THAT DAY

One year ago, everything changed. My dad had a heart attack. My dad, who has come to almost all my sporting events and cheers me on, who takes me to see all the politicians that come talk, who introduced me to the Tour de France, who loves to play Scrabble. Who was the subject of my greatest thanks that year, because my dad was okay.

It was to be the first day back from Thanksgiving break. Early that morning, the phone rang. It kept ringing and ringing. My driver's ed teacher told us about two weeks later that early morning phone calls are hardly ever good, because good news can always wait until morning. He was partly true.

I can still remember the phone ringing over and over again. The answering machine clicking on, and my mom's voice telling one of us girls to pick up the phone. I answered it half asleep. And then my mom told me that she had taken my dad to the hospital. He was having chest pains but he didn't want to wake me up because he thought it wasn't that big of deal. But my mom told me the sweetest words I could hear after she told me where they were at. He was okay. He was going to be okay.

I stayed up after that, waiting for the phone to ring again, and for my sisters to wake up. I remember the look on my youngest sister's face when I told her that dad was in the hospital, that he was okay, but we didn't have to go to school. That was one of that hardest things I have had to do. To tell her words that I didn't even want to hear. But he was okay. And that's what mattered.

We were allowed to visit him later on, and I don't think I have ever been so glad to see my dad. He looked weak and sick and okay. He had watched what he ate, he exercised- went on bike rides and went running with me, he did what his doctor had told him. He did so much right, and what scares me is what went wrong. There are so many fat, unhealthy, junk food eating guys out there and they weren't the ones who this happened to. They are the ones who it is supposed to happen to. But my dad has done even more since that day. He goes walking all the time and lifts weights. And he's still there at all my meets.

On that day, a year ago, I went for about a six mile run. I had been running at most like four until that day. But then I needed to run. I needed to get out of the house, and run long and deal with everything. My grandparents had arrived so I didn't need to act like the grownup anymore. I could act like the kid that I felt like through the whole experience. So I ran. I ran because it was my therapy, I could get out my adrenaline, my fear. I could be myself and didn't have to pretend when I ran. Running that day, that week, became something I wanted to do, something I had to do.

I'm not sure how my mom dealt with everything, because I was so terrified myself, and I knew from the beginning that he was okay. The way she acted has made her an even stronger woman in my opinion. One of the really hard things that week was actually going to school and sitting in class and listening to everyone's conversations. I couldn't make it matter to me, what really mattered was my family. And a year from that scary day, the same thing matters. My family matters.

EG

Happy Birthday EG :)

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3

One of my downfalls is High School Musical. I don't care if people don't like it or think it's dumb. I don't care if it's main audience is 10 year olds (which is so not true). It's a fantastic movie and it makes you believe that anything can come true. High School Musical 2 was good, but I didn't like it as much as the first. It just didn't feel the same. But I've been super excited for High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Probably more excited than I should've been but the previews and commercials just made it look so good. Plus the music videos/previews they've shown on Disney Channel made it look fantastic.

So today I got to see High School Musical 3 and it was amazing. The people weren't all 10 year olds there either. I wore Wildcat colors (it isn't that creepy) to the movie and wore a white sweatshirt so I could do the part in "Now or Never" that they do in the music video. They didn't do that in the movie though which was a little disappointing. It really was a great movie. We've come a long way from High School Musical 1, that's for sure.

This movie was really a love story. It made you believe in fairytales, that there really is that perfect guy and that everything would work out. All the songs in this movie were pretty good, my favorite might be "Can I Have This Dance". The part in the movie is just beautiful.



I also think that Troy is the cutest in this movie. I think that the third one is the funniest. There are some parts where you just have to laugh, like when they are in the tree house or when Rocket Man shows up. "The Boys are Back" song is pretty cool too, I liked the little kids that looked like Troy and Chad, they were cute. Then there are parts which you wish would happen to you, like when Troy shows up in the tree to dance with Gabriella for the prom or when they dance on the roof in the greenhouse. The opening scene was a little dramatic but I think it fit the movie. I also liked how they went farther into Troy and Chad's friendship and how Troy wasn't the cool strong guy or a jerk, but that he was vulnerable. There were parts that I almost started crying at too. When Gabriella says she's not coming back, when Chad is playing in the gym and Troy comes in, and of course at the end, because it was the end of the last High School Musical movie ever. Just knowing that this was the first and last time I would see High School Musical 3 (and Troy) on the big screen, I tried to soak every little thing in, I wanted to remember it all. It fit that this one was on the big screen in the theaters, it was so cool. And who wouldn't want to see Troy on the big screen.

If you come into the movie with the preconcieved notion that it will be bad then you probably will just make fun of the movie. True fans will love it and it might just win over some undecideds. From the mesmerized look on my younger sister's face, who had been waiting for this day for a long time and actually counting down the days, I knew that most will love the movie. I absolutely loved it but you just can't help it. This might even be the best one of the trilogy. It certainly was a fantastic movie.