I must always blog about meets. I think Julie should set up a blog when she starts to compete. It could be a tradition. My knee has occasional pains and such but it's really doing much better. I notice a pattern. Example; I go to gymnastics on Thursday and it is fine. The next day it is worked hard and I get tired more easily. On Saturday the knee hurts on vaulting and tumbling. I probably suffered on vault because of this.

The meet was called the Sweetheart meet. Gym-nation hosted it*. The meet was in the capital cup format†. I like it so much more! You are prepared to compete much more than in the traditional format!

We started on bars. So the rotation was bar, beam, floor, vault. I usually have trouble with this format but I did O.K. I jumped to the high bar three out of three. When I competed I had very bent legs but I got a 7.85

Beam warm ups were fine but I messed up a step before the leap and that messed me up. My handstand was puny but I didn't fall at all. I got an 8.OO. that is my high score. Those were some nice judges.

Floor began normally. I asked Katica if the judges were nice and she said they were tight. I did my SMILE and did my thing. B-) I got an 8.175. Later, when Katica put the meet results up on a billboard in the cubby room, I found out that only three girls got 8s on floor and I was second. This is a huge achievement.

I hit my back on the back of the horse on friday and at the meet I hit the back of my legs against the horse. Katica lowered the horse√ and I was fine. I got an 8.2


*Gyms and USA gymnastics can host meets. This means they hire the judges, decide how medals and awards will be given and what format it is in. I think the three state qualifiers are hosted by gyms (the state qualifiers are the meets that if you get a thirty two all around at it you get to go to the state meet) but I'm not sure.

† The formats are determined by how you warm up. If you warm up all the events and then compete on them it's called traditional. Capital cup is if you warm up on one event and then you compete. Example warm up on bars and compete on bars & then you warm up on beam and then you compete on beam etc etc...............

√ Gymnast call the vault the "horse"

Time for the chapter of the day! bum bum bum bum ba badam badam badam badam bum bum bum ba dum badum.
Chapter six

“The cross is done.” Timothy announced, showing the cross to his wife.

“Good, the cake is done, too.” Mrs. Winters said.

“It’s one ‘o’ clock, so let’s have lunch then we will put the cross into the ground and then we will do the Miller traditions.” Emily said.

“What would you like for lunch, ladies.” Said Timothy

“I would like a ham sandwich.” Answered Emily.

“That sounds delectable.” Agreed Mrs. Winters.

“And you, Lily dear?” asked Timothy

“I would like a sandwich.”

“Then we’ll have a big, sandwich buffet!” exclaimed Timothy

Timothy laid out some ham, roast beef, turkey and some leftover chicken breast. He chopped up some lettuce (originally to be used in the salad for Lily’s birthday dinner). He got out some American, Swedish and Parmesan cheese. Last but not least he got out the bread. Then he started to cook some hardboiled eggs. Emily and Lily went outside to get some marigolds, carnations and day lilies to eat. They knew that these flowers are edible and loved to use them. They put them on a plate (that Emily painted with flowers two years ago) by the sandwiches.

“I was thinking honey, that we could have an herb garden. I remember in my youth, my mother had a wonderful herb garden and every day I would run out and eat some of them. My mother’s rule was ‘only take as much as you will eat’ and we had to eat them one at a time. I loved it and they made very fine dinners.” Said Timothy to his wife.

“What a good idea! I think we should have it in that little corner in the back of the yard.” Emily replied as she took little Andrew out of Mrs. Winter’s arms. “Lily why don’t you make something for lunch. I love your cinnamon cones.”

“And I’ll help her!” announced Mrs. Winters.

Lily and Mrs. Winters got to work. Lily’s cinnamon cones were made by a store bought sugar cookie mix. She would roll out the dough and then she would sprinkle it with cinnamon. Lily would pick up the end of the sheet of dough and she would fan fold it and put it in the oven. It was the dessert of the day.

“Mom, Lily, lunch is ready.” Said Emily. Mrs. Winters came out of the kitchen to the little buffet in the dining room. In the Miller household the kitchen was next to the dining room. Their was a door way but their wasn’t a door. The Millers put a fancy curtain in the doorway. The buffet was on a counter in the dining room. The dining room itself was a dark blue room with a counter attached to one side and a small fish tank on the other with five angelfish in it. There was a window across from the doorway with a nice scene. Emily had designed that area of the garden for the dining room window. There was a cherry tree in the left hand side of the window and a bunch of petunias around the trunk. Beneath the limbs of the tree there was a white, concrete bench with two legs, shaped like ocean waves. It was designed with butterflies on the sides. On the right-hand side there was a jasmine plant that made the area smell lovely. Since the weather was nice, Emily opened window, the jasmine made the room smell lovely, too.

“Emily darling, it was pure genius planting the jasmine right next to the house! It makes the room smell as though we were walking through a garden.” Mrs. Winters told her daughter, as she made herself a ham and roast beef sandwich. “What a banquet for such a small group.”

Meanwhile, Lily made herself a ham sandwich when she heard a timer go off. “Grandmother Winters, the timer is beeping.”

