All Star Cheer on TV

For those of you who are interested, they will be airing the All Star National Cheer Competition on April 5 at 12:00 pm and on April 7 at 2:00 pm on ESPN 2. They will probably only show a clip of Forces' routine since they didn't place Top 10 but it should be fun to watch if you like that sort of thing like me!!

It's GREAT to be 8!

On Sunday, Jacob was invited to attend the "It's great to be 8" information night that was put on bu our AMAZING Primary Presidency. Thank you very much ladies! Jacob will be 8 in August. Can you believe it? I surly can't. Anyway, it was wonderful. He is so excited now. I think he is more excited for Cub Scouts than anything else, honestly. It was very neat. We went to the Stake Center and they got to "tour" the baptismal font and the changing rooms. We got a check list of things to do before the baptism. It was very informative. I appreciated that because I realized I have no idea what I am doing? From my research I have found that some families make the baptisms big, grand events with slide shows and professional photography, professionally printed invitations, etc. I was way overwhelmed. Then I found that others keep it simple. It's about the baptism, right. Anyway, I find myself now wondering WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? Any suggestions or ideas?

FREE

Leave it to a country song to get me thinking and make me feel mushy. It wasn't a song about a dog or a farmer or anything like that. I was driving home today from picking up Kayla at preschool and a song I believe called, "You're gonna miss this" came on one of the country radio stations. Yes, I love country music. So anyway, I hadn't heard this song and I started listening to the words.

It started out with a high school girl complaining about school and wishing she was 18 and couldn't wait for her life to start. Her mother tells her, "You're gonna miss this". I started thinking about high school. It was so much fun. I was a cheerleader, I hung out with the "in" crowd, I played softball and was really good, I got good grades, went to all the football and basketball games, Homecoming and Prom, bon fires, boyfriends. It was great. I was so FREE.

The second verse talked about the girl being a young bride. Her dad came over to visit her small, one bedroom apartment and he tells her it's a nice place. She says it'll do for now and starts talking about a bigger house and babies, etc. Her dad says, "You're gonna miss this". I reflected back to My and Kevin's first apartment in Kennewick. It was actually pretty nice. We ate a lot of hamburger helper and laughed a lot. Our dining room table was a card table and two lawn chairs. We had mismatched furniture that we bought at yard sales. There wasn't a lot of money, but we had each other. We would just decide on a Saturday morning to drive to Coure D'Alene and we would. Little road trips together on the weekends were so much fun, we were so FREE.

The last verse, if I remember right, talked about her water heater being broken and a repair man, I think, coming over to fix it. Kids were crying and fighting and the everydays of life were around her. She apologizes to the man for her kids and he tells her that they aren't bothering him at all. He has two children of his own that are grown up and gone now, "You're gonna miss this". (This is were I admittedly ALMOST started crying. I got that lump in my throat. You know what I mean, right.) I started thinking about now. Today. My home, my husband, my three kids, my church, My life. It's so great. We are always busy. Baseball and gymnastics. School and church callings. My house is sometimes clean. We order pizza. We laugh. We go to church as a family with no argument. We play games, we are so FREE. I miss the right now already and it's not even gone yet. I am truly happy and blessed to be able to recognize all the wonderful things I have right now. I am happy to live in the now and in no hurry to start another chapter (or verse) of my life.

Darn that country music!

Olson Update

I thought I'd take this opportunity to update all on the goings on of the Olson family.

First up ...



Kevin. Today happens to be his 31st birthday!! I am so lucky to have him. He is an amazing father and a wonderful husband. He has many talents but they sometimes go unnoticed because he tends to hold back and let others take center stage. He is wonderful in so many ways, so I'll just say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART" and leave it at that.




Next. . .



ME. I am doing great. I think I am starting to get into a routine now that I am a stay at home mom. Then I realized that spring is coming and the kids start all of their spring sports. Change my routine again. But that is okay. I am enjoying being home and I won;t have to miss a single baseball game this year!! I need to find time to fit in some exercise, but whats a few extra pounds!! I love my callings in church. I teach the third Sunday in Releif Society and am an Activities Day Advisor. Being an Activities Day Advisor helps me to get to know the younger girls in church and our activities together are always so fun. I love the women who I work with. They are so creative and amazing. Teaching Releif Society has been a challenge. I really enjoy this calling and I canlt explain why. I am very thankful for all that I have.

Jacob . . .



I don't know where to start. He amazes me. He likes to be the best at everything which isn't always good, but he strives to do his best. He had a very good report card. (His teacher just had her first baby so wasn't able to have a parent/teacher conference, report cards just got sent home. It's nice to hear other people tell you how wonderful your kids are. He is currently taking tae-kwon do classes at Pacific Kicks and earned his white belt last week. Now he is working towards his gold belt. He really enjoys tae-kwon do. He is also anxiously awaiting baseball season to start. He is a busy little boy!!


Next up . . .



Kayla. One word. Giggly!! I love her laugh/giggle. It is so infectious. I absolutely love to hear her laugh. It makes me so happy. Her eyes literally sparkle! She loves gymnastics and cheer, which also makes mom very happy, and loves being a girl!! She is so girly! She is also little miss fashion. She loves preschool with Mrs. Hughes and can't wait to start kindergarten in the fall. She also will be starting T-Ball soon. Thanks to having a 16 year old aunt, my sister Ashley, she can sing you just about any song that you hear on the radio. Her favorite thing in the whole world right now is HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!!

Last but not least . . .



My little Kelsie. This is her saying "Cheeese". I love her curls. She gets them from me! She loves to laugh and play with her brother and sister. Unfortunately, they give her whatever she wants so when she is with other children it makes things difficult. She just had her first official day in nursery this past Sunday. I was happy and sad at the same time. She is just like me, so we get on each others nerves very easily. She loves to dance especially to Mexican music, she has my rhythm as well. She loves the sacrament at church and always wants more.

So there we are. The Olson's!!

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.