Easter Happenings

Spent yesterday morning dyeing eggs, cooking food and cleaning house for what seems to be the annual Easter cookout and Egg Hunt with friends. I love it! Love that I have been here long enough to start making traditions. Last year we did it at Beth's, this year mine, next Jess will host. We even joked about the same eggs we used last time. It was absolutely freezing though. But later in the afternoon the sun peeked through and we set out to hide about 150 eggs! The kids were pretty excited, although we had to give Ryley some rules. Anything from the waist up! I am just happy he still got into it! Sometimes I wonder "Is this the last year" that he will want to do this? It took all of them quite a while to find everything. In fact I am sure we will find some as time goes on. We just hid so many. Guess we should have counted! Afterwards, we watched the kids stuff their faces with candy. The fireballs and sour faces were a hit! Especially for Rye. The men failed miserably at creating a fire. It got cold and we all turned in!

I don't have anything planned for today. Thought about going to church, but I have been fighting a major sore throat, ear ache, and cold. So going to skip it, clean up the house, finish the laundry and prepare for the week. DH will be gone all week to military training so I got to be on top of things when I start the week. I don't need to feel overwhelmed, especially if this head cold stays with me!

Here are some pics of the day, check facebook for more!
Ciao!

Kendal's spring pics and preschool graduation

Dance Pics of the kids

Finally got these scanned in! I bought so much its ridiculous, but I could not help myself! So much better than last years. Don't ask me why there is more of K. Rye just is not happy getting pics, but what 8 year old is. He has spring pics and baseball pics coming up soon though! I am glad I got the ones of them in white, they turned out great! Click to make bigger!

50 things you have never been asked. Supposedly...

1. What color is your toothbrush? blue, yellow, and white
2. Name one person who made you smile today: hmmmm..........did I smile today?
3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? drinking a cup of coffee and on the computer
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? scanning pics to email to dad
5. What is your favorite candy bar? Mr. Goodbar
6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes, there is this really long story about meeting my husband there when he flew in from Afghanistan. We will save that one for another time!
7. What is the last thing you said aloud? Yeah, I believe its in there
8. What is your favorite ice cream? Chocolate
9. What was the last thing you had to drink? red wine
10, Do you like your wallet? Vera Bradley, love it
11, What was the last thing you ate? sun chips
12, Have you bought any new clothing items this week?yes, I went to Victoria Secret!
13, The last sporting event you watched? in person.....Cubs baseball game at Turner Field. But I did watch Cubs play a awful game today on tv.
14, What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? No flavor!!! Just throw M&M's on top!
15, Who is the last person you sent a text message to? That would require me to get up and get my phone
16, Ever go camping? Sure, its been awhile though
17, Do you take vitamins daily? I used to but have definetly gotten out of the habit!
18, Do you go to church every Sunday? No, I don't go to church at all
19, Do you have a tan? Yes, but need to go to the tanning bed, maybe tommorrow
20, Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? Depends
21, Do you drink your soda with a straw? no
22, What did your last text message say? :) I could tell you , but then I would have to kill ya!
23, What are you doing tomorrow?Having a cookout and egg hunt with friends.
24, Where is 24?????
25, Look to your left, what do you see? boxes
26, What color is your watch? black
27, What do you think of when you hear Australia? Nemo
AND 28?
29, Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?drive thru
30. What is your favorite number?25
31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone? My dad
32, Any plans today? nope, day is coming to a end
33, How many states have you lived in? 3
34, Biggest annoyance right now? Cubs baseball specifically Ryan Theriot
35 Last song listened to? 1,2,3,4 by the Plain white T's
36,Can you say the alphabet backwards? sure
37, Do you have a maid service clean your house? Hell no
38, Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? teva flip flops
39, Are you jealous of anyone? probably
40, Is anyone jealous of you? probably
41, Do you love anyone? Yes, I do!
42. Do any of your friends have children? yep
43, What do you usually do during the day? work out, spend time with friends, teach dance classes, talk on the phone(alot), drive in my car(alot), spend time with my kids, climb in bed exhausted!
44, Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Hate is such a strong word! But yeah it about covers it!
45, Do you use the word 'hello' daily? yes
46, What color is your car? black
47, Do you like cats? no! In fact I am not really a big animal person. Guess I am too selfish
48. Are you thinking about someone right now? Yes
49, Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes
50, How did you get your worst scar? By breaking my arm 3 times in a year and having reconstruction surgury on it!

