I just booked our flight for our summer vacation to Myrtle Beach. Normally, my husband and I like to vacation on a tropical island. However, we are both so busy this year with work and my masters that we just didn't have the time or opportunity to go away to an island this year. So, I am hoping that this vacation will be just as nice for us. We are spending 4 nights with my family in a condo. I am excited about vacationing with my 3 year old nephew, but hoping at the same time that my husband and I will be able to find time to relax on the beach for a few days. Just writing that makes me so excited. I'm just thinking-no stress, no work or housework, no COMPUTER :)....
I have never vacationed in Myrtle Beach but have heard some nice things about it.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Victory
We were all holding hands huddled together. Our hearts were pounding out of our chests waiting for the announcer to come on the microphone. We knew our team performed the best they ever had, giving it their all and nailing every stunt and all of their tumbling passes. However, there were two other teams who had also done an amazing job and we knew only first and second place could advance to nationals. It felt like we were waiting on the mat for an hour! Finally, the announcer came on and congratulated all of the teams for getting to this point and working so hard. The crowd wailed and the girls holding my hands squeezed even tighter. The woman announced 5th place, then 4th. I had a lump in my throat and started taking deep breaths. I knew that if we weren't announced for 3rd place, then we were on our way to Disney World for the national championship. She paused for a moment, which again felt like forever. Then she said, "Third place goes to the Berlin Bears." All that raced through my mind at that point was how proud I was of the 21 girls that made up our team for all of their hard work, dedication, and commitment over the past four months. We spent countless hours in the gym preparing and practicing for this day. The team and coaches worked extremely hard.
The announcer then said that the next two teams would advance to Disney World for the national championship. Again I took a deep breath. She announced that second place went to a team from Massachusetts. I was shocked. Their team was so good that I knew it was going to be a close finish between first and second place. And then the big moment. Inside, we were all cheering because we knew we had to have taken first place. Then the big announcement, "And going to nationals with the title of Pop Warner Regional Champions are- The Wolcott Eagles!" I can't explain the feelings and emotions we all had when hearing that. The girls were going crazy and the parents were even crazier in the stands. I knew we had a lot of fundraising, planning, and packing to do over a short period of time because the competition was the following week.
That was my first experience of coaching cheerleading five years ago. It was an incredible way to start out, and I learned so much that year. At nationals we came in third place in all of the United States-not bad for a team that started off being the underdogs in the begining of our season. I chose to write about the regional competition because it was the most exciting and close competition we had. All three teams were neck and neck and we were so grateful and appreciative for the opportunity to represent New England in the national competition.
The announcer then said that the next two teams would advance to Disney World for the national championship. Again I took a deep breath. She announced that second place went to a team from Massachusetts. I was shocked. Their team was so good that I knew it was going to be a close finish between first and second place. And then the big moment. Inside, we were all cheering because we knew we had to have taken first place. Then the big announcement, "And going to nationals with the title of Pop Warner Regional Champions are- The Wolcott Eagles!" I can't explain the feelings and emotions we all had when hearing that. The girls were going crazy and the parents were even crazier in the stands. I knew we had a lot of fundraising, planning, and packing to do over a short period of time because the competition was the following week.
That was my first experience of coaching cheerleading five years ago. It was an incredible way to start out, and I learned so much that year. At nationals we came in third place in all of the United States-not bad for a team that started off being the underdogs in the begining of our season. I chose to write about the regional competition because it was the most exciting and close competition we had. All three teams were neck and neck and we were so grateful and appreciative for the opportunity to represent New England in the national competition.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
New Home
My husband and I just finished building our new home! It was so much stress and work to build it, but we are very happy with the results. It's amazing the little details you have to decide on through this process, from hardware for the kitchen cabinets to doorknobs and floor threshholds! I can't tell you how many little arguments my husband and I got into over the little details-we are both very stubborn and set in our ways! :) In the end it was all worth it.
Even though we are in, we still have so much to do. I'm sure I will spend the next few months unpacking boxes, buying furniture, and picking out blinds and curtains for the house. By the way, if there's anyone out there who knows anything about blinds/curtains please feel free to let me know since I am CLUELESS. This is my first experience with all of this, and I am still learning.
Now that the inside of the house is complete we have a ton of work to do on the outside. We are looking at quotes for the lawn. I cannot believe that it could cost up to $30,000 just to grow grass (which by the way makes me crazy because there was PLENTY of grass here already when I had just an empty lot)! Besides growing grass we also need to look into planting shrubs, trees, and flowers in front of the house. I get myself stressed when thinking about all of this, but I need to keep reminding myself that like my new neighbor says, "Rome wasn't built in a day."
In addition to finishing the big house projects, I will spend the rest of my summer taking weekend trips to the beach, teaching summer school, and coaching cheerleading.
Even though we are in, we still have so much to do. I'm sure I will spend the next few months unpacking boxes, buying furniture, and picking out blinds and curtains for the house. By the way, if there's anyone out there who knows anything about blinds/curtains please feel free to let me know since I am CLUELESS. This is my first experience with all of this, and I am still learning.
Now that the inside of the house is complete we have a ton of work to do on the outside. We are looking at quotes for the lawn. I cannot believe that it could cost up to $30,000 just to grow grass (which by the way makes me crazy because there was PLENTY of grass here already when I had just an empty lot)! Besides growing grass we also need to look into planting shrubs, trees, and flowers in front of the house. I get myself stressed when thinking about all of this, but I need to keep reminding myself that like my new neighbor says, "Rome wasn't built in a day."
In addition to finishing the big house projects, I will spend the rest of my summer taking weekend trips to the beach, teaching summer school, and coaching cheerleading.
Sad News
I hate to be the one to bring everyone down with sad news, but I recently received some information on a former student of mine and I can't stop thinking about it. His name is J.J. He is in 8th grade and is 14 years old. After having a stomach ache for a few days, he went to the doctor to make sure it was nothing serious. The doctor gave him some medicine and told him he would be okay. Two days later, he woke up and went to take a shower. After his mother heard the shower repeatedly turning on and off, she went to see what was going on. She found him confused and disoriented. His whole body was turning blue so she called the paramedics. Come to find out, he had a stroke and lost his short term memory, which is why he kept turning the shower on and off. He couldn't remember that he had already taken a shower. His parents were then told the worst news a parent could hear. He had leukemia. The stroke was due to the numerous tumors that were found in his brain. They said that the next week was critical, and they would be lucky if he survived. Thankfully, with lots of prayers, he made it through that week. He is now at St. Jude's undergoing intense chemotherapy. His prognosis is not looking good, however everyone is positive and hopeful.
Our community has really come together over the past week and in addition to lots of prayers and helping the family, we have started fundraisers, benefit dinners, and raffles to raise money to help the family with medical costs. J.J. and his family have a long, difficult road ahead of them so everyone is doing whatever they can to help. It's nice to see the people of this community work together to help out J.J. and his family.
Our community has really come together over the past week and in addition to lots of prayers and helping the family, we have started fundraisers, benefit dinners, and raffles to raise money to help the family with medical costs. J.J. and his family have a long, difficult road ahead of them so everyone is doing whatever they can to help. It's nice to see the people of this community work together to help out J.J. and his family.
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