Week 14: organization; mini-research

When I mention the word "Cheerleading or Cheerleader" what do you think about? When I hear those words I go back in time to when I was a 5th grader and in the hallway at my old elementary school and there I was with my teammates practicing cheers. I could hear the heavy breaths, the coach yelling, the heartbeats while putting up a stunt, I could hear everything and there was a smile on my face. I love cheerleading still today (even though I can't participate since injuring my knee).

I did 4 years of cheering in my K-8 school. When I was there it was only offered 5th-8th grade, today it's offerd for the younger students. In High School I did 4 years. 4 seasons of Football cheering and 3 seasons of bacsketball cheering throughout my high school career. My fist year in high school as well as my first year participating in Football cheering our team when to the championship and won for football. That is an experience I will never forget. Our record was 12-0.

Here are some reasons why cheerleading is consider a sport. You may not belive that it is but after reading this I hope you change your mind about cheerleading or shut up about it ( if you can't back up your reasons, don't voice them).
- Stragegy is a big thing in cheering. You have to position the girls/boys according to height but also to ability. that is sometimes difficult because you may have really tall people that are good but short people that are not great, but not horrible. That person should be in back so you have the best out front but she is short and then no one will see her. yo have to play around with formations to decide what is best for the complexity of your squad. Also you have to know the right chant to say at the right moment in the game. So the motto is: Always be prepard and know your stuff!
- Trash talking is a thing that we see alot in sports. We have to be sportmans like at all times on the playing field but that is never true. Until cheerleading. Cheerleaders are one of the few that doesn't trash talk other team members, opposing teams, coaches, school officals. We are there because we want to be and we want to give it are all to win. In my 8 years of cheering we schools combined won the Sportsmanship Award 6 times. For me that was 6 out of 8 years. thats pretty impressive. How did we do that. One goal: Winning but never belittleing the others or we won't win.
- Guys love the uniforms that cheerleaders wear. they love them because they are short, very short. they do not match dress code standards but that is okay. Why are the skirts short? Well, the main reason the skirt is short is because we do movements and bend in ways that a short skirt allows us the ability to do so. A longer skirt only provides a small range of flexablity. That would not be good to have if you want a great routine. CHEERLEADING is ALL about the MOVEMENT!
- The jocks are one of the most populars in schools. I can't say that that statement is wrong because it's true. We all know it, why try hiding it. But there is a twist in the popular group: cheerleaders. They are among the populars. I don't know why but it is. People say that cheerleading is not a sport so why are we among the popular group? That I have no answer to, so I will let you ponder that.
- Like anyother telovised competition out there: Superbowl, NBA Championships, NASCAR Championships, Golf Tournaments, Cheerleading is telovised as well. They are an awesome event to watch. If you don't beive cheerleading is a sport, then watch one of these broadcasts and I promise you will change your mind.

In conclusion, you put in the same amount of practice time as anyother sport (maybe more when championships come around), you have to trust your teammates 100% if you want to pull off the routines or put up stunts. Stunting can be very dangerous if you don't have the training or the skills. You also have to be together on timing or the flyer can get hurt, and you have to beable to trust that when a stunt goes up you have to talent to not let it fall.

SO REMEMBER THAT CHEERING IS A SPORT AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY ABOUT IT: DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!

Week 11

I have been looking out this window for the last day and a half. I have been away from the children and the boy. I was in another state taking care of personal matters. I left on a tuesday and was coming home today a week later. I took care of the things that needed to be done the best that I could from where I was. Anything that should happen to come up I can take care of it from my house in Maine.

I never thought that I would miss Maine. When I was a little girl I always said that I wanted to leave Maine as soon as possible. But know I cant't think of a better place to live and grow my family.

I heard the captain say over the intercome "Ladies and Gentleman we are about to land in beautiful Bangor, Me so if I could please have you sit your seats and buckle up." "Thank you fr choosing and flying Delta Airlines". I was so excited to finally land. I buckled my belt and looked forward. I felt the airplane start to drop lower, and lower, and lower. I heard the lnding gear touch down on the runway and eventually we pulled to a stop. The studardests open the hatch when they got the okay from the captain and gestured for the passengers in the front to start moving towards the open door. When it was my turn I stepped into line behind a mother with two children.

I gotout of the plane and followed everybody out into the gate. I stopped and searched for the boy. I didn't see him. I stayed there a little longer to let people leave and so that I could see better. Nothing. So, I decided to go to the bagage claim to retrieve my bags. I was starting to get a little angry because he was not here to pick me up when we went over the time that I would land today. And surprisingly the plane was on time. So were the HELL was he. There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned around and sort of snapped at the person that tappd my shoulder. I rudley asked her what she wanted. She took a step back and then pointed to hr bag and I moved. I pulled the handel on my bag and wheeled it towards the information desk. I asked the man working there if there was a message left for me. I gave him the information he needed and when he said no I grunted. He looked at me with a puzzled look and I sppologized. I went out front and got out my cellphone and punche in Brandon's number. When it went to voicemail I decided t leave a message. I was a little rude and reminded him that we talked yesterday about what time he had to pick me up. And I asked repeadtly where the HELL he was.

When I hung up the phone stuck it in my purse and turned around there he was. I stared at him for a minute. Yelled across the way at him and he went down on one knee. I was shocked. I ran to him hitting people and yelling at people to move. They weren't happy but I didn't care. I got to him and he ask me "Will you be my forever, my always, my everything. I want you by my side when everything in my life comes true. Will you marry me?" Oh my God! Are you serious? "Will you marry me" he repeat. "Yes, of course. I want to be your forever and always" I got down on my knees to be face to face with him and kiss him. I kiss him with a lot of passion and frustration but I dont think he noticed.

