Kristen Shultz was out on her boat one day, as she is so often living in LA. It was 7:00 in the morning and no one else was on the ocean, so she had it to herself. The water was beautiful gleaming in the sun, and the ocean was nice and calm, not at all choppy. She looked into the ocean, it was a clear blue and Kristen could see straight to the bottom. A gleaming flash of amber was there, and then gone. It could be a mermaid, Kristen thought. A crazy assumption but alas it could be true. She kept on boating, Kristen thought she saw mermaids a lot. About an hour later, she again saw the beautiful brown haired mermaid with the amber tail. This time, the mermaid stopped to look up at Kristen, staring at her just as Kristen was staring at the mermaid herself. A couple of young sea turtles then came up to the mermaid. She glanced down at them, but then up at Kristen again. Staring at Kristen for a little too long the young turtles dashed away and the mermaid had to leave to chase after them. "It was amazing!" she said, "I know now for sure that mermaids are real! She was so beautiful with her tailsparkling in the sun, and it was almost like she was babysitting those baby turtles. I wonder if that's what the mermaid life is like. Almost like ours, just under the sea. I got a glimpse in the mermaid life. I just wish I hadn't been so startled that I would've thought to get my camera out. I hope I can see one again!" The year she was 11 will always be an exciting memory for Kristen, that was The Year Of The Mermaid.