“I’ll get it, dear.” Replied Mrs. Winters. She went into the kitchen to get the cone and it smelled almost as good as the jasmine plant. Mrs. Winters brought it into the house and said. “I see why you had Lily make this cinnamon cone. It smells scrumptious”

The lunch went on without much event. They talked about gardening methods, Timothy’s job as a secretary, the economy, other births and the parties after them and about preschools and which ones Lily should go to. Once the meal was over and the conversations had died they did the Miller traditions.

“In my family we decorate front door with blue streamers and put up a sign that says ‘It’s a Boy!’” Said Timothy.

“Yay!” Said Lily. They decorated the front porch beautifully. The ‘it’s a boy’ sign was above the doorway. There were blue streamers hanging down from the sign, gracefully curving down to the ground. They had streamers from the top of the doorway down to Lily’s hips in a way that anyone who walked in would be walking through the blue.

“Next we take a picture of Andrew on the couch. We take a picture of Andrew every year. Lily, we have pictures of you from every year. Do you want to see them?” said Timothy

“Yes! Yes, yes!”

“Here they are.” He said, handing them to Lily.

“Cool” Said Lily. They looked like one picture of a bald baby in pink and one of a baby that looked like a girl and another baby that looked like her. The last one looked really like her.

“Lily can you sit on this couch?” Asked Emily. “Smile!” The camera went click.

“Good. Now it’s Andrew turn.” Said Timothy. Andrew had to be laid on the couch so he didn’t fall over.

“He’s so cute.” Said Mrs. Winters, crooning over her grandson.

“Your family traditions are really quick.” Said Lily to her father.

“It’s how my family does it. And there’s no link to past. It’s just how we celebrate. Now it’s time for cake!

I would appreciate comments on my story. My birthday was very nice. We went to the original pancake house and ate breakfast there. Then Mom and I went shopping for clothes so that I did not get clothes I do not like. I have five fashion rules.

1. No monkeys.
2. No peace signs
3. NO UNFASHIONABLE ITEMS
4. Must be able to do full splits in all pants
5. No excuses.
   

I have some very good rules.

Thomas got me a balloon twisting kit and I can make a wiener dog, a dog, a girrafe, a snake, a poodle, a sword, a frog, a teddy bear and a duck. My frog, teddy bear and duck are just heads with a stick of balloon to hold them up. Our balloons are below the average size so there is no room to make their bodies.

Well it's that time of season again. My birthday is coming up! In January Dad asked me what type of party I wanted to have. I had nothing to say. I didn't have any ideas at all. The thing I'm in is gymnastics but I can't have a gymnastics party. I wanted to invite the ladies of the gym but then I have two friends who are not as physically active and I don't want them to feel left out. I didn't really want to have a gymnastics party either. So Dad suggested that I have a mystery party. I agreed with happiness. The only thing that bugs me is that I can't know exactly what's going to happen or I can't join the fun! Dad's going to make characters for everyone. Gergely Borsos is a really mean gymnastics coach and Olympic gold medalist and he's opening a gym in Plymouth. I, Barbra Brilliana Blackwell of Lincolnshire (from England) have invited gymnast and judges and daughters of gymnast from other countries to my party to celebrate the coming of the gymnast. I am making newspapers and such so everyone gets into the mojo of the party. I would tell you more but I invited my fellow gymnast to my blog and I don't want to spoil the surprises no matter how little I know. I had the invitations to the party all ready and I was going to bring them to gymnastics but the schools were canceled and so was gymnastics so I didn't give them to the girls yet. I will deliver them on Thursday.

I'm back from WISCONSIN! Before I blog I need to put in the story chapter.

Chapter five

There are two parts that I could write about in this chapter, Timothy Miller making the cross for the garden or the cake that Jane Walters Winters and Lily Miller baked. I think I will write about the cake that Mrs. Winters and Lily baked because it will be more interesting with Mrs. Winters and Lily working together. Besides, Timothy’s story would be more of details of his artistry and the problems he faces with the machinery and the wood’s quality, etcetera, etcetera and so forth. You’ll see why I chose this side of the story.

“Why does Mommy have to feed Andrew by herself. Why can’t he feed himself? Doesn’t she know that Grandma and I don’t get along?” Lily thought as she baked a cake, from a mix, with her grandmother. All she had to do was measure out the ingredients.

Her grandmother cheerfully said. “Alright sweetheart! It’s time to bake a cake! You need to get one and one third cups of water. That’s up to here” Grandmother Winters (as Lily decided to refer her as) told Lily, holding a measuring cup and pointing to the one and one thirds mark.

“Okay” said Lily, following Grandmother Winters instructions while Grandmother Winters hummed and preset the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees.

Still humming and smiling as she greased the pans, Lily walked over to her Grandmother and said. “Here you go, one and one thirds cup of water.”

Grandmother Winters examined the measuring cup and exclaimed. “Wonderful job Lily! Splendid!” Now I’ll need one third of a cup of vegetable oil. That’s up to here.” She said as she dumped the water into the mixing bowl. She held the measuring cup upright and pointed to the mark on the measuring cup.

