Once again, sorry it has been so long since I last wrote an entry! Where to start? The past couple of months have been pretty busy for me.  I was in Bulgaria in March for Junior Worlds, which was pretty exciting to go back to. Sofia has become very pretty over the past couple of years, so it was nice to see some of the changes that had occurred.  I skated fairly well and ended up third, so it was a good experience for me.

After a short break from Junior Worlds, I started my search for new music. Since this year is an Olympic year, I wanted both programs to be perfect. We searched for weeks and weeks until finally Irina, my choreographer, thought of Polovtsian Dances.  I love the music, and I think it will be a beautiful program to skate to this year. After we found the long, we started searching for the short. We wanted something really strong and dynamic, so we chose music from “Once Upon a Time in America”, performed by Yo-Yo Ma. It is a really cool take on the piece; it is somewhat different from the original.

Now I am just working on getting my programs consistent for Moran Memorial, which is the last weekend in August. I was disappointed that I missed out on Liberty this year; I was really looking forward to competing in it. Unfortunately, I had some skate issues so I wasn't able to skate the short. Anyway, training is going well, and Priscilla is pushing me as always, not that it’s a bad thing.  Also, I have some exciting news; Tara Lipinski is going to be my mentor! I have always looked up to her, and it was amazing to hear about her skating career. Because she lives on the opposite side of the country, we haven’t been able to do too much but she has talked to me about her Olympic experience and how she dealt with everything leading up to it. It is so inspiring to hear her story, and hopefully her advice will help me!

After Moran Memorial I am going to be headed to Moscow and Nagano for my Grand Prixs. I am so excited for both. I have always wanted to see Red Square, so now may be my chance. Also it will be really cool to go to Nagano since that is where Tara won her Olympic gold. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Hope everyone is doing well.