Monday, November 9, 2009 - Rise and shine! My alarm started doing its job at 6:30am. Monday mornings after game day are the worst! Sore and tired, I had no choice but to get moving! I got ready, grabbed my coffee, and headed to school. At exactly 8:00am my kindergarteners started coming in shouting, "I saw you on TV!" As always, we had our morning meeting and I allowed them to tell me their "I saw you on TV… and you had blue pompoms… and my mommy paused it… and you looked pretty… and your hair was different…" stories. Their comments on my cheerleading career are always heart- warming and hilarious. My day was a blur of crayons, ABC's, and tying shoes. At 3:45pm, I called it a day and headed home. I spent the afternoon watching Oprah and cleaning my apartment. It was so nice to get some cleaning done, because I knew this would be my only free evening of the week! Colts cheerleaders are busy girls :) . I also unpacked my game day bag and made sure I had everything I needed for my appearance Tuesday afternoon. After my husband Eric got home, we had dinner together and had a restful night of watching football on the couch! Around 10:30pm, I was off to bed.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Up at 6:30 again! I was into school by 7:45am. This week my Kindergarteners are doing a Pilgrims and Indians unit. I started off the morning by asking if anyone remembered the other name we use when talking about Indians. One of my little guys shouted out "I know it! State-of-Americans." I held back my laughter as we re-learned the name Native Americans. At least he tried! The day flew by, and by 3:00pm, I was washing the paint off of my hands left over from our Native American Tipis. Next, I had a committee meeting in the Library to help plan our school's staff Holiday dinner. I had to leave by 3:45pm, rush home to get ready for my appearance, and make it to the complex by 5:00pm. The cheerleaders were greeting guests arriving to the Colts Father/Son camp. It was nice to interact with everyone. They all seemed excited to get started! After that, we were off the practice. On Tuesday nights, we practice at Curtain Call Performing Arts dance studio, www.ccadance.com. By the time we got there, the girls had already learned a dance for Sunday. EEEK! We had some catching up to do. We also learned a new pre-game routine. It is a fast paced, up-beat number. I can't wait to perform it on Sunday! At 8:30pm, we were free to go! I went straight home, had to show Eric our new exciting dance of course, and then was off to bed around 10:30pm.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - My alarm started at 6:30am, but my feet didn't hit the floor until 7am! I was VERY sore from practice! Our new pre-game routine may look awesome, but my neck and shoulders were paying for it. I made it through the day and even stayed after school for a little lesson planning. I left around 4:15pm and went home for a minute before my hair appointment. I had a 5:30pm appointment at Tyler Mason Salon and Spa, the official Salon of the Colts Cheerleaders. You can check them out at www.tylermason.com. My stylist, Krista, and I chatted while she made sure my hair was looking great for the Patriots game! I called my Mom on the way home and talked with her about her week. After getting married this summer and moving out of my parents house, I've had to adjust with some long phone calls! I was home by 8:00pm. I enjoyed some dinner with Eric, relaxed and fell asleep on the couch!
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Wake up call at 6:30am! Not as sore today, I had an easier start. I had to work hard to get things done early at school today, because I knew I had to leave as soon as I put the kids on the bus for my second appearance of the week! I left right at 3:00pm and rushed home to change for my appearance. I made it to the complex by 4:30pm. First, I had a meeting with our cheer coordinator, Theresa. All of the cheerleaders have a mid-season meeting with Theresa to discuss how we are doing and ask any questions we might have. This is a great way for Theresa to stay in touch with us and keep our sense of community strong. This being my first season as a captain, my meeting was primarily about my progress with that role. Everything went great! After that, I went straight to the Jr. Cheer community service event appearance. During this, Colts Cheerleaders and Jr. Cheerleaders worked together to make Holiday cards for soldiers. This is always a fun afternoon! It is nice to interact with the girls in a non-dance atmosphere. Once that was done, we were off to practice! We reviewed our new pre-game routine as well as our other game day dances. At the end of practice, we had a short game day meeting so we were all on the same page for Sunday! There is always excitement in the air the week the Patriots come to town! I can't wait for the big game. I got home around 10:00pm, had a little late night dinner, and went to bed!
