My First Red Carpet

So this past weekend I got to walk my first red carpet...and not even as a guest! I was a host and a presenter! :) Okay, so really it was just our cheerleading banquet, but it was HOLLYWOOD themed and oh-so amazing! The moms and "banquet planning committee" did all the decor and planning, so I had no clue how fantastic it would be! I can not believe how gorgeous this room was. I wish I had taken pics of the room before everyone got there, but I didn't. Silly me. I will tell you about it though...as you walked in, there was a red carpet, and then huge white letters spelling Hollywood (like on the side of that hill). The banquet room had chair rail going all the way around the room, and the moms had made each one of the girls a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The tables had movie reels and Oscars on top of them. The colors of the evening were red, gold, black, and white, so there were also some red and gold Hershey kisses scattered on the tables. On both sides of the buffet line (which had the yummiest Italian food!) were humongous, larger than life gold Emmys. There was not a single detail left unthought of. I was worried that there might be some drama, since we all know this year was rough (to put it nicely) but everyone was on their best behavior. It was truly a magical night, and a wonderful way to end a really rocky year! I even got a big scrapbook a girl made, some roses, cards, and lots of hugs. :) Oh, and I forgot to mention there were favors for everyone at the end of the night...big bags of red, gold and black candy!

My "Special" Saturday

This past Saturday, our high school hosted their annual Special Olympics basketball tournament. This was my second one to attend, and it was awesome. The local Special Olympics chapter includes Rockwall, Cedar Hill, Midlothian, Waxahachie, Highland Park, and DeSoto, and it is an amazing organization. There are three different divisions, elementary, middle school, and high school/adult. I think the elementary kids are my favorite, but I loved watching all of them. The kids have so much fun, and the parents at this event are SO amazing. Y'all know I have a weakness for these kids. I love them. I feel like I was meant to work with kids with special needs. In fact, I have worked with alot of the kids that were on the Midlothian teams. I love them so much and it is the most rewarding work I think I have ever done. More than cheerleading (duh, that's easy to do), but more rewarding than mission work, or anything else I've been a part of. These kids just make me so so happy, so of course spending a fun day with them was a blast. There were games all morning, then a little workshop where the high school basketball players did little drills with them and stuff. That was probably the most fun part to watch. It is so cool to see the high school kids getting so into bonding with these kids. They would get so excited when their buddies were successful!

Here is one of my favorite little girls with Blue the Panther.

Ramsi and I liked the shirt design this year...

The cheerleaders attend and cheer for all the teams. The kids think of them as celebrities...it is so neat for both the kids and the cheerleaders! We served them lunch, and then helped with the award ceremony at the end of the day. :)

From Busy to Lazy

The past week was quite busy for me. (hence the reason I have not posted in a while.) I had four Christmas parties to attend (one for the athletic department, and three cheerleading ones), as well as lots of shopping, a little Southern Living at HOME stuff, and plus my cousin Amy came into town and stayed two nights with me! It was very busy, but fun too.
I guess my favorite of the four parties I attended this week was the Freshmen Cheer party (my squad) which was last night. We had so much fun, and the girls and their moms were in such great moods. The girls got silly and sang Christmas Karaoke, which was a hoot. I love that they are old enough to be mature and have intelligent conversation, but still young enough to have fun without having to worry quite yet about "looking cool." We had lots of snacks (the orange chicken from Costco was my favorite! I want to buy some for myself sometime. I reccomend you try it if you get the chance. It comes frozen in a box and you cook the chicken in the oven and the glaze on the stove...very easy yet super tasty!) and we decorated ornaments. It was so neat. I guess I have been too busy to really catch the Christmas Spirit, UNTIL Friday night. It was such a fun time. Probably the best part of the whole night though, was when we delivered gifts to a family we adopted. The mom has a first grade daughter and fifth grade boy. Their circumstances are grim and unimaginable, but the girls did an amazing job interacting with both the kids and the mom. I was so so proud of them. They truly understand what it's all about...giving to those in need. It was an experience I will never forget! Truly touching! Both the cheerleaders, and the mom cried, and we were all pretty emotional. The amount of stuff the girls bought this family was astounding! I have never seen one family get so many toys, clothes, books, and the mom got dishes, pots and pans and clothes for herself! My cheerleaders went way above and beyond...it was remarkable!
Anyways, so now that my hectic week is over, it is time to relax and soak up the much needed family time. As of now we are in Austin, but we will also be going to Houston and Burnet. Mom is in Houston, but Papa took Zac and I out to eat to celebrate my good grades. It was fun. I love Austin. I miss it all the time, but when I am here, it's almost painful knowing that at some point I will have to leave again. I can not wait to move back here. The people are different, the attitude is different, and it's BIG! :)
Zac and I have set a goal to see the following movies over the break. We are going back and forth as to whether we should split them up, or just go one Saturday and see them back to back. Haha, I am voting to split them up! :) Here are the ones we are dying to see...