Soon Lily had fetched all the ingredients for her grandmother and was standing on a stepstool, leaning over her grandmother’s work. Grandmother Winters was not worried about salmonella poisoning and Lily got to lick the spoon. When the Cake was in the oven. The two chefs sat in front of the oven as the cake was being made. Grandmother Winters knitted while Lily watched her.

“Grandmother Winters, why are you so happy? I mean, you know, hmm.”

“Ha ha! Grandmother Winters, I like that. I know what you mean. You remind me of little Emily. I forgot to tell you about my favorite part of our tradition, silly old me. It’s optional but many people do it, after the baby’s born and after the lily’s planted, you bake the cake. At your mother’s cousin’s birth the baby was born at home so we planted the lily and your mother was four years old and six years behind her juvenile relatives. The other women didn’t want to bake a cake and left that to me. Emily was the only one who wanted to bake a cake, the other children didn’t want to bake one either. So Emily and I baked the cake and Emily did the same job that you did. It so reminded me of the old days, what we just did.” Grandmother Winters said, getting the cake out of the oven. “It looks marvelous! Help me frost it, Lily.” Lily and Grandmother Winters frosted the cake completely blue.

“Why do you need to make the cake after the lily is planted?” Lily asked.

“Because back then the baby didn’t always live after the lily was planted. Cake was really hard to make because it was hard to get the ingredients for it. If the baby died the Easter lily was killed. There, done” Grandmother Winters answered. “Lily the cake is done.” Let’s go see how your mother is doing.”

I don't know if I've kept everyone well enough informed but on Saturday, January 30 I left to WISCONSIN with my friend, Mara. The meet wasn't until Sunday but it's kind of nice to be there on Sunday and play around with the other girls. It's a four hour ride to WISCONSIN DELLS and it's very nice to spend it with a friend. Mom, Dad and the young ones went to the Lemire household and spent the night there and arrived in WISCONSIN DELLS on Saturday. After Mara and I arrived (Mara competed too) we went into the huge hotel room that we shared with three other girls on our team (all of which we know well). The room was a living room, a jacuzzi, a bedroom with a king bed with a three quarter bathroom, a bedroom with two twin beds and a three-quarter bathroom. All of the rooms had a TV and a holographic fire (that didn't produce any heat). Mara and I shared the king bed. The other three girls slept in the twin bedroom. The original plan was to go bowling at six 'o' clock but we found out that a illusion show was at Chula Vista (the hotel we were staying at) and we decided to go to it. It was very good. One of my favorites was when the magician painted a picture of a dove and he turned it into a real dove. Another was when he drew a face and it started to talk and it's eye's started to move (he complained that his ears were to small and he couldn't here anything).

Abbie and I (the two level fives) watched the entire level six meet. Unfortunetly all the level sixes except Mara abbandoned us to the water park. Mara is such a good teammate. She came onto the floor with us and helped us in every way she could. My thanks to Mara. The meet was my best ever. The rotation for it was vault, bar, beam, floor. I like that rotation. The meets are different in WISCONSIN and the group was of five so we actually talked and cheered for the girls on the other team. I am going to try to do that in Minnesota. In Minnesota girls only talk and cheer for girls on their team. The other teams don't insult your team, you simply don't interact.

I got an 8.35 on vault. My record was 8.2. My record is now 8.35.

Bar was awesome. We did something we don't normally do in Minnesota. Karen took us to bar and asked us to jump to the bar. She chose the best bar setting and we jumped at that in performance. It clearly helped. I got an 8.15 on bar. My first kip was great so that set me off for a good low bar routine. I find that it all matters on the kip. there are to kips in my bar routine. One for the high bar and one for the low bar. if there is a good first kip my low bar will be good. If my last kip is good my high bar will be good. My high bar kip was ok and so was my high bar. My record was 7.7. My record now is 8.15.

During beam warm ups my knee started to hurt. That was my worst night mare. The more I did the more it hurt. I cried half the time out of pain and the other half in fear. I only did two cart wheels on the beam and one leap. I did a beam routine in tears. I got a 7.65. My record is 7.85. My record is now 7.85.

I didn't do a single warm up for floor. I took an Advil pill. I went and did a floor routine. I got an 8.525. My record is an 8.575. My all around score was 32.575 it is my high score.

I am writing a poem book. Dad is having us write poems for grammar. These following poems must have one subject and one predicate. We may only use two words. But in Teddy Bear I use teddy bear but that doesn't count.

Day one, poem one, February 3, 2010

Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear smiles.

Teddy Bear giggles.

Teddy Bear laughs.

Teddy Bear sits.

Teddy Bear hugs.

Teddy Bear loves.

Day one, poem two, February 3, 2010

Magic Show

Steam rises.

Magician appears.

Pictures talk.

Women float.

Magic happens.

Audience applauds.

Performance complete.

Day one, poem three, February 3, 2010

The Diaper

Air stinks.

Baby kicks.

Thomas cries.

He whines.

Dad wrestles.

Diaper fastened.

Aroma freshened.