September 2004

September 10, 2004:

First of all, I want to say Happy Birthday to Katlynn McNab, who turned 11 yesterday.

               

Also, tomorrow is the anniversary of the September 11th attack on America so we should all stop and take some time of rememberance and prayer. 

 

Anyway, today I have my last lessons with Valentin Nikolayev.  I have had 5 lessons with him this week.  We have worked alot on jumps.  He is actually very scientific with his coaching.  My biggest problem, according to my coaches, with my jumps is being inflexible in the torso for twisting.  This is something I really need to work on, and I will.  The lessons are very good and he is very strict.  I am very tired from the hard work but hopefully it will all help out in the long run.

Last week grandma came and spent the weekend with us.  It is the last time she stayed with us before they leave, which is next week.  They will be going back to Arizona and I will miss her, grandpa Boyd and Tony, their Bassett, very much. 

Tony had a sore paw and had to go to the vet.  It was infected from something he stepped on and had to have surgery to get it all out.  He had it wrapped up in bandages when we saw him.

 We did alot of shopping again while she stayed with us.  Grandma loves to shop.

  

 

My mom and I are hoping to go to Arizona after regionals so I can see my family and especially my brothers, along with other friends and maybe even do a competition for fun. 

My brother Jeremy was hurt in a motor bike accident with a hit and run.  The bike was destroyed but he came out ok.  It was a miracle.  The person that hit him and ran off was found and is now in jail but Jeremy is without transportation and still in pain from the accident.  We need to pray he gets well and that God provide him with transportation so he can get to his jobs.  We need to pray that this person is brought to justice too. 

Next week we go to Peoria for the Illinois Fall Invitational. 

 It is just a one day competition so we will probably drive there, spend the night, compete and come back.  It is an 8 hour drive though so we are not sure how we are going to do it yet.  It should be a fun competition, though. 

 

I put up some new pictures from the DuPage competition, which also included alot of pics from our trip to downtown Chicago and the competition.  I loved Chicago!

 

  We should keep prayers going for those in the area of the hurricanes that have been hitting the islands and Florida.  Aunt Lori and their family came out alright after Hurricane Frances with just a few problems but Hurricane Ivan looks like it is going to be very devastating.  My mom is calling it Ivan the Terrible.  Please pray for this area and all those living there.  Then, pray people open their hearts to helping those in need. 

 

Will write again soon because I will have alot to say in the upcoming days.

Love,

Sarah

                                     

 

September 12, 2004:

Happy Birthday to Aunt Lori!

Friday night Ashlie had her birthday party at Bene's Pizza, which is right across from the rink.   It was very fun!  Ashlie just turned 8 years old and she invited me to come.  I know I am older than her but she is alot of fun.  Jennifer, Erin, Rachel and her sister Laura and Laura's friend came.  There was a game room where we played and we had pizza and cake.  Mom took pictures so I'll share them sometime in the future.  Ashlie also opened her presents.  She had everything Bratz doll decorated, even the cake.   I bought her a summer fun Bratz doll and Jennifer got her a guy Bratz doll.  She got alot of other things too. 

Today is the day of mourning from the 9/11 attacks.  It will always be remembered that way.    I wanted to share with everyone about God and how the Lord sometimes allows needs to come in our lives so we will seek Him and listen to Him and let Him direct our lives.  I pray we remember that it is the Lord that is in control of our lives and we should praise Him everyday for the blessings He has given to us.  May God bless you.

Love,

Sarah Elizabeth Kidd

 

September 15, 2004:

 Ok, I have to tell you the new training regimen for those of us going to regionals.  I am skating on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and I have Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays off.  When we go to the rink we are to go just before our scheduled lesson and do a slight warmup off ice...nothing major.  Then, we are to enter the ice only when it is our lesson time.  Our lesson is a half hour of intense training.  Then we get off and rest for 45 minutes and get back on and do another half hour of training as if we were at a competition practice ice.  Then, that is it!  It doesn't sound like much but I can tell you that limited lesson and practice hurts more than any other training I have done before on the ice.  I am still working with my personal trainer, plus my ballet off and on ice with Avi and doing my stretches and exercises at home.  I'm also swimming a little.  But, this is the regionals training program time and we hope to be a peak form for Oct. 12-16th.  During that half hour lesson we do segments of our program over and over.  It's really very cool, yet tough.

I got my nails done today with a french manicure.  I like it alot.  I got it a little early before the competition this weekend but we are trying to find time to fit everything in.  We leave after lesson on Friday at 7 am and then head to Peoria, Illinois for the Illinois Valley competition.  It is only on Saturday and we will come back home on Sunday.  We are going to try a church in Peoria and then come home.

Better get to bed. 

Love,

Sarah Elizabeth Kidd

 

September 19th:

I just got home from the Illinois Valley figure skating competition and it was so much fun! 

 

It didn't take long to get there.  It was about 400 miles and it took us about 6 hours.  We listened to an audio tape called "The Cat Who Sniffed Glue".  It was a mystery and my mom and I both loved it.  It lasted the entire trip.  When we got there we settled in our room and then went to the rink, which was nice.  The people there were all very nice.  They were so good to us.  Even the hotel people were so generous, helpful and friendly.  Our room was great!  I had a practice ice that first night and then again at 7:15 the next morning.  Then, I skated my programs and I placed 1st and 3rd with them.   The one I placed 1st in was straight across the board and that made me so happy.  It has been a long time since I have won and I don't know if I have EVER gotten 1st across the board.  Then, the one I placed third in I had a first place from a judge.  I had alot of pictures taken and I will share them as soon as we get them developed.  Another great thing that happened was we got to see Matt Savoie skate his short program and also meet him.  I got his autograph and also alot of pics with him.  He is such a great skater!  He landed triple axels like nothing!

Again, I hated to see the competition end.  I love competing! 

On the way home we listed to another audio book and this one was called "The Girl with a Pearl Earring".  I loved that book.  It only lasted 4 hours but it was so good.  It was about a 16 year old girl from Holland in the 1600s.  Her family is poor and sends her to work for a painter (artist).  It's all about her life while living and working for this painter.  It is very good and I don't want to say any more because those of you who would like such a story should get it and read it.

Anyway, we also stopped at Herbert Hoover's birthplace and took our own tour of his home and gravesite.   We took pictures there, too, and I will share those as well.  We walked inside his house, which was a small one bedroom cottage.  It had the outhouse in the back yard as a well.  We also went into his one room school house and took pictures, his church and gravesite.  He was a Quaker and the church was so cool.  The men sat on one side of the church and the women on the other.  There was a partition that could be shut or open during the meetings.  There was also a cry room for the kids that misbehaved or the babies that were crying.  It was really very interesting and alot of fun.  It was a beautiful area and my mom and I loved walking around.  It was also a great way to have a break during the ride home. 

When we were almost home we got a message from Alexei with this week's schedule for lessons and it reminded me that I will be at it again tomorrow and training will be tough as we prepare for regionals, which is in mid October.  It was good to get home but I really had a blast this weekend!  I can't wait to share all the pictures.

Love,

Sarah Elizabeth Kidd