Friday fill-Ins..........

I always forget to do this!
And...here we go!

1. Anonymous... really? Are you ever really anonymous?

2. Life is a bowl of cherries. Well maybe just the stem, and sometimes you tie the stem in a knot.

3. Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say its the wisest course-William Shakespear.

4. Baseball is what I look forward to most about Spring.

5. Who needs therapy when your friends have a bottle of wine waiting for you.

6. Peeps! MUST go into the Easter Basket!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Cubs Baseball, tomorrow my plans include a cookout with friends and egg hunt and Sunday, I want to sleep in!

I have looked forward to Friday all week!

Its been a fast week. I should not complain. Wednesday and Thursday were hard. I will never take on Preschoolers again. I have mentioned before that it is not my forte to ever teach preschoolers. LOVE mine! Not others! Wow,that class was CRAZY. Often I thought to myself.........Why? Why did I do this? Okay, well it was a learning experience, and I learned to just say NO! I love to sub. in the schools, I just know what I am good at and what I am not. I praise preschools teachers out there. You have a very hard job! APPLAUSE! Anyway enough of that. Lesson learned. I will stick with my High Schoolers. Which by the way I got to see last night. We had a band fundraiser last night "Becky's Big Band Burger Bash"! It was fun! All the middle and high school bands performend and then the Winterguard. I was a little sad knowing it was the last time we would get to see them perform "Like the Sun". It was so great for the community to get to see the group though. Most people do not even know what Winterguard is, let alone that FP has one! So many people came up to us and told us what a great job we had done. People were really impressed. Its so awesome to think what this program will be in a few years! Winterguard has been so great that is hard to get my head out of it now. I have to shift my focus to football season and training dancelines. I did meet the director from a county school and he wants me to come out and work with his danceline. So excited about the job opportunities that keep opening up. I can not wait to work with Amy and frontline camps this summer. Classes will be very light at the studio and I will be able to really focus. This week will be completely crazy with the Twinklestars/Cheerstars Clinic. Time to shift my focus there. DH will be out of town and I have some meeting stuff going on at Rye's school. I am looking forward to the school year to end and the recital to be over with. Alot of work before then though. Sorry, rambled enough! Here are some pics from last night.

GOOFBALLS!!!





WHOOP!!!


SASSAFRASS!!!!

Tuesday's Grey

"I don't care if monday's blue

Tuesday's grey and wednesday too

Thursday i don't care about you

It's friday i'm in love"

Just love the Cure. Don't you? Anyway that song is in my head. Woke up to snow today. Can not believe it is April. April the 7th actually. Happy Birthday Dad! I know you read here(keeping tabs on your daughter!). Hope you have a great day and maybe the weather is better wherever you are. (California?) Wish I was there. So sick of the cold. I am really hoping this is the last bit of cold we get this year. Here are some pics of the snow.

I should definetly say that Monday was CUBS BLUE! First game on the season, Check! I loved crawling up in the big chair with a blanket(its cold on the mountain) and watching my boys play. Ah......how I missed you. How I have waited all Fall and Winter for you. Another season another dream, wish and desire for a good year and hopefully a longer postseason. I not to sound too much like a cliche, "we are due!" Ah , Yes, and see you boys in Chi-town, this summer. I can't wait to see Wrigley with my kids!

100 things to do in a lifetime!

I got this off of another blog, The numbers that are BOLD are the ones I have done!



