Monday December 12, 2011-
Good morning Colts fans! My name is Allie C and this is my first year as an Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader and I can't wait to share my week with you. I spent the weekend in Dayton, Ohio, which is where my family is from and where I grew up. I really enjoy going home to spend time with my family and I look forward to going back for Christmas! I got home from Dayton and did a few hours of work in the afternoon. I spend most of my time working as a Social Media Networker which means that I help to optimize companies internet search engine rankings. I have the luxury of working in a home-office. After work, I decided to hit the gym and get in some cardio on the treadmill. After that it was time to practice my dances. With the game against the Titans on Sunday and then the game against the Texans on the following Thursday, it requires us to have a lot of dances ready in a short amount of time so I spent about an hour breaking it down in my living room. Later in the evening, I decided to make some Christmas cookies. I found a *flour-free recipe *online that seemed very easy so I thought I'd give it a shot. After the usual 10-minute cookie-cooking time, I went to take them out and there were no cookies on the baking sheet. It was a melted disaster! Needless to say, I won't be recommending this recipe. After that, my husband Clay and I played Yahtzee and watched Monday Night Football.
Tuesday December 13, 2011-
Rise and shine! Today I woke up and went straight to the gym. It's game week and we are wearing our chaps. After running for about an hour, I worked until 4 and then it was time for another living room dance practice. We will be performing a Christmas-themed halftime show at the Texans game on December 22nd and I wanted to have the choreography perfect for our Tuesday night practice. Michelle from Curtain Call Dance Studio choreographs our halftime shows and she was at practice tonight to finish teaching the material. I won't reveal the details of the show, but you're going to love it! :) I came home from practice and made stuffed portabello mushrooms for dinner. I was so excited to see that my all-time favorite Christmas movie was on. Bing Crosby is one of my favorite actors/singers and I could never pass up watching "White Christmas"!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011-
I started my day with a cardio session with Sean, the official Trainer for the cheerleaders. Sean owns Core Pilates and Fitness in Carmel. The cardio sessions that Sean uses for us are best described as high-intensity-interval-training which is another way of saying, "Sweat-fest" and we can always count on it to be one. When I got home from cardio, I practiced our new dances from last nights practice and sat down to work. Around 5, it was time to head to my appearance at Huddles Frozen Yogurt in Carmel. I can't tell you how excited I was for this appearance! We spent time with customers and everyone's favorite mascot, BLUE and almost everyone in attendance won a raffle prize. We gave away tickets to the game, our swimsuit calendars, and even a Peyton Manning signed football. One of the best parts of being an Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader is getting the opportunity to spend time with the amazing fans. Colts fans have got to be the BEST in the NFL! After the appearance, I got a mix of gingerbread and egg nog frozen yogurt and headed home! It was insanely delicious!
Thursday, December 15, 2011-
Today is a holiday-day for me. I spent a good part of the day Christmas shopping for my husband...then even got them wrapped! (that's a big deal since I'm a procrastinator when it comes to wrapping!) Then lots of dance rehearsal so I'm prepared for tonight's practice. I am so excited for tonight - we're having a Christmas-themed practice at the complex. For every holiday, our coach, Theresa, invites us to wear themed outfits, and you'd be surprised to see how we really go all-out for these events. We had a full squad of Christmas sweaters, reindeer ears and jingle bells. Kristine even dressed up as a Christmas tree! It was very entertaining trying to do our Thursday night cardio session with Sean in our whacky Christmas outfits! I got home from practice and went straight to bed!
Friday, December 16, 2011-
TGIF! Today began with another great workout at Core Pilates. I spent most of my day working and then practicing routines for the game on Sunday. Clay and I spent our evening watching Christmas movies and making Christmas Candy Wreaths for the Cancer Hope ministry at my church. These are given to friends who are going through chemo-therapy because the peppermint is said to help with the side effects. Each wreath consists of over 200 peppermint and cinnamon hard candies tied with ribbons and fastened to a clothes hanger that has been shaped into a wreath. I lost track of how many I ate!
Saturday, December 17, 2011-
It was nice to sleep in a bit but still needed to be at Core Pilates for a 10:00 am workout. Only one more day until Game Day! Today, the squad practiced at the Complex with the Junior Cheerleaders because they are part of our half-time show for the Thursday night game vs. the Texans. They're so adorable and of course did a great job! After practice, I headed to Sun Tan City and visited the Versa Spa to prep for the game. I went Christmas shopping for my Mom and Dad, and my baby nephew Adam at Circle Center Mall. Here's a news flash... I normally do not like to shop, but when it comes to Christmas shopping, I am ALWAYS more than happy to go! Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the decorations or maybe it's the sale prices! OR maybe there is something to that saying *"it's better to give than to receive"! *
Sunday, December 18, 2011-
Two words- GAME DAY! My alarm went off at 4:30 am. I always have a hard time sleeping the night before a game because like Christmas eve, there's so much excitement and anticipation! I met Crystal and Hannah at their apartment - it's a tradition that we ride to the stadium together on game day, and they are lucky enough to live less than a mile away from Lucas Oil! Our stadium call-time was 6:30 and at 7 we were on the field for practice. After practice, there's always this amazing breakfast waiting for us... I'd hate to know the number of calories I eat before our games! After Michelle from Tyler Mason Salon and Spa did my hair and make-up it was time for my appearance, signing autographs at the Huntington Gate. Appearances on game day at the stadium are the best! Everyone is so excited for the game and it is so fun to feel their enthusiasm. Before I knew it, it was time to take the field. Every time I am on the field at Lucas Oil, it's just so surreal. It's the climax to so much hard work and experiencing the energy of 64,000 Colts-loving fans is indescribable! During the second quarter, a camera crew, Theresa, and Chuck came over to our squad and announced my captain Kim, as the COLTS PRO BOWL CHEERLEADER! She will be attending the Pro Bowl in Hawaii to represent the Colts Cheerleaders. The game was fantastic. It was my first COLTS VICTORY! I met my family after the game - how thrilling to exit the locker room to see excited families and friends! My parents come to all the home games and are the best support system. Normally we would go out to dinner together to debrief the game but tonight after my first win as a Colts cheerleader, the squad had a birthday party downtown for our cheerleading Director and Coach, Theresa. She does so much for us and it was great to be able to celebrate with her. What an amazing week, thanks for spending it with me! GO COLTS!
