July 18th, 2010
Hello Colts fans from the first of 4 Megan's and the first of 14 rookies to be Cheerleader of the Week! Sunday is usually my only free day of the week and I use it to prepare for my busy weeks ahead by doing my grocery shopping, cooking my meals for the week, cleaning my apartment, working out, and doing laundry. I took a break from my usual Sunday routine to have lunch with friends. With our first game fast approaching I want to be perfect on game day, so I went home after a quick bite to eat and practiced! After practicing the dances what seemed like 1,000 times, I headed to go suit shopping with my boyfriend for a wedding the upcoming Friday. Then we headed to his house for a great meal fresh from the grill…he even used Colts glasses and coasters…so romantic.
July 19th, 2010
Monday I headed to work. I'm an Occupational Therapist and work in a nursing home. I LOVE my job! I work to rehabiliate people so they can return back home to live independently and also work with the residents who live in the facility to keep them at their maximal level of independence. I help people who have been hospitalized for various conditions from heart problems, stroke, and generalized deconditioning to be able complete all of their self care skills safely and independently. Today went smoothly and I even worked a couple extra hours to make up for my busy upcoming week. My work has been so amazing and allows me to flex my schedule to fit in my practice and appearances as a Colts Cheerleader. Not to mention my residents are all Colts fans and love it when I mix in some of our dance moves into their therapy sessions! After work I headed to LA Fitness (one of our sponsors) for spinning class. This is my favorite form of cardio and I feel like I burn so many calories in one class! Then it was home to eat dinner, watch my favorite show Big Brother , pack my bag for the next day, and then hit the sack.
July 20th, 2010
Tuesdays are always fun at work because I run a Wii bowling group for four lucky residents. We do arm and leg exercises and then the rest of the hour session in spent playing on the Wii. Now you must be thinking, "How is this therapy?" The residents stand to work on their balance and endurance and the bowling works on their hand/eye coordination which are all basic skills needed to improve their self care skills such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and cleaning. Wouldn't you rather play Wii bowling than do boring repetitions of exercises? After an exciting group we had our weekly Medicare meeting to discuss our patient's progress and plan their session length of the upcoming week. After the meeting I saw the remainder of my patients, finished my paperwork (the least favorite part of my job), and changed for practice. I always try to come to practice early to review our dances. This day we learned some new dances and reviewed our routines for the first game. I must say, as a rookie sometimes I do get overwhelmed by all of the information and there was one dance in particular this day that I just couldn't wrap my brain around. Luckily my teammates are so helpful and let me tape them doing this particular dance so I could review it on my own. To end practice Mara led us in Zumba. She is such an amazing motivational leader and Zumba is such a fun way to end our practice. After practice I headed to Sun Tan City to get a spray tan in the Versa Spa for my appearance the next morning. I LOVE the Versa it always looks great, lasts a long time, and doesn't damage my skin. Then I headed home to get some shut eye before my big appearance the next morning!
July 21st, 2010
This day I woke up so excited for my appearance and packed my bag for the busy day! I was appearing on the television show IndyStyle to show Indianapolis residents fun summer hairstyles. It was such a great appearance for me because I only had to come with my makeup on and wet hair. (Doing hair is not my specialty). Once I arrived at the TV studio the Tyler Mason stylist did my hair and touched up my makeup for the TV spot. I have very fine stick straight hair and they decided to style me with a curly bob with tons of body. I have to say, the Tyler Mason stylists are amazing and make my hair look phenomenal. After waiting backstage we headed on set and the stylists showed the TV audience how to take my fun beachy daytime bob to a nighttime look my pulling it up into a side bun with a flower accessory! When I arrived at work, none of the residents recognized me with my curly hair and makeup because my typical work look is a ponytail, fresh face, and scrubs. After work I met up with some of my squad members, our coach, her family, and our interns for dinner at Scotty's. Our team is a family and I love hanging out with the girls any chance I get. Today was a special occasion because we were going to cheer on our friends at the Pacemate's Auditions. The showcase was so entertaining and the judges picked an amazing squad. Good luck with your season ladies! The Sweethearts of the Horseshoe will be cheering you on! After my marathon day I headed home, worked out in my complex gym, and then crashed.
July 22nd, 2010
I woke up early to go into work because I had to leave in the middle of the day for an appearance. Did I mention that my job has a lot of flexibility? Thursday we also had a Wii group so I was able to fit in all of my resident's therapy before heading to the appearance. This appearance was just up my alley. I along with three other cheerleaders and Blue traveled to a nursing home for Gereaoke. What is Gereaoke you ask? It is karaoke for seniors! We got there early and signed posters for the residents. One man in particular was decked out in Colts gear and told us that he had been a Colts fan since their Baltimore days. After some photos the residents stepped up to the microphone to belt out some tunes. Our "Super Fan" did a wonderful job with an Elvis classic. Then it was our time at the mic. Erin and I sang Build Me Up Buttercup. The Super Fan was in the front row singing the echo parts of the song so I decided to integrate him into our performance. I sang, "I need you," and then pointed the mic to him expecting him to sing the echo but instead he looked at me in shock and said, "YOU NEED ME?!" It was so cute and the place erupted in laughter. Needless to say, when it was time for Blue to hand out the awards for the best of the day, our Super Fan won both trophies! I headed back to work to finish my day and then to the Colts Complex for practice. Today it seemed like 100 degrees in the practice facility but we still had to run each dance full out to make sure we had everything perfect. This was the first day I felt like everything clicked and was no longer nervous for the first game. My captain even complemented me for smiling during practice! After we danced for two hours which was a workout in itself, our trainer Sean Bartram, from Core Pilates and Fitness came to lead us in a workout. His workout is a high energy cardio routine with yoga and pilates style with abs mixed in. It was so hot we all looked like drowned rats at the end of practice. Only Sean could make us look our best and worst at the same time. After practice I had planned to go home and straight to bed but I got a call from a couple of my friends to meet up. One of my good friends was getting married the next day and I was invited to their rehearsal dinner but couldn't make it because of practice. So instead I met up with the bride to be and some friends to wish her well, after I showered of course!
July 23rd, 2010
Friday was a busy day. I went to work early so I could be at Union Station at 4:30 for the wedding. I was the guest book attendant. The couple and I had gone to college together and the bride and I became close while competing for the title of Miss Indiana. After the bride was crowned Miss America in 2009 I stepped in and completed the reign of Miss Indiana. The wedding was so beautiful and you could feel the love between the bride and groom. They had so many fun touches like a mashed potato martini bar and mini ice cream cones. I made sure not to skimp on the amazing food because I knew I would dance the night and all those calories away!! I had a phenomenal time and I wish the couple a long and happy life together!
July 24th, 2010
I started my Saturday with a workout at Sean's studio. We are required to work out with Sean two Saturdays a month but I try to go as much as possible, he does wonderful work! We use the TRX and Reformer for a strength based Pilates style workout. That work-out kicked my butt and I was so sore the next day! After working out I had to head to work to make up a couple hours I had missed during my busy week….remember flexible work schedule! I ended my week with a great dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, a movie, and a good night's rest! Thank you so much for reading my blog and seeing a glimpse of what it is like to be a rookie Sweetheart of the Horseshoe! See you at the games…GO COLTS!!
