Florida. I got to come down early with my friend Kayla until my family gets here and were are having a blast! Basically all we do is go to the beach, relax, and when we get bored go to the pool. It is very refreshing and relaxing. At night we have been going out to dinner and watching the sunset. When my family gets here in a couple days we are headed to Marco Island for some more fun in the sun. I'm looking forward to it but sad to leave my friend Kayla. I know we will have tons of fun though and it will be a great time. So far SB '11 is awesome and I can't wait for the rest!

Soul Surfer

Since Spring Break is almost here, I decided to start a new book and I chose Soul Surfer. This is a book I have read before but decided to read again to refresh my memory because the movie came out last week and I am so excited to see it. It is an autobiography, written by Bethany Hamilton, who was at the time a 13 year old surfer girl living in Hawaii. She tells the story of how she got her left arm bitten off by a shark while surfing in the ocean. The cool thing about her shark attack and her life after is that she had a very positive perspective and outlook the whole way through. She never gave up and even went back to surfing not long after her recovery. I know that if I was attacked by a shark in the ocean, it would take a lot for me to get back up and surfing again and I'm not sure if I ever would again. Bethany had determination though and was so in love with the sport that nothing could keep her away. The coolest part about this book though is the account Bethany gives of her faith in God. The thing that got her through the attack and the recovery the most was most of all her faith. She talks over and over again about how without God she could not have made it through and that he had a reason for this happening. She believes that He did this so that she can share her story and faith with others. This is a great story and I really recommend this book to everyone!