Friday, November 13, 2009 - TGIF!!! After such a long week, I couldn't have been happier that Friday had arrived. Also, Happy Birthday Daddy! I'm hoping to see him later tonight. I woke up with a cold this morning…yuck! I knew Starbucks was in order. After my Starbucks run, I made it to school just in time to put the finishing touches on Room 17's "Colts Zone" wall. All week my class has been working on Colts coloring pages, drawings, and banners showing their Colts spirit. (It's a known fact that my class has the biggest Colts fans in the whole school… I wonder why?) We hung up all our work, creating our Colts Zone wall. Everyone loved it! Even though there was blue glitter EVERYWHERE, seeing the kids faces when they walked in was well worth it. The kids were particularly hyper this morning because they knew this was the day we were going to make our Native American head dresses. All week the students had been earning their feather by doing a good deed. They were unbelievably excited about these feathers! We did the head dresses right away, and it was organized chaos for the rest of the day! It is amazing how little things can change a 5 year old's mood so dramatically. Eight hours and a box of tissues later, I headed for home. I took it easy since I wasn't feeling good and saw a movie with my family! It was nice to see my dad for a bit on his birthday! After that, I had a cup of tea and put myself to bed.
Saturday, November 14, 2009 - I slept in until 11am this morning! I clearly needed the rest. It was so nice to not even set my alarm. Shortly after waking up, Eric and I met up with my parents and brother, Jake. Eric and I are planning on buying our first puppy this spring and my family was coming with us to visit a breeder! I have my heart set on Goldendoodles, a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Being allergic to most dogs, going to visit a breeder is the first step in deciding if this type of dog is right for me! It was a lengthy car trip, but I love being in the car with everyone I love. We laughed the whole way there! The puppies were AMAZING! My allergies were fine with them, which was a deal maker for me! I was even lucky enough to meet a full-grown Goldendoodle at the farm. Check out the pictures below to see my glowing face while holding one of these beauties! After that we had a birthday lunch for my Dad in Zionsville. Eric and I got home around 5:00pm, took showers and left to go to the Pacers vs. Celtics game. It was SO MUCH fun! I haven't been to a Pacers game in a while, so it was really cool to be there and see what is new. Plus, a big win for the Pacers! We got home around 10:30pm, I watched some TV, and then decided to get some beauty rest for the BIG GAME tomorrow! Sweet dreams Colts fans!
Sunday, November 15, 2009 - Game day!!!! I had the chance to sleep in, but woke up around 8am instead. I was too excited! The Patriots game is a highly anticipated game every year. I ate some breakfast, watched some TV, packed my game day bag and took a shower. I left for the stadium at 1pm. The cheerleaders practiced on the field from 2:00-3:30pm, and then we were back to the locker room for lunch. Around 4:30pm, the four captains went out to the field to watch the National Anthem practice. (There is a picture of me and my fellow captains Erica, Ashli, and Abbey below!) With an American flag the size of the field being unfolded, we had to make sure we could direct the girls out of the way during the National Anthem. After that, I had until 6:50pm to get ready and have my hair and make up done. At 7:00pm, my squad was on our way to the Fan Zone to dance and entertain the fans! I always love going out there to see fans having and great time and hear some good music! By 7:50pm, we were circled up to say a prayer and hear any last minute information about the game. The minute we walked into the tunnel and saw the energy already filling the stadium, we were excited! The Patriots game feels different that any other game to me. There is a feeling of energy among everyone in the building! The game got going, and for the first three quarters, we had to work hard to keep the fans' energy up! The game took an AMAZING turn in the 4th quarter. Before we knew it, we were all jumping up and down, exploding with excitement and energy! As the clock ticked down, it hit me what had just happened. What a game!!! Moments like that are what keep me coming back to cheer year after year. There is no feeling like that in the world. After the game, there were many screams and laughs had in the locker room. I met Eric upstairs, and we made it home around 12:30pm. We ate some late night dinner, watched some ESPN (with all smiles), and went to bed… happy to both have the day off of work Monday! Great week, Colts Fans!
