So as you may know I had the opportunity to attend the National All-Star Cheer leading Competition in Orlando, FL earlier this month. It was amazing!!! I had the time of my life and it was a definite dream come true. This little collage that I put together are some of the highlights of my sisters 2008 year. Her team did GREAT! There were 26 teams in her division. It was the biggest division in the competition. They didn't get a top ten place like they had hoped, but they did really well. They placed 20Th, but let me tell you, that is good when you put them up against the teams from Georgia, Texas and Tennessee. The Georgia teams basically swept the entire competition all the way across the board. They are truly amazing!! But our girls held their own. After the competition there was an "after party" at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was open only to the cheerleaders and their families. I don't know if I have ever been to an after party, but this party was so much fun!! I felt like I was 16 again. I held back at first, tried to be conservative, the responsible chaperon, you know. But then I thought this is once in a lifetime and I was out on the dance floor with my sister and her team. It was sooo fun! I learned a dance called the Cupid Shuffle which is basically a new hip-hop version of the electric slide. They played some old school music from my high school days, you know, House of Pain-JUMP AROUND, I know you know what song I am talking about. And some of the girls thought it was a new song. PLEASE! WE made that song cool!! My thighs were hurting the next day. I don't know how those girls do it. Anyway, my trip was a blast and I am very proud of the Elite Force Cheer squad for their amazing season. The competition will air in April I believe on ESPN and on FOXNW so watch your local listings for times and dates!!

SUPER SONIC WIN!!

This weekend the Elite Force Cheer squad competed at the PacWest Super Sonic Invitational in Seattle. Needless to say, these amazing girls again took home the 1st place trophy AND again took home the Grand Champion Trophy out of 28 teams. I am telling you these girls are amazing. Not only did they bring home two trophies, they had the privilege of performing their routine at the Sonics vs. Lakers game at Key Arena that evening!! I am so proud of all of these young ladies.

As you may know the Elite Force team is going to Nationals next week, March 5-10. The team will be holding open practices in full uniform tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm at the MCGA Cheer Gym on Florida Street. I am inviting ALL to attend. I know there are some hardcore or even closet cheer fans out there so anyone interested in watching please attend. The team would really like that. The cheer gym is just before the big main MCGA gym. I will probably attend every night, I hope to see some if not all of you there. GO FORCE!!!

FREE TICKETS

Kevin and I have two tickets to tonights WSU vz. Arizona basketball game in Pullman at 7:00 pm. If anyone is interested in taking these tickets off of our hands so they don't go to waste, please call me by 12:00 noon (give or take) because we are going out of town.

GO COUGS!!!

Tag I'm it!!

10 years ago...

I had been married about 5 months and was living in Kennewick working at a law firm in Pasco.

5 things on my list today...


1. Take a shower
2. Wash and fold laundry (the and folding part is the challenge!)
3. Take kids out this afternoon. Don't know where just out.
4. Have dinner at my Mom's house, (mmmmm, authentic, home cooked Mexican food!)
5. Get to bed early. I'm exhausted it has been a long week!!


Snacks I enjoy...

CHOCOLATE! Pretty much anything chocolate will do. Ooh and Pastel De Tres Leche, too. (A wonderful really moist Mexican dessert.)

What would I do if I where suddenly a millionaire...

Let's see, buy a bigger house, pay off all the bills, invest for retirement, save for college & missions for the kids and then travel everywhere!! New York, London, Paris, Madrid, Italy!!

3 bad habits...

1. I have become lazy since becoming a full-time stay at home mom.
2. I can be very negative.
3. I like to be in charge and in control and make all the decisions myself.


5 places I have lived...

1. Othello, WA
2. Connell, WA
3. Warden, WA
4. Kennewick, WA
5. Pasco, WA

5 Jobs I have had...

1. McDonalds Crew
2. Mall Rat (JRiggings, Sweet Factory & Mariposa)
3. Office Assistant at a law firm
4. Legal Assistant at 2 law firms
5. Teller

5 Things people don't know about me...

1. I was 1st runner-up in the Junior Miss Pageant in Warden in 1994.
2. I was the biggest NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK fan ever. I got to go to 3 concerts and was convinced I was going to marry Jordan Knight!!!
3. When I run into people at the store or in the mall I get shy and nervous and don't know what to say so sometimes I try not to make eye contact so maybe they won't see me.
4. I dated my husbands cousin so now I am related to my ex-boyfriend.
5. I love all sports. I love to watch sports on TV which makes my husband very happy and I love to attend all kinds of sporting events.


IS THERE ANYONE LEFT WHO HASN'T BEEN TAGGED YET? THEN YOU ARE IT NOW!!!

S-P-I-R-I-T

Okay, so this weekend I attended the PacWest Lillac Cup in Spokane. It's a cheer and dance competition. My baby sister, Ashley, who is 16 years old, is on the Elite Force Cheer squad at MCGA. Let me tell you for those of you who don't know me very well . . . I LOVE CHEER & DANCE!! I was a cheerleader in high school, but I went to Warden High School and there is no glory in cheering for a 'B' school. I always had high aspirations but they never amounted to anything more than dreams.