Week 10

It's was the summer of 2008, I was heading into my Senior year of high school in September. I was incrediably nervous. I'm from a small town were we only had 1 school. It was a K-8 school at the time I was there. Today, it's a Pre-K-8 school. Anyways, I hung out with my best friend pretty much all summer except for the days I had to work.

I remember that summer as if it was yesterday. My best friend, her family, and myself we took a trip to Peaks Island, Portland Me. I got up at 4am the morning we left, I was at their house by 5:15. My best friend was at her boyfriends house and when they got up they were headed down to meet us at the house and ready to go.

We had to take 2 vehicles because there was 8 of us all together. My best friends step-dad took his car with himself, his wife, and the two youngest boys (they were 3 and 1). In my car was myself, my best friend, her boyfriend, and her other brother (we ranged in ages of 17, 17, 18, and 12). We left the house around 6:45. We had to be at the ferry in Portland by 9am or 10:15 am.

We hit the road and was off. I can't speak for the parents vehicle because I was not in it but in my car we has a blast. My best friend and I rode up front since I was driving. The boys are in the back where they could strech out. We got to Portland, made the ferry, and enjoyed the Island. It was paradise. The water was freezing but we still went in.

We had lunc on the beach, took a drive around the Island looking at all the houses that are too exspensive for our blood. We had dinner at the rented cottage that we stayed at. We bonded as a family playing games, and telling stories/jokes. But in the end we had to leave because the next week most of uswent back to school. We left the Island the next day and headed home. :(

My best friends boyfriend is from Brewer so he attended Brewer High, she and I attended Bucksport High and her brother the 12 year old attends Orland School. So we all went in different directions. She and I walked into school together that miserable day. It was our Senior Year. I was excited and I think she was too but none of us wanted to go back to school.

It all looked the same but we could tell that something was different. I dont know how to explain that, it was just a feeling. The last three years of my high school exsistence I had this wonderful principle that cared for everybody. He was concerned about our schooling. School Wide Assemblies had games and special visitors. He made high school enjoyable but he knew when to lay down the law if or went he had to.

Today was different. Today the air seemed cold, unenterable, stiff, and prison like. Over the summer apparently the princle we all loved got a better job in the southern part of the state, so they hired a new principle. None of us that had been there the past 3 yrs like him. He was unfamiliar, not an easy person to talk to, not an approchable person. We ended up seeing some of the aspects they we had grown up used to they disappeared. We couldn't do anything, he was the principle. So we just took each day as they came and had to deal.

Did we recieve the best education we could? Yes. Did we get the proper disiline, if needed? Yes. Were we heard? Yes. Did we get what we needed out of high school? Yes. My question to you is, did the students have the right to be mad that this new principle? Were the seniors right to be upset that this new principle came in on our senior year? These are my questions to you.

Week 9: fact or fiction

Today was like no other. I woke up and showered. Added the make-up and brushed the teeth. Clothed and organized the room from messing it up last night when I got home fro work. Tired from work and personal things but ready to tackle todays plans.

Brandon is at work and the kids are at school. So that means I am by myself. I vacummed the floors, dusted the house, did the dishes, and started the laundry. Went throught the kids rooms to pick up some of their mess. I went in mine and Brandon's room and picked up our stuff.

After the house chores where done I started on the next thing on my list: Baking! Tonight Brandon and I are attending a 80's Themed Party. The kids will be spending the night at one of our neighbors house for the night with their friends from school. So, anyways back to baking. Whoever attends the party tonight was encouraged to bring a dessert or main dish, whatever they could make/afford. I was makng my favorite thing, Sugar Cookies. I love making them because you can do anything with sugar cookies. I made them and let them cool. I made 2 dozen cookies and frosted them all.

Tonights color theme was black, purple, and green. So the frosting on the cookies were of those colors and the words '80. (I ate a few in the process...) I'm wearing a black leather sexy dress with my hair done in a side pony. My hair had purple and green highlights to go with my already black hair. I had on purple leg warmers and green high-heeled shoes. My make-up was done in those colors and vamped up from that morning.

Brandon wore a workout outfit. He had on black sneakers, spiked hair tinted purple, white/green jersey, and purple shorts. We looked awsome speperatly but together we looked funny as we did not match. When we arrived at the party the music was blaring 80's themed music. He dance, ate, met up with friends, and danced some more.

Towards the middle of the party, a guy that I went to high school with showed up. He wasn't my favorite person in high school but we get along. He asked Brandon if he could cut in, Brandon said "Sure". Brandon went to the bathroom and to get a drink. The guy I went to school was named * Trentyn*. He kinda had a crush on me and usually made everyone know it. I turned him down a few times in high school because I was not interested.

We were talking and catching up when he bent down and kissed me. Brandon happened to be watching and came rushing over. He asked what the hell was going on. Trentyn explained that he has always liked me and wanted to know if I felt the same. Brandon looked at me and I said, "Baby, after all that we have been through do you think that I would be here if I didn't love you?" Brandon jnew what I was saying and took my hand and started to walk away, when Trentyn grabbed my hand. I said that I was mot interested and never would be and that he needed to leave me alone. When he didn't get the message and grabbed my hand again, I slapped him and walked to the food table with Brandon, where he kissed me. I left that party with the person I love the most in the world.