Monday January 3
Good morning Colts fan! I feel great this morning after our win last night vs. the Titans. Playoffs here we come! I am so proud of our team and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to cheer another game! This morning my roommate Tiffanie and I made ourselves brunch and caught up with a few friends. Afterwards, I headed to campus at Indiana State University to meet with my advisor about the upcoming spring semester. My classes all seem to be interesting and I am looking forward to starting them next week. Monday night is always girls night! My closest friends and I meet for dinner and sometimes Karaoke if it's a really good one. Tonight I have to call it an early one and get plenty of sleep for my busy day tomorrow. Playoffs week is an eventful one, filled with many appearances and practice. Good night J
Tuesday January 4
Goooood morning! I woke up at 6:30am today to get ready for a "Cheerleader" filled day. I left Terre Haute an hour later for my first appearance of the day at Chapel Glen Elementary School. Five other cheerleaders, Blue and Kat were the entertainment during the PRIDE pep rally at Chapel Glen. It was an incredible appearance. The students and staff were wonderful, and Blue can always put a smile on your face. After the appearance, I went to Tyler Mason to get my hair ready for the big game and grabbed a quick bite to eat. At 4:00 I arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Kids Club Party. What a blast! Mara and I teamed up and took pictures with the children when they were entering the field. It was another great appearance and everyone involved had a good time. Afterwards, it was time for practice at the Colts Complex. Originally we were hoping to learn our routine for the half time show we will be doing on Saturday, but since a band has not yet been signed we had to work on our pregame, sidelines, and other dances we will be using during the game. It was a great practice because everyone was ready to work hard and get prepared. When practice was over, my best friend Emily called while I was driving back to Terre Haute with amazing news: she is engaged to her longtime boyfriend Anthony! I am so happy for both of them and cannot believe that we are so grown up! Haha Congratulations! When I reached home I ate incredible spaghetti that Tiffanie had made and fell right asleep.
Wednesday January 5
Time to wake up. I started getting ready at 7am for a day filled with appearances in Terre Haute. I am so excited to meet fans in the town that I currently live in! The limo with Theresa, Kelsey, and the other five cheerleaders picked me up at Starbucks and we drove to Meadows Elementary School for another PRIDE pep rally. I really enjoy this show! It has such a positive message about being physically active 60 minutes a day, making intelligent decisions, being respectful, having a balanced diet and knowing the importance of getting a good education. Meadows students and staff were great and everyone enjoyed the show. Immediately after we went to the Honey Creek Mall to sign autographs, take pictures and get fans excited about the Playoff game!! We had a very quick lunch at Garfield's before heading to Sugar Creek Elementary for our final appearance of the day. This was another PRIDE pep rally where once again the students and staff were wonderful and everyone left with a smile on their face. After the appearance was over, the limo dropped me off at my car and I spent the remainder of the day with friends. Tara and Jana joined me for dinner and rented the movie Inception (which I loved, great movie!). Then it was time for bed.
Thursday January 6
Yay!!! I finally get to sleep in! This morning I started a new job as a server. I love waitressing because you get to meet people and talk with them while at work. (This makes the time certainty go by quickly.) Today is a practice day for the Colts Cheerleaders! We will be meeting at the Colts Complex with Michelle from Curtain Call Studio to learn the choreography for our half time show. When we all arrived at practice, Theresa could finally announce that a band was signed for the game. CHEAP TRICK!!!!!!!!! I am so so so so so excited to perform with them! My mom and little brother are huge Cheap Trick fans and I know they will put on a great show. After practice I drove back to Terre Haute and met up with my boyfriend and a few other friends. Unfortunately I could not hang out too long, tomorrow is going to be another busy one. Night!
Friday January 7
One more day till the big game! Today I had an appearance at the Circle Center Mall. We had an unbelievable turnout!! Thank you Colts fans for coming out and showing your support! We appreciate it so much. After the appearance, I went to Sun Tan City for a Versa spray tan and then drove back to Terre Haute. At home, Tiffanie and I spent the day cleaning our apartment and I got my game day bag ready for the game. Since I need plenty of sleep for tomorrow, I crashed early. See you all soon! Go Colts!
Saturday January 8
Game dayJ! I woke up this morning feeling so blessed to be a part of the Colts organization. I am ready for playoffs! I left Terre Haute around 11 and met Mara in Brazil. We try to carpool as often as possible and I always enjoy our talks while driving to Indy. Today our usual one hour practice had been changed to a three hour practice because of the half time show. We had so much to prepare! Practice went by smoothly and we got our first glimpse of Cheap Trick. Ahhhhhhh!!! After practice we headed back into the locker room to get eat a quick lunch and get ready for our appearances and of course the game! Because of the cold weather, all of our appearances today were signing autographs inside of the stadium. I absolutely love game day! Everyone is so excited and ready to cheer on our Colts! After Tyler Mason did my hair and makeup and my appearance was finished, I changed into our game day outfit. It is game time. We always say a prayer before the game and then walk to the tunnel and wait for our first chance to touch the turf. There is nothing like running out in front of thousands of excited fans, having all eyes on you and your team, doing what you love to do. Our half time show was phenomenal! Cheap Trick did an outstanding job, as did all the studio performers. Once again, I am reminded how blessed I am to be in this position. After the game, it was a shocking loss. Our locker room was filled with silence and tears. We have been seeing each other for at least twice a week since the beginning of April. Some girls have been seeing each other at least twice a week for years now. It will be quite an adjustment, but the best is yet to be. We are proud of our team and confident that next year we will be playing a home game during the Superbowl. ;) After the game, I met my family quickly and drove my boyfriend and I back to Terre Haute. I was exhausted and ready for bed.
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Sunday January 9
In the words of Samantha's father, "the sun came up this morning… so I guess it's not the end of the world." A loss is always difficult, especially when it means no more games and the season before was different than this year, but Sam's father is right. Our lives will continue and we have so many positive things to look back and smile at. Today is my squad's belated Christmas dinner at Webber Grill. I am so happy to see the girls today! We had a great meal and spent most of the time talking about our future plans. Our wonderful captain Erica will be moving soon and we are already missing her. Afterwards I drove home and prepared myself for the first day of the school tomorrow. What an exciting week I have had! I am very glad to share it with all of you. Best of wishes to all the girls not returning; we are a fabulous group and each of you mean so much to me. Thank you for an unbelievable rookie year, I am so thankful for this opportunity. And thanks to all our fans, you're amazing!
GO COLTS!!
Stefanie B.