1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG
2. SLEPT UNDER THE STARS
3. PLAYED IN A BAND does middle school band count?
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower-Yes out in the desert! Unbelievable
6. given more than you could to a charity.
7. BEEN TO DISNEYLAND Yes in 2005 with both the kids and DH. Met friends there and went to Disney California too!
8. CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN
9. HELD A PRAYING MANTIS
10. Sang a solo Lord help us
12. visited Paris- NOT YET
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea Yes! Gulf Shores last year
14. TAUGHT YOURSELF AN ART FROM SCRATCH
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables Yes! Especially Zucchini my favorite
19. Seen the Mona Lisa
20. Traveled by Train
21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
22. Hitchhiked
23. TAKEN A SICK DAY WHEN YOU'RE NOT ILL
24. BUILT A SNOW FORT
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon- Working on it!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar) Yes, here again in Phoenix. We were all swimming in the pool waiting for it
30. WATCHED A SUNRISE OR SUNSET
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise -
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors- hmm, not sure about this one. We were Cherokee so Im thinking yeah
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person(I was close dang it!)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. SEEN MICHELANGELO'S DAVID
41. SUNG KARAOKE -
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt -
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. WALKED ON A BEACH BY MOONLIGHT
46. Been transported in an ambulance -
47. HAD YOUR PORTRAIT PAINTED
48. GONE DEEP SEA FISHING
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person YES! AMAZING
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. PLAYED IN THE MUD
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. STARTED A BUSINESS
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen -
61. SOLD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
62. Gone whale watching
63. GOT FLOWERS FOR NO REASON
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. BOUNCED A CHECK -
68. FLOWN IN A HELICOPTER
69. SAVED A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TOY
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. EATEN CAVIER -
72. Pieced a quilt
73. STOOD IN TIMES SQUARE-In 3 weeks!!!
74. Toured the Everglades -
75. BEEN FIRED FROM A JOB
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in LondonGot my picture too!
77. Broken a bone too many
78. BEEN ON A SPEEDING MOTORCYCLE
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person -a thousand times!
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican Even got blessed by the Pope
82. BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. HAD YOUR PICTURE IN THE NEWSPAPER
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox -
89. Saved someone's life Found a lady I worked with having a seziure and going unconsious under a car at my work. And a few times while I was a lifeguard.
90. Sat on a jury
91. MET SOMEONE FAMOUS Miss Diana Ross
92. Joined a book club
93. LOST A LOVED ONE -
94. HAD A BABY -
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit -
98. OWNED A CELL PHONE -
99. BEEN STUNG BY A BEE -allergic too!
100. READ AN ENTIRE BOOK IN ONE DAY - I do this all the time!

Friday in Revue....

I did not mean to dread it. Really I didn't. Started the day off fine, except for the stalker phone caller. Quit calling my phone! You must have the wrong number! Missing my (602). I went on to have a excellent workout. Love having someone new to train for running! Although I am missing my running buddy! The best thing about working with someone though is how it re-teaches me! Running is so therapeutic(spell check?). I love when people "get" that. I love to get in that euphoric state........Anyway, back to Friday. I was able to get most of the old house clean, get some lunch , run some errands, and back up the mountain just in time to take a shower before danceline tryouts. (read this as, I was keeping myself very busy in anticipation for tryouts) Why dread them, this should be fun. Not my tryouts though. I guess I was just so worried about some of the newbies, some of the returners, and definetly the final result. With hopes to cut the line down from 19 to 14, I was a little worried. In the end it was 16. 12 returners, 2 from winterguard, and 2 brand new ones. I think(hope) it will be a very productive team. I hope for a good, winning year ahead. I am just to darn competitive! Last year spoiled me. We were award winning all around. 2 Best in classes! Not to mention my Winterguard having 2 firsts and 3rd at Nationals. I want it all baby! I have major plans for this next year though. Starting with whipping them into shape. We are going to start of with increasing stamina. I am going to have them doing stadiums! I am not kidding. We are going to have a "coming to jesus". Some of these girls have not worked out since last Fall and they want colleges to look at them? They are going to have to bring it! I have some other discipline ideas in mind as well. Can't wait to get started.
Enough about all that. I spent the evening with the kids and Misti. We ate at Pizza Hut and took the kids skating. I can promise there is nothing that will make you feel older than lacing up a pair of skates. I can remember breezing around the rink front, side, and backwards as a child. When did that ability disappear? The kids did great though. After K pulled me around and knocked me down a few times, she decided to do it on her own. Thank goodness. I loved watching Rye though. He had a few friends there and they all had fun skating or falling down. His girlfriend was there too, or so I was informed (insert googly eyes). Are you kidding me, its second grade! No, not happening for another few years. They were pretty cute rolling around the rink though. He even introduced her, Props son! So my thats my Friday in Revue! I am off to a much needed baseball practice(after all the rain cancellations). Afterwards I will clean the old house some more and head out to do stadiums with Misti and the kids. DH is still out of town for drill. So I am enjoying this laid back weekend!

