Cheer-tatorship

Wow! I am high on life right now! I just got back to JMU after an AMAZING girls weekend with my mother and her allstar cheer gym. My mother founded and is the head coach of RCA, Renegade Cheerleading Allstars. This is the eighth year the gym has been in existence, but my mother has been coaching me since I was 8 years old, so roughly she's been doing it for 13 years. It is really amazing to see how far things have come since we broke off of our Recreation Association and started our own gym.

My mother and I my sophomore year in college, when a boy on the
senior team injured himself the day before the competition and
through some crazy loophole, I was still eligible to compete
so I got out my old uniform and took his place!

What I love about my mother and RCA is that anyone can do it. It is a non-profit organization which allows kids who may not have the financial means  to participate in competitive cheerleading. Also, no child gets turned away. Whether you are brand new at cheerleading, or you 've been doing it your whole life, there is a place for you in our gym and as corny as it may sound, in our hearts. RCA now has four teams: the Jewels which are our Tiny Tot team,  the Gems that are Youth, Treasure is our Seniors, and the Shining Stars which was the first Special Needs Cheerleading team in our area.

With our Spirit of a Champion trophy
 (which is sitting on the ground and is taller than me)
and our $500 check!

This weekend was their first competition of the season. So all 65 families made the trip to Richmond to watch our teams do great. Our Tinies blew the judges away with and got 1st out of 5 teams. Youth dropped a stunt, but still got 3rd. The Seniors also got third in their division. It is so rewarding to see a group of girls who were complete dunderheads at the beginning of the season actually become a cohesive team that hit their routines pretty darn good. We haven't been this strong as a team in several years. Everything just seems to be clicking this year, we have great girls, parents, and coaches. Below are some pics of when I was on the team four years ago!

Celebrating with the seniors after we dominated at Champion Cup Nationals!

Winter Blues

So it is the end of the three day weekend, and I am back on duty... AGAIN. I spent my Martin Luther King Day going to three meetings, the gym (I ran two miles and didn't die felt great , so I did a half hour on the bike... very proud of myself), and the nail place for my first pedicure since August. My feet were in dire need of a good pedicure, and for all of you Harrisonburgians or JMUers, Holly Nails behind Sheetz on University and Resevoir is divine. I got a great pedicure and wonderful foot/leg massage that lasted about an hour for only $20.

My fiance knows I am completely obsessed with having my feet rubbed, so this was HEAVEN for me. Unfortunately it is January, so most people won't get to see my beautiful pink toes for a while. This impromptu pedicure got me thinking about summer, and the beach, and flip flops, and warm balmy weather. All of which I desperately miss.

Because winter kinda sucks after Christmas is over; there's nothing to look forward to and that wonderful holiday spirit is gone.

So in honor of the warm months I am currently missing, I have decided to create a top 10 list of everything I miss about summer!

1) 70+ degree weather

Oh how I miss being able to wear shorts and dresses. I love the freedom of being able to throw on Soffees and a Tshirt to run and grab coffee or pick up groceries. No worrying about boots and coats and scarves and gloves.

2) Being tan

 

It is January 17th, and it is safe to say that I have no tan lines. Even the ones by your bottom, where you think you will always have a tan because there is no way your legs could ever get as pale as that body part that has yet to see the light of day... Yep, I don't have those anymore. I am officially as pale as my rear end, and I hate it. But I will suffer until I can go out in the sun because I will never be a fake and bake kind of girl.

3) My fiance Tommy

For those of you who don't know, my fiance is Tommy Bluestein. We are both from Virginia Beach, went to JMU (He graduated in 09, I graduate this spring), and we are very much in love. Unfortunately he is currently attending Law School at the University of New Hampshire and is 11 hours away. So summer means breaks from school which means gratuitous Tommy time. All day, every day!

4) No school

School's out for the summer! While I am a Senior in college, and this will most likely be my last summer break ever, it still makes the countdown because I have loved summer break since I first started attending elementary school. Just the thought of a responsibility free summer makes my heart warm up!

5) Busch Gardens



Tradish pic with the bestie outside Corksrew Hill :)

 Every summer since I was little, I have gone to Busch Gardens, the theme park in Williamsburg, VA. I love roller coasters, and Busch Gardens has some fabulous ones. In fact when we went for my 6th birthday, I cried because I was too short to ride the Loch Ness Monster. Going to Busch Gardens has become very traditional to me. I always have to ride certain rides, take certain pictures, eat at DAS FESTHAUS, and get an ice cream cone on my way out of the park. I love this summer ritual.

6) Cheerleading



Me with some of our special needs cheerleaders



 Cheerleading is my passion, and my mother has her own not for profit allstar gym. I love being able to go to every practice during the summer and cheer, dance, and stunt with the girls. I feel like the RCA gym is my second home, and I love getting to see all of the cheerleaders grow up, gain new skills and really push themselves to do stuff they never thought they could.

7) The pool



I know I'm from Virginia Beach and am supposed to be in love with going to the beach, surfing, yada yada yada.... But I would take my pool over the beach anyday. There's no sand, it's not crowded, I can put a book on CD (Usually Harry Potter) in our speaker system and not feel judged, and there is a convenient and clean bathroom right inside the house. Basically the pool is great. I have a feeling my mother and I will be spending a lot of time by the pool, sipping a whiskey sour, and planning the wedding this summer!

8) Home



As much as I love JMU and hanging out with my college pals, I love love love being home. I have my own room, my own bathroom (sharing a bathroom with freshmen girls is no fun), there is a kitchen where I can make myself a snack when my mother actually goes grocery shopping, and of course my parents. Maybe this summer, my parents will get a new puppy dog since Abbalicious is in a better place.

9) The boat



Having spent two amazing summers with Tommy already, I am super excited for our third and most exciting yet! Tommy's parents have a beautiful boat, and I absolutely love going out with them and their two devils dogs, Peaches and Patches.



10) Pedicures

You can't wear any type of shoes without showing off your feet in summer, so pedicures of course make the list. I try to get one as often as fiscally possible. I usually go for bright fun shades that look awesome against my tanned skin. Corals, bright pinks, and reddish oranges are all personal faves.



Well that is my official top 10 list of summer! I can't say it is in any particular order, but I tried my best!

P.S. I am aware I used a ton of pictures, I was just missing everything so much, I wanted to look at it.



Red House

After having sat in front of a computer for several
hours working at the front desk of the East Campus Library, I was faced with another night with nothing but the computer to entertain me as I sat on duty in my dorm’s RA office. I couldn't sit and stare at facebook for another six hours... So in an effort to entertain myself, I decided to set up my own little blog. I think it will be my attempt to not go crazy and maybe even figure out what is going on in my head. But mostly it will be the brief amount of time every night I am on duty, where I write about what is at the epicenter of my life at that moment.

I was listening to my Led Zeppelin Pandora station when the song “Red House” by Jimi Hendrix. It was so blues-y and cathartic that I felt that Jimi had created this amazing song just for himself, not to entertain others but because he needed to create this song so it wouldn’t be churning and bubbling inside him. That’s how I feel right now, like I’m churning and bubbling and full of so many thoughts and emotions that I just need to get it all out. Not because anyone particularly wants to know about all my churning bubbly stuff (delicious, no?) but because I need to get it out of me… Kind of like emotional word vomit. It’s not healthy stewing inside, so I need to just throw it all up so I can start focusing on something better.




Like Puppies... I am currently obsessed with Aussie Shepherds... Pic is courtesy of siriusaussies