STATE CHAMPS

State was last weekend (Nov. 8th), and we WON! This is Woodland Cheerleading's 4th state championship. It was so AWESOME!! We left on Friday morning and stopped in Marietta to play Laser Tag and Whirly Ball. It was hilarious and so much fun. We then went to lunch at Applebee's once we arrived in Columbus. Then, we headed over to the coliseum to watch some of the sectionals competition before heading to the mall for a couple of hours. That night, everyone got all dressed up and went out to a WONDERFUL Japanese steakhouse for dinner. It was so nice and very, very good! After, we headed back to the hotel to get everyone settled in and lights out. We actually were in bed before 1AM which really surprised me!

On Saturday, we didn't have to leave the hotel until 11, so we all go to grab some extra sleep. We loaded up, headed to lunch at the Cracker Barrel, and then headed to the coliseum for the competition at 2:00. Our girls hit the floor at about 3:30 and nailed the routine. At about 5:30, we were crowned state champs. We did a lot of celebrating and picture taking and then headed for the bus. After a nice celebratory dinner at O'Charley's we arrived back to the school at about 11:30. It was an exhausting trip, but SO much fun! I'm already looking forward to next year!!

The kids are crazy here at school. It's like they already know that the Christmas buzz is right around the corner and they have gotten a jum start on it! They are so hyper; Mrs. Cagle and I just try to survive day to day. Some days are better than others, but all are exhausting here lately. My class is ahead in the Cents for Soldiers holiday campaign, which is awesome because we will receive a donut party if we win, and I will receive a gift card to a school supplies store which is very much needed these days!

I have gotten started on my Christmas shopping and even have several gifts already wrapped. I am proud of myself, because normally I don't get started until the day after Thanksgiving, so this is a first for me! I am ready to get my house all decorated for Christmas and my tree up. I really love Christmas and what it stands for.

I had strep throat last week and missed two days of school. It was yucky! I had not had that since I was a little kid and had forgotten how painful it is! I went to the doc and he put me on an anti-biotic which took care of it very quickly. I was thankful for that. I was glad to be back at school, because I can't stand being out. I feel like we get behind and that I miss a lot when I'm not there.

I'm looking forward to a calm week this week. I'm hoping to get some more Christmas shopping done! :)

Cheer Sectionals and Election Day

Saturday was Co-Ed Sectionals for Varsity. We beat 21 other teams to win FIRST PLACE!! It was an awesome day for Woodland. This will give us great placement for state which is really good. We will be leaving Friday morning at 9. We are going to play Laser Tag that afternoon and go out to a nice Japanese restaurant that night. Then on Saturday, we will all get our game faces on and go for Woodland's 4th cheerleading state championship! We are so excited and can't wait to go! Hopefully we will bring home a state championship...that would be awesome in my first year of coaching.

Today is Election Day which means that no students are at school. It is a Teacher Work Day, but I always enjoy these, because we get to go out to lunch. It's rare that we get to have social time over a good meal, so it's always really exciting! :) Our normal lunch routine is scarfing down our food while keeping an eye on 18 little bodies and usually having a couple spill something or bug you about when it's time to get their ice cream. Ingrid, I know that you can totally relate to this! :)

I haven't gone to vote yet, because the line was so long this morning that I would not have made it to work on time. I will be going after school today. It is such a historic day, and it makes me proud that I have the freedom to vote and let my voice be heard. I'm so thankful to live in America!

Trent just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He goes for his check-up today, and I'm anxious to find out how much he weighs. He was a pumpkin for Halloween, and he just really didn't know what to think about his costume. It was hilarious and we all laughed about it. He is the happiest baby, and he smiles ALL the time. He's very content, sleeps great, and is a joy to have in our family. He certainly came from out of nowhere and was a huge surprise to our family, but he has been the most wonderful little blessing in our lives. I thank God that he can turn difficult circumstances into the greatest blessings. I love that little boy, and I'm determined that his first word will be "Sissy".

GET OUT AND VOTE!