Pics from skating

Walking away with a medal

We took bronze medal at Nationals this weekend. We performed Friday night in Nashville, at Vanderbuilt. Great performance(a little nervous), but they pulled it out! Awards ceremony started and I could barely stand still. We had 13 in our class. Every number from 13 down was excrutiating to listen too. 4th place was called and we new we were top 3! More than we ever expected in our first year. Amy and I walked to the stage and greeted our team. Bronze was announced and it was us! We gave each memeber medals and hugs. It was so exciting! We also were awarded Scholastic B State Champions. Which means were were the highest scoring Alabama team in our class! Which is Awesome! I was nervous about my Body score from the judge. This is the judge who gave me last place on the first performance. She said I had wrote a show that was above my students heads. Basically she said it was too hard. Well she came back at Nationals, gave my first place and said that we had turned it all around. She basically said she could not believe we were the same team and she was so impressed. For me this was a big deal! So this year we are so pleased to walk away with great results. Amy and I already have plans for next year! I have pics I will post later. I left my camera at the house and I am down at the old house. We are still finishing bits and pieces of the move. Almost done. Its a crazy week, Danceline clinics this week! Tryouts Friday. So on to the next!


Found this on youtube. No I did not post it, but yes it is us at Nationals. Enjoy!

Moving.....Yuck....and my usual ramblings

My blessed internet time has been cut drastically due to this move. No service yet at the new place. Excuse me, the temporary new place. I hate moving. We have done it way to much. In twelve years, 15 moves. Seriously. That makes about 50 something since I was born. So done. I need stability. I need to settle down. We are in the beginning procedures for house buying, it just takes time. Like everything else. Buying a house seems like a big thing now. Probably because we have never stayed anywhere long enough to actually do it. Ahhh, Commitment! And being at a place temporarily right now is driving me a little mad. I hate living out of boxes and such. Life things all in storage. I am glad that I have become a minimalist! Well except for shoes, a girl has to have shoes and clothes. Sheesh. Everything else is secondary. No years of nic nacs and collectibles here. There is that snowglobe collection that DH seriously decided to grow to inmeasurable lengths one year. Gah! There are days I dream of having a snowglobe smashing party. "God love em!" So the packing has gone fast, in fact its quite finished with the exception of the kitchen and out back storage building. DH can handle that this weekend, because I am leaving for Nashville Friday. Yeah Nationals. So excited, nervous, and happy! Very happy to have this Winterguard season come to an end and the snotty attitude of teenagers. Whoops! sorry should not have said that. Its okay , I tell them to their face that they have bad attitudes. I did to when I was their age. Speaking of age. I am booking a trip to Vegas baby for my 30th Birthday this summer. No boys allowed! I can not wait to let the East side meet the West side. Meaning I am hoping to bring friends from here and there together to celebrate! I love, MISS Vegas! Casinos, shows, Margaritaville, friends, and maybe a run in with Elvis! Love it! August , come on........!