Gran Torino-This is the one I want to see the most. I think it looks amazing! I love Clint Eastwood's character.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons-Brad Pitt...need I say more? Sounds like a neat story.
Valkyrie-Tom Cruise kinda creeps me out, but I still want to see this, and Zac really wants to.
Seven Pounds-What is this movie about? I have to go just to find out (and it looks good!). I think they were super vague in the previews just to make us curious.
Frost/Nixon-Zac doesn't actuall want to see this one or Doubt, but I want to see both of them.
Doubt-This looks disturbing but I think it will be a good one.

(If you are unfamiliar with the title, you should click on it to watch the trailer. They all look so good to me! I'm excited just writing about them!)

V-O-T-E

Please read/sing this to the tune of Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E...

V is for a big fat Vic-tory
Obama, is the Only one I see
T is truly hoping he becomes the president
E is Even more than anything I could ask for...
VOTE it's all I that I can ask, of you.
Vote...it's more than just a thing to do.
America, we need to change it, cast your vote, please don't delay it.
Vote for Obama today!

You guessed it! Zac and I voted today and I was on a high all afternoon. :) This was my second presidentional election to vote in (although two seperate Poll Officials asked me today if this was my first time to vote...maybe I look young?), and I was sad that I have not gotten to use a booth, curtain, or electronic voting either time! We just got a paper and a pen and had to sit at a table in bubble in our choices, like a standardized test. It was very anti-climactic, in fact I told Zac that I almost wished I had waited until election day so I would have that exciting buzz. Except that we had to wait in a long line today, so I can not imagine how it will be on Tuesday! I was excited to get an "I Voted Today" sticker, but annoyed when I got to cheerleading that afternoon wearing it. Alot of girls asked who I voted for (I did not tell them), and several had really harsh remarks. Here are a few things I heard in the hour span I was with them:
-I hope you voted "NO-bama."
-If you voted for Obama, I'm gonna kill you. Like, really...murder you!
-Hey, did y'all know that Obama is a terrorist AND he hates white people!
Needless to say, it got really old, and I was not about to go there, so instead we just started stretching, but I really wanted to scream "yall are brainwashed! Do any of you watch CNN or read factual information, or do you just trust your parents and bogus emails?" Anyways, it was kind of bothersome, but I didn't let it bring me down! I just hope that next Tuesday I am not dissappointed! :) Oh, and if you have not voted yet, I reccomend you watch this video: (that happens to have like 5 ba-jillion celebs in it, though Borat might be my fave in this clip!)

Matt, thanks for putting a link to THIS amazing story on your blog!