My sister Ahsley on the other hand, totally ROCKS!! She is awesome! I totally live my cheerleading dreams through her. Just look at her, she is AMAZING!! They got 1st place in their division and they also received Grand Champions of the competition.

Needless to say, I am so extrememly proud of her. Not only is she an amazing athlete but she is very academic, too. She is my hero in so many ways. She is very well rounded for a youth growing up in these times of total pressure and temptation.

So anytime I see a cheer and dance competion on television I sit and watch and critique everything they do. I love it! My sister doesn't always like it because when I watch their routine I say things like, "You need to point your toe", or "You need to squeeze that pyramid", but she likes that at the same time. I go to as many practices as I can and just help to give her advice and pointers.

The most exciting thing is that they have qualified for Nationals in Florida. Oh yeah, by the way, I GET TO GO!! YEAH ME!! It's the 6th to the 10th of March. My mom and I are going. HELLO!! I AM SO EXCITED!! It also happens to be my birthday on the 8th of March so double bonus. Total dream come true, spending my birthday at Disney World attending a cheer competition!! Pinch me!! I will definately share those pictures with all when I get back. I will also let you all know when the competition airs on ESPN!! Here is a sneak peak. I know they drop a few stunts but they are still awesome!

The Sun will come out . . .

So I need a little kick in the rear to get myself back to me again. I am having the winter blues so bad. I feel lazy all the time. I don't want to do ANYTHING. Not even sit in front of the computer. I can feel the smile slowly slipping off my face each day. My clothes keep getting bigger and baggier, not because I am losing weight but because I seem to keep wearing my lazy/comfortable clothes. Even taking a shower seems like such a chore. Why do my hair? It's so windy outside it'll just get messed up and if I am not going anywhere then who is going to see it? I know I am rubbing off on the kids too. I need to shake this blah feeling that I have had for about a month now. Kevin says lets go out, but I don't want to take the kids to my moms house and go out in this yucky weather and then pick them up later that evening when it's colder and windier. Wow!! I am so negative and boring/lazy. So any words of inspiration that could kick me in the toosh and get me smiling again ( I haven't cracked a smile the whole time I have been typing this post) would be very welcomed and appreciated!!

P.S. What better way to get a smile on your face than attending a cheer competition!! My little sister is on the Elite Force All Star cheer team and is competing this weekend in Spokane. I completely forgot until Kayla just reminded me! Yeah me!! I am happy already.

So now it's Wednesday and not much has changed in our home. Everyone is still sick, including me. Jacob and Kayla stayed home from school again today. I hated to send them too soon when they are just starting to feel a little bit better. You can tell that they are not 100% because they still don't have the energy to fight with each other, they just kinda lay around. I was able to get in a little bit of fun "girl time" last night before I was feeling really icky. Thanks to those wonderful Scentsy parties!!! Thanks to all who entertained me and my friend that I brought with me. She thought I had some really fun friends, I agree with her. Anytime anyone wants to entertain me you are more than welcome to! Sorry my post is so blah today but I guess my head is kind of cloudy and blah right now.

Have a super wonderful day everyone!!

Hooray for Monday?! NOT

Happy Monday to all. I hope you are all enjoying your day home with the kids. As for me, I am super great! Oh did I mention that EVERYONE woke up sick. Three fevers, three scratchy/soar throats, two runny noses, three hacking coughs, and one crazy mom.

What a great start to another wonderful week!! Happy MLK day to all!!

Playing catch-up

So it has been a long time since I have blogged. I hope to make this the first day of a good habit. So much has happened in the world of Olson since I last blogged so I hope to catch everyone up on the happenings of our little family.

We have all been very busy since November. I stopped working (outside the home) in mid November. This was a long time coming and we finally took the plunge. It was a very scary and emotional time for me, but so far so good. It is so nice being home in the evenings and spending more time with my family, but it has also aloud free time for me with friends and other things outside the home. We are still adjusting to only having one income so I guess I will have to cut back on buying shoes. Did I just really say that!!!

In December we had the opportunity to go to Mexico for two weeks at Christmas time. We are not talking Cancun tropical Mexico, my family calls it "the ranch". It is a very small town in northern Mexico in the state of Nuevo Leon called Repueblo de Oriente. This is where my mom and dad grew up and spent their childhoods. My Grandfather (my mom's dad) still has a home there so this is where we (along with about 30 other relatives, no joke) stayed. It was a wonderful experience for our family. There were three "rooms" in the house and two bathrooms. Everyone found and air mattress and a spot on the hard tile floor to sleep. There was a line everyday for the shower. The days were warm and the nights were freezing cold. There are no heaters or air conditioners. We slept in sweatpants and sweatshirts and socks and lots of blankets. In the mornings we were able to go to the backyard and pick oranges right off my grandpa's trees. We had fresh squeezed juice, it was so good. Kevin got to know the layout of the land and really take in the culture and the experience. I had not been there since I was 15 so it was fun for me to go back. The kids loved it and enjoyed the freedom and the lack of rules. And best of all no one got sick, until we got home.

And now it's January and things are back to "normal". We are enjoying being home and settling into our new church ward. We are excited about all of the change in our lives and excited to be in a brand new ward with new callings and old , new and renewed friendships.

So that's us in a nutshell.

Check out my Slide Show!