Lets see what else.....nope nothing. Gotta run.....Literally!

1st place feels so good!!!

Hoover Winterguard Competition! We took 1st place with a great score! Such a great day for all of us. Very pleased with the kids. We had a few rough patches and drops , we have got to iron those out!! Nationals is coming and you know we better bring it! I am posting a ton of pics on Myspace so check them out!

March 12 of 12 Challenge

March 12 of 12 and its only the 13th! Yesterday I toted my cannon around to get my 12 pics. It was not that hard considering its been picture week at the dance studio. We have been doing hair, makeup, and costumes since Monday. I am exhausted but think that they turned out great! I can not wait to see my kids pics!

So here are the labels for my 12 of 12. Click to see bigger!

left to right, top to bottom

1. Ryley, Dentist apt. No cavities! Yeah!

2. Love these trees. They are blooming everywhere. Definetly a sign of Spring. Come on warm weather!

3. K in her St. Patricks Day hat. They celebrated early at school because of Spring Break being next week.

4. Sonic drive thru for drinks! Got to have it!

5. The newest memeber to our Webkin family. Meet Buscuit the Sea Horse. K picked him out. OUr account was about to expire and we just can't be having that!

6. Me and K waiting on our strawberry-banana smoothies!

7. K in her beautiful ballet costume. I was so happy how these turned out. I was not sure when I picked them for all my little girls. But they are Simple and Beautiful!

8. K and Z , doing their thing on the beam waiting for pics! This is their baton outfit and turned out to be one of my favorites!

9. Baton girls

10. FPSPA Staff kids! They look so great!

11. Jimmy simply being Jimmy.

12. Desert last night was DQ. Ryley goofing off with his snickers blizzard!

Interesting.....

I find it interesting, the people that read blogs. I love reading them. I love getting that inside look into the lives, minds, and emotions of others. I have people tell me they read mine. Which always shocks me. Why? Its not that interesting and half the time I don't keep up. Although I am doing pretty good here lately. I think we do it because we are just plain nosey! So why write a blog. It feels private when you are doing it, but its out in the open for everyone to see. Anyone! Oh well, I don't care. READ away. I know who you are anyway since I put that fancy tracker on my page. Ha! Gotcha!

Want to know more about me let me flood the blog with facebook survey's and notes!

The Bucket List
Things you have done during your lifetime, put a X
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
(x) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Canada
(x ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
() Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
(x ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
() Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(x) Made prank phone calls
() Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain-naked
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
() Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
() Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
() Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
() Seen the Statue of Liberty....SOON
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x ) Traveled by train
(x) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
() Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(x ) Been to Disneyland --- and Disney World
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
() Seen whales in the ocean
() Been to Niagara Falls
(x ) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing
() Been snow-skiing
(x ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( x) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x ) Been to a Major League Baseball game
(x ) Been to a National Football League game
(x ) Thrown up after riding a roller coaster or other carnival ride
(x) Buried a pet
() Auditioned for a television show

And for even more info. Here is 25 random things about me. No prompts given!

1. I have moved back and forth between Alabama and Arizona so many times its ridiculous! Because of that, my heart stays torn between the two. Always will.

2. I have wonderful friends. Old and New. Several that I am close enough to call BFF (LOL) They come from everywhere and all so different. I love each one of them and sometimes feel overwhelmed by not being able to catch up with each one regularly, but they know no matter how much time goes by, when we do catch up its like not a day has gone by!

3. I have a wild spirit. Up for anything, anytime! I can look back on my life and realize that some of the best times were when I just spontaniously did something crazy!

4. I will tell you the truth if you ask my opinion. I will not falsly flatter people! So if you do not want to honestly hear how your butt looks in those jeans, don't ask me!

5. I love Jimmy Buffett. I am a total parrot head! Have been since I was about 10. No matter where I am if I here his voice come on the radio, my whole soul calms.