Perfect Practice

Today my cheer squad had after school practice, for the first time so far this year. It was awesome! All the girls were so focused and I think we accomplished more in the thirty minutes we stayed extra after school today, than we did the whole week of class (5 hours total) last week! We worked on stunts and got several new stunts, that I am excited about showing off at games. I have freshmen, so the stunting is not as elite as the Varsity girls I worked with last year. It was hard to go from doing bigtime stuff, back down to working on the basics, but maybe that is why I am so excited about things today! I know that a very small percentage of the population (and the people who read my blog) are cheerleaders, so let me explain something...Stunting is not just about strength for the bases, and balance and flexibility for the flyers (the girls on top). It is about trust, teamwork, and it's a huge mental thing too. Emotions are always high and the mood is usually tense. It is so exciting to get a new stunt and see it hit consistently! I won't say that it feels better as a coach than a cheerleader, beacuse I remember those practices when I wanted to run out because things weren't working and then all of a sudden, everything clicked and it worked, and then it worked again, and then we were hugging and bouncing up and down hugging, because it was the best feeling! Today, I was pumped, but not that kind of pumped. I will say though, that watching stunting and working on new stunts as a coach is MORE nerve-racking. The girls know I take it really seriously, and luckily they have been too.
Here are a few of our new stunts...(I will be posting pics of MY girls doing them, as soon as I take pictures! YAY!)
Arabesque

Liberty

Scorpion

Scale

And we are working towards...a heel stretch,

and a basket toss.

Haha, if you look closely, that is ME in the air in the Basket Toss, and in the Liberty! :) Sigh...back in the good ole college days. Oh wait, I am still in college. I mean, back in my "younger, cooler" college days!

Anyways, I know that I probably vent alot about being a cheer coach, and sometimes maybe even whine or complain. However, today was one of those days that makes the moms, and the drama, and the gossip, and the administration all fade away. The girls left practice on Cloud Nine, and so did I. It was this indescribable feeling. Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling, on this magic carpet ride. (haha, I got sidetracked by that Aladdin song when I said "indescribable feeling." Sorry, it's late.) But it was just the best, and this day made all the bad days worthwhile! :) BIG PROUD COACH SMILE.

My BUMPY Day

Last Thursday was a rough day for me, to say the least. Since I am behind on my blogging, I am not going to go too in depth, but here was the lowpoints of the day (in order, as they unfolded)...
1. Basically had some major anxiety about getting ready for the pep rally Friday. Hard to explain, but just trust me, it was hardcore.
2. Found out that my parent's dog Shiloh (he was my 8th grade Christmas present) is sick.
3. When my father was outside checking on Shiloh, the dog that Zac and I bought for my parents, Rusty, had a Grand Mal Seizure. Vet can't get my parents in until 3ish, so they are not going to be getting into town until really late. :(
4. Dealing with both cheer moms and football player moms questioning decisions I have made. Petty, tiny decisions that should be so minor, yet they like to somehow make them into big deals. 5. WORST part of the day...Got to the stadium, was spotting a stunt, and caught a girl with my FACE! She was coming down and I got an elbow to the eye. It hurt soo bad! I was trying to be tough, and be a good coach, so I didn't cry in front of the girls, and I was like "I'm fine! Im juts going to the restroom to wash my eye-makeup off of my cheek" (Her elbow hit above my right eyebrow and then glided down the whole right side of my face, making my mascara smear.) Anyways, I got to the bathroom and cried in a stall. haha, I think the cry was a long time coming...due to my hectic day, but sheesh, did it hurt! I had to put ice on it, which made it hurt worse! My teeth, my nose, my eye, and my entire head throbbed. I have broken my nose before, and I swear that this hurt worse than that!
6. My parents finally got to the second game, during half time, and my dad told me that they had to put Shiloh to sleep. (Too bad I am in a public place and I am already all cried out!) My heart sank down into my stomache, but I didn't cry. I think that I was in so much pain that even news that big and sad paled in comparison to how I was feeling.
So anyways, of course after my parents got there, everything started getting better. I was happy to have them sitting by me, Zac's team won 35-0, I got LOTS of compliments on how well my cheerleaders did (I was so super proud of them...they were amazing!), and the best part was that I knew I was going to have an awesome week ahead of me!
Here is a pic of my eye, the night that it happened, several hours later. It looks like I am furrowing my brows, but I really wasn't. The eye that got hit has been sitting a little lower than it used to...I really hope that goes back to normal after this all goes away!! (The swelling has gone down, but now it is starting to turn a greenish-brownish-blue. Hot huh?)

PS-I know I look like "H-E-double hockey sticks" in that picture, but I wanted to show you the lump. Please do not make fun of me. It was literally like 1 in the morning (if not 2am) when my mom took this picture of me.

