What's One More?

More cheerleading is in our future.  It was one very nerve wracking week for me.  Practice for a cheer competition in Myrtle Beach and clinics and tryouts for high school freshmen squad all in four days!!  I was nervous, more than nervous.  Not that I didn't have confidence in my daughter, it was just all so much in four days.  

My daughter HAD to practice with her team for Myrtle Beach, so Monday and Tuesday, she practiced for an hour, then rushed over to the high school to learn the cheer and school fight song.  Two days of just half an hour each to learn them.  Wednesday was mock tryouts.  Thursday came and that day about drove me crazy for it to come to an end so it could all be over!  

5:00pm rolled around and there started the tryouts.  6:10pm and she's done already...yikes!  6:17pm, two more groups to go.  The team would be posted on the cheer website...I had it all ready to go and refresh when needed.  

6:40pm, everyone is home, hustling around trying to get to eating dinner.  My daughter was nervous, I was nervous and she says she's grabbing the laptop...I already had it ready to go so I refreshed the page and BOOM!!  There's the list with the girls that made the team and there's my daughter's name!!  We both screamed and high fived!!  OMG!  I was so relieved to find out already!  Don't think I could have waited any longer!

Twelve girls made the squad.  My daughter was very busy texting the other girls.  Then she tells us we need to go back to the high school to get her t-shirt....what?  Why wouldn't they have had the girls stay there...we don't live close to the high school anymore, even tho it is only about 15 minutes, but still... but how could we disappoint our daughter after making the squad??

Not like we had anything else to do but to pack for Myrtle Beach leaving the next morning...but it was all worth the stress and headache to see how happy our daughter was and the relief I felt!!  Now we will focus on the competition for the next two days and will look forward to even more cheerleading in the future!!

Not Your Mama's Cheerleading!

My daughter's team...yes, be impressed!

Elite Cheer Blaze!

A Summer of Travels

My family's travel schedule for this summer has become very crazy!  Not sure I can even keep up with everyone!  I guess it has actually started with my hubby currently in Australia.  My oldest daughter will be  going to Florida next week for spring break.  I will be going to Myrtle Beach with hubby and youngest daughter the end of this month for a cheer competition and two days of spring break.

I will be traveling to Portland, Oregon for my board meetings the end of April.  My youngest daughter will be going to Washington, D.C. the beginning of June.  I will be traveling to KOREA the middle of June.  I'm SO excited I get to go to Korea again!  My son will be going to Texas for a church mission trip the middle of June.

The beginning of July, my youngest daughter travels to St. Louis for her church mission trip.  The middle of July, my son travels to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering.

Kids start school the  middle and end of August.  Then I will be traveling to China in September...Phew!!  So much for that family trip I wanted to plan to Sweden/Norway.  Maybe next summer??

I am just forever grateful my entire family can travel, life is too short not to take advantage of it while we all can!!

Celebrate!

Today is our anniversary, but with hubby in Australia, we celebrated early with a nice dinner out.  I had several shoes to choose from, so I asked my Facebook friends and family which shoes to wear and the overall choice were the red shoes so I wore them!

I have been shopping lately, getting in the mood for spring with such a mild winter, I'm really excited to wear all of my new shoes and clothes!  I think I have a total of seven new pairs of shoes, six new dresses and five new scarves?!!  

I'm excited for spring and summer, especially being able to use our new pool and deck!!  Besides, I also have three new bikinis!!

30 Years of Bliss

Yes, my hubby and I have been together for 30 years!!  This Saturday, we will celebrate 30 years together:  22 years of marriage, 3 kids, 1 puppy, 1 dream home...we have reached the Happily Ever After!  Sometimes I do think we live a fairytale life.  We are truly very happy with how we have come so far in 30 years.

So how do we celebrate 30 years together?  By being apart...hubby will be in Australia and I will be home.  Not the ideal way to celebrate, but that's the way it is.  Oh yes, we will celebrate with a special dinner out this Thursday, then hubby will take Friday off before he has to leave for Australia.  

I actually wanted to go to Australia with my hubby, he wasn't so thrilled with the idea.  He's never too thrilled with the idea of me going with him when he travels...I have yet to do that.  I've been wanting to tag along with him ever since he was going on a business trip to Jamaica...yes, Jamaica, twice he's gone to Jamaica on business.  One time, he left on my birthday.  There seems to be a pattern here...

One of these times, I think I will just book my ticket knowing where he's going and just surprise him...not sure he will like it, but that's what I am going to do.  Even if his travels don't take him to some exotic place, I just want to go, but then again, that's me.  I like to travel, he doesn't.  Maybe he'd change his mind if I was with him?  Maybe not, but oh well, he had better be ready for me!

Happy Anniversary, honey!  I love you, you're the best thing that has happened to me in my life and all that has happened since!  Here's to the next 30 years together!  And hopefully, we will be together on the actual DAY next year!!

There are Times...

When I would just like to run away from it all and be in the middle of nowhere...no phones, no tv, no computers, no people, no expectations, no worries, no stress, nothing.  Would I really be able to live without all of those things?  The latter two, YES!!  Don't get me wrong, I love my life, my life appears to be perfect from the outside, but the stress and worries of life, those that I canNOT control, that is what I want to run away from.  

I try not be a worrier, but I can't help but worry about my family, so I take on their stress too.  I want everyone to be happy, to experience everything in life that will make them happy.  I know I can't do things for them all the time and we all have to take accountability to do what makes ourselves happy but sometimes I just want to scream....LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!!!

Ok, time to move forward...or least go shopping?!!  

Puppy Love

Seven months ago, we got a new puppy.  It had been seven years since our last dog.  My youngest daughter had been begging for a puppy forever, but I was never ready.  Our weekends were always busy, I was traveling, we were in a new house...who wanted the hassle of a new puppy around?  Not me, I was the hold out, until I saw the picture of a puppy on Facebook.  I began to inquire about the puppies, what type, how much and so on.  It was way too convenient for me to go check out the puppies, but I did and that was it, I was in love!  There were five black puppies and one brown/black puppy, I fell in love with the brown/black one since he was the only different one from the litter.

I can't believe we've had our little Bean for six months already.  It's amazing the changes that occurred, not only with our daily routine, but with the attitudes and emotions of our family members...especially ME.  I have always been a dog lover, grew up with dogs all  my life, so that was nothing new.  But I had forgotten the feeling of love one can have for a four-legged creature.  How it feels to be greeted by the pure excitement and wagging of the tail from your pet.  The laughs you get from watching the silly things a puppy does with toys.  The love you feel when the puppy snuggles up with you and falls asleep on your lap.  

I've even teased my hubby about how excited he gets and greets our puppy first and kisses him before me when he gets home.  He said that I don't greet him wagging my tail and spin around when he walks in the door...he's got a point there.  I've noticed a change come over me too.  I feel like I have been more loving and caring towards my hubby and kids since having a puppy.  I've heard that having a pet does make a person more loving and I believe it.  I wasn't sure if it was me getting older and more sentimental but came to realize it was because of our puppy that I have been able to show more love and affection towards everyone.  I've actually felt more needy too lately.  I want to be loved more, held more, kissed more...all this emotion because of one little Bean.  What a blessing he has been to our family!!