6. I love to Run. I am good at it, but don't push myself enough. I love the clarity it gives me. Running was my saving grace when military deployment happened to my family. Now , it still gives me the same peace.

7. I danced in the Superbowl Halftime Show. Superbowl XXX, in Tempe, AZ. The STeelers and Cowboys that year. After weeks of practice, costumes, and a kick to Diana Ross' hair(funny story), we were on. It was the best 10 minutes of my life. I think I am still a little deaf from the speakers but I will never forget the energy of those moments.

8. I love dance! I love performing Arts of any kind! I have always done it! I wish I had pursued it more but after a break for many years I am finally doing what I love. I love teaching dance at the studio. I smile just walking in! I love seeing the progress of my students, I love the relationship with them!

9. I also do something I never thought I would do. I coach the High School Danceline and Co/coach the Winterguard. I am so incredibly blessed and sometimes can not believe that this job is mine! I love these girls so much. HS students are the best. I love being their coach, friend , and mentor.

10. I hate to cook.. but I LOVE to bake! ( I am stealing this one Candace) I especially love cake decorating or maybe I just like the icing. I wish I had more time to do it, then again my waiste thanks me for not!

11. I love scrapbooking, and all the paraphenalia that goes with it! Seriously this must go back to my days of loving to get new school supplies!

12. I am not close to my family, but I have learned my friends are my family. I truly hope to have a better relationship with my children than I have with my parents.

13. I broke my arm 3 times when I was in the 3-4 grade. Same arm, multiple breaks each time. I stayed in a cast for close to a year and half. I had reconstructive surgury which I still carry major scars for. But I would rather have a scarred arm than no arm at all(which was almost the case!)

14. Vampires are my obsession. Not in a deep dark twisty way. I just can not get enough! I read many different series on them and watch as many movies/shows as I can. My husband jokes about it so much , he decided to be one for Halloween. Smart Guy.

15. If I am vacationing, 9 times out of 10 I will be at the beach. I love it. I wake up early in the mornings and go walk, sit, run, whatever! I spend all day there and never leave before watching the sunset. I hate leaving so much, that I hope one day not to have too.

16. I miss my grandparents so much it hurts. My grandmother died when I was 13 and I still feel her loss with every ounce of me. I remember so many details about her. She was everthing to me. Her husband, my grandfather died this past September. I am not ready to accept it. I had 16 extra years with him and so I have such a different relationship. A grown up relationship. When we buried him next to my grandmother, I cried for the loss of both them.

17. I love old school rap/ hip hop! I can usually conjure up a memory of where I was when the song was big. I was definetly a troubled teen! But no lasting effects!

18. I recently went to Italy. It was my #1. I felt like I had accomplished a lifelong dream being there. I can not wait to go back. It was more than I expected. Well maybe not the food, but I truly understand the meaning of "Italy gets in your soul" ! You leave a part of you there and it leaves a part of it in you.

19. I have amazing kids! Ryley is so smart, gifted. Just like his dad. I love his kind heart and willing to help. He has always been an easy going great kid. I was truly blessed with him. Kendal is mini me. Good at a lot of things. Especially dance. She is a natural. She is stubborn and wants her way. She makes me incredibly happy just to watch her. The cool thing is I know exactly how to deal with her because I know how I wanted to be dealt with when I was child. My parents did not get it (LOL)

20. I was a young mom. Not as young as some now but I had my first child right after I turned 21. Now at 29, I have a 8 and 5 year old. This puts me in the category as alot younger than most of the 8 year olds parents out there. It also puts me with having so many friends having kids now! I am done and can not imagine going back to having babies!

21. With number 20 being said, I am not a baby person. I do not coo and beg to hold babies. Never have! My friends joke now. They know I am the last person to hold one. The one time I did, someone grabbed a camera! Ha!

22. I love music. It is rare to not have some kind of music playing in my house. Early in the morning, late at night, all day. I love blasting it and dancing around the house with my kids! I listen to everything. Rap, hip hop, rock, country. My kids love it too.