Shiloh, we miss you and will continue to miss you. I know you are running around like a puppy, with perfect hearing, and no tumors. This makes me happy. (By the way, the above picture isnt Shiloh, but looks alot like him. I do not have any recent pics of Shiloh on my computer.)

My Week

Here is my new FALL schedule:
I have cheerleading practice every day from 2:30-4, plus...
Monday- Math in Waxahachie 11-12:20, Intro to Ed. (which I already took at McMurry, but A&M Commerce will not transfer this class from other schools because they want you to take it through them. Boo!) is from 4:30-7:20, plus over the semester I will have to do 30 hours worth of observations.
Tuesday-Class from 4:30-10pm
Wednesday- Math in Wax. from 11-12:20
So that is four classes. My other two are online classes, so I will have to squeeze those in sometime.
Thursday-Freshmen football games
Friday- Pep Rallies/Varsity football game/Coaches Social

If I am posting less, I apologize. As you can see...this is going to be a busy go-go-go kind of semester for me. Poor Zac's is not much better with teaching two different subjects, coaching football, and taking his online Masters courses. We joke that we are just strangers who happen to sleep in the same bed. Oh well, hopefully when we get into a routine, everything will settle down and we can find little pieces of time to spend together!

80's Day

Don't you miss those high school days when you would get to dress up on Friday? I DO...bigtime! Im not sure why schools have theme days, or what exactly that does for the football team, but I am certainly all about it. I love school spirit, and if looking like Debbie Gibson helps the home team, sign me up. Today was our first dress up day of the year, and it seemed to be a success. (Especially considering we didn't even have a pep rally today, and the game isn't until tomorrow!) Here are a few of my favorite pics that I took when I got to the school for seventh period cheerleading class.

Coach Russell (Ramsi) & Coach Harris (Tonya)

All of the cheerleaders 7th period, before they dressed out for class...aren't they cute? I'm sad because some of the best ones are in the back, and you can't see them. There were tutus over legging with heels and socks...it was the most beautifully tacky sight ever! :)

Doesn't this make you want to be in High School again? Next week is Hawaiian Day...I will post pics!

Excitement in the air...

As much as I hate that the summer is over, and Zac and I are headed back to our crazy lives and schedules again, I can not deny that there is excitement in the air! I have been up at the high school every day this week with cheerleading two-a-days, and I can't explain the way I feel. I remember having this feeling as a teenager, when I was in high school. It is when the band is outside practicing, the drumline is working on their cadences (which always pump me up!), the school parking lot is full of cars, football players are practicing, cheerleaders are practicing, volleyball girls are practicing...and there is just this buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air. What will the new year bring? Will this be the best year ever? etc... I thought I was too old to feel this way (actually, I just had not thought about the feeling or if I would feel it, until it came on) but I guess since I am married to a football coach, and coaching cheerleaders, I feel it just as strong (if not stronger) than I did as a teenager! It might sound corny, but it's so true! It seems that everyone (students and teacher, and administrators alike) return from summer break with a new perspective and a sense of being refreshed. I can't wait to see what this year brings. I am hoping for the best, and scared of the worst. I will be coaching the cheerleaders AND taking 18 hours of coursework, so I know it will be a fall I never forget. Thank goodness I get happy/nervous like a kid, and this excitement carries me through the bad days! Nonetheless...wish me luck this year. I will need it with the cheerleaders! ha!

Girls Gone Loud

Here is a video of my freshmen cheerleaders on our first night of camp. I know that was like "so six weeks ago", but I never posted anything about camp, so better late than never...right? This was our evening evaluation, where we had to take one cheer and one chant that we learned that day and put our own twist on it. (Hence the tumbling, stunts, etc) It would look better if I had been directly in front of them, because they are in a triangle, and their tumbling had a neat pattern that you can't really see from where I am standing. Oh well, just use your imagination. Here it is anyways...


PS-They won a little award for this evaluation. :) Don't they have alot of spirit??
PS#2-Didn't their coach pick cute camp-wear for them? teehee...I think so!