23. I am completely in love with California. LOVE IT! When I lived in AZ, I went as much as possible. My favorite little town is called Half Moon Bay. I was able to spend a glorious day there many years ago with my son and dad. It is a day tatooed on my soul. I love the rolling hills, the cliffs, the towns, the weather. EVerything.

24. I definetly love to travel. I love to go to all kinds of place. Beaches, Mountains, Historic sites, Lighthouses(a family favorite), Hot , cold, you name it! I love seeing the world.

25. I love to read. I do it alot! I am a fast reader and go through books like nothing. I often read entire series in a week or weekend. I read late into the night and have been known to wake up and turn on the lamp and continue!

Feb. 12 of 12

.

Okay, I did not follow the rules. Hey! Rules are made to be broken. I still am telling a story. More about a month than a whole day, but anyway....

Here goes.

Picture 1. (starting top left)

My girls. Still my girls, still doing our thing. My life would not work without them!

Picture 2.

Bama Bash, Birmingham Competition that went a little rough. We did not do our best and had the results to prove it. I will say it again. Its a building year. Go Cheer stars.

Picture 3.

Cheerstars again in Orange Beach. Nationals. They performed Great! We were so proud of them. It was a great way to end the season and spend time together. Good job Misti for putting together all of this, and getting my son involved as well.

Picture 4.

Oak Grove Winterguard Competition. 1st place, moved up to scholastic B class. Enough said. It feels so good! Although.....I want my pin, I will say it for you Amy!

Picture 5

There is nothing like doing some cartwheels on the beach , in the middle of the night with your best friend.

Picture 6

Family pic on the beach...Check! Gulf Shores

Picture 7

Superbowl party, Feb. 1st at Jess's house. All of us wearing our goofy glasses for the commercials. Good times!

Picture 8

Tye Dye shirts for the Cheerleaders. I forgot how much fun this is. And they turned out so great. I have to do this more often. Like in the summer, outside!

Picture 9

Lulu's restaurant in Gulf Shores. You all know how I feel about Jimmy Buffett. Its a love affair that I will never get over. Some you just never do!

Picture 10

Winterguard Competition , Thompson Station, TN

We left early due to bad weather and a really long drive home in it, but we ended up in 4th place out of 9 and it was our first time competiting in this class. So that is really good. Get ready to work though guard, we are doing better in Hoover!

Picture 11

Clogging. Kinda glad I do not have to stress over all of it. I love how well the cloggers did on ABDC but I am glad she is back to take her classes.

Picture 12

My K in her hat. Cutie Patootie!

So there you go. My month of Feb.

Last weekends results and this weeks blah, blah, blah

Okay, I should back up to last Thursday. Thursday was the HS Choral performance. It went okay. A little chaotic, but okay. The kids in this school really need to find a sense of performance. They lack that everywhere. Band, Danceline, winterguard, chorus. They have all these ideas and are a great bunch of kids, somehow they always pull it out, but its chaos getting there. Well I rushed home after the show, packed, cleaned house, and did laundry. DH was not home because of his big audit so I was flying solo. No big surprise there. Friday morning I get up and meet at Misti's to take off for the beach. I drive down there making excellent time and it was actually peaceful(despite the tv's not working). Tried to keep up with Misti but did not really happen. No big deal because DH gave me directions. Or so I thought. Seriously, I was ill by the time I made it to the hotel. Its okay. Nothing a margarita can not handle. Its National Margarita Day anyway! Dinner at Lulu's! Love it! After the kids went to bed I had a great time out with Misti and DH. We even tumbled in the sand! The next morning we all headed out to the Competition.
The kids did a great job. I mean they relly did. It was a decent way to end the season. Rye is already talking about next year. He can not wait. We headed home Sunday. DH had come down Friday night and we decided to stay the extra night. We ate a Lulu's again and drove home the next day.
It was an exhausting weekend and my week really dragged at the beginning. Monday we had a decent Winterguard practice. Big Competition coming up. We are headed to Tennessee Saturday. Very long day and our first performance in Scholastic B. It should be interesting and there should be some great schools there. Can not wait to watch! Thats it for now. My brain is fried because of lack of sleep. Had a lot on my mind lately. So later!

Quiet around here this week

At least on my blog. Its been really busy. We leave tommorrow for Orange Beach at 7:30 am. I am not packed, my house is a mess, I have to take the dog to the kennel , and it looks like my day will be full! I am working out this morning because I have too! Next I have Chorus rehersal today. The HS Chorus is singing tonight at the Theatre, its their annual Sweet Singing performance. I have been working hard all week with them adding choreography into their songs. One week was definetly not enough time to do this in. I am invited to come back in April/May and I hope to have more time. This is very rewarding work though and I love it. Ms. Melissa should be back to her clogging classes tonight so I can go and help out with the show. Yes, Dynamic Edition was kicked off ABDC last week but they had such a good run and I know they are proud of their accomplishments! Good job guys! Melissa I missed you!!!! So did your students! Any way , that is my day and somewhere I need to teach my Ballet class get my house in shape and pack! The reward is sweet though. The weekend at the beach! Dinner and drinks at Florabama Friday night with friends. Cheerleaders going crazy on Saturday. I think we may stay a extra night. RElax on the way back Sunday. Maybe take a detour to see my friend Ky.........especially if she has the baby this weekend!!! Girl take care. Love you!

Anyway, thats it for now. I am working on another post about Italy, but each day is like a novel. So I will get that done and post it soon. As months go by the memories slowly filter out of my head so I have to get this done. I have been going through my ticket/paper stash from the trip to refresh!

Ciao!

Results from Competition this weekend!

My winterguard group went to Oak Grove, Birminham for competition. It was just a crazy unorganized competition, but they did well! We personally thought it was a good performance. So did the judges apparently. We got 1st place in Novice class, plus a bump up to Scolastic B class. A little more competition in this class for sure! This was our ultimate goal for the year, but when it did not happen at Field Day we thought for sure it wouldnt. Very happy for them!


Here is some cool photos I took of the warmups! It was a beautiful warm day!!!!





Unfortunately Cheerleading did not go so well but on a positive note we saw what was out there. There are some major competitors out there! We were in Birmingham on Sunday for that competition. The girls and my boy tried very hard. They did not give it their best and were not focused. Still I am proud of them mostly for getting out there being the serious underdogs. I came away from that competition wondering what we could do different. Our studio needs some help in just the terms of space. A better place to practice. We also need to get pumped up. The parents and the kids. We also need to find a way for the kids to understands this in Competition. They need to have fun but also get focused. I believe I will face the same challenges with my upcoming competition dance group. I already have this challenge with Winterguard.

A few things.

A few things today.

First of all.....Laugh at this!



I laughed so hard I spewed my coffee.

Also I found this. Dynamic Edition on the Ellen Show! By the way they did awesome last night! Vote 1-877-RJCREW4. By the way Melissa your classes are going good, but I sure could use your mad skills back! LOL ! Love you!




And last, but not least

Go FPHS Winterguard. We head to Oak Grove tommorrow! Wish us luck! We are back with a vengence and have completely finished the show! I can not wait! I made you something!

One more thing to add. America's Best Dance Crew

Watch tonight and Vote. 9pm central on MTV. Vote for Dynamic Edition. This is Melissa's group who I happen to work with. In fact I am covering her clogging classes while she is gone. Big shoes to fill. Melissa is the dark haired girl. They are doing a fantastic job despite being very different from the rest.

Check them out here.




This is the best I could do, most of the youtubes were removed for copyright issues. But you can check them out on Myspace, Facebook and MTV!



We miss you Melissa! Good Luck!



Here is me an Misti getting our votes in! LOL