I don't like Ike

Hurricane Ike is headed straight for Waco, Texas, where Jeremy and I are going tomorrow. They have moved our football game from Saturday afternoon to Friday night, in the hopes that we'll get it in before the storm hits.

That's good, except it means that in one day, we have to:
- Fly to Texas
- Prepare for a football game
- Play (cheer) a football game
- Fly back to Pullman

Ugh. I think tomorrow will be 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. I CAN DO IT!

Working with college students

I have a few observations from my year of working with college-age ladies and gentlemen. I hope this post doesn't come off as negatively sexist, but I KNOW that working with my guys and girls are two very different things.

Last year, since my cheer squad was not a stunting group, it was mostly ladies, with a few guys thrown in for good measure. The dance team (obviously) is all-female. This year, on the other hand, I have a huge group. In all, I'm working with 26 ladies and 17 guys. So it's a big group.

At cheer practice, twice a week, there are 12 guys and 12 girls. If I need to do some paperwork, or distribute something, or have a conversation with one athlete, it's interesting to see what happens to the rest of the group. The ladies will drop into something productive (usually) like stretching, or rehearsing dances. The guys, on the other hand, will completely lose it and start running around like monkeys. They usually end up trying to tumble (when they don't know how) or trying to jump up to try and reach the ceiling beams.

This is not to say the guys aren't hard-working. I know they give it their all at every practice, but the attention-span is just not there! Two minutes of down time and they are no longer focused on the task at hand. This is partly my fault as coach, not keeping them in line 100% of the time at practice, but I'm learning, and I think I'm getting better about keeping the whole group on task. I just can't help but acknowledge the stark difference between Monday practices (guys and girls) and Tuesday practices (ladies only). Oftentimes, we finish early on Tuesdays because the ladies are so much more on task that we accomplish everything more quickly.

All that being said, college cheerleading would not be what it is without men involved (as we established last year). This year has come with a whole new set of challenges for me, but I am truly loving every minute of it. I was nervous about having a whole team of guys, but I really appreciate them for their hard work, and what they contribute to our team - a sense of collegiate spirit and athleticism.

Also, the girls are terrible at running those huge flags! I'm glad to say that although our football team has looked far less than stellar for the last two weeks, the cheer squad and dance team have really stepped it up this year, deserving all the praise they've been receiving. Here's to my kids for working so hard and adding an entertainment value to games that are somewhat... lackluster. Go Cougs!

When the organization slips

I can always tell how busy I am by the messiness of my desk at work. Here's how it looks today:

I used to be SO GOOD about making lists, checking off tasks, and keeping an organized workspace. And when things are less crazy, I'm still good at it. But this time of year, I tend to try to do a hundred things at once, which obviously isn't working for me.

So here's my promise to be better. I'm going to organize my desk NOW. Because I know I'll be less stressed/more calm the second I can see beyond the top of the pile. You should organize your desk too! Then we'll all feel better.

Just a photo day

Well, I'm so busy that my mind is too scattered to focus on one thing to write about. So instead I'll post some photos. (always a good idea)

Here is our house after it's cosmetic makeover. I love red and I think our house just looks precious. No more boring, drab, greyish white.

And here is Reggie the Adventurer. (a beagle just doesn't look like a beagle without a bandana, right?)

Because it's good for me

When I started this blog, you would not beleive the amount of crap I got. As Heather would say, "A Pacific Ocean of crap." But everyone who reads this knows about the crap I got, because you were (and still are) the ones giving it to me.

Well, whatever. I've enjoyed doing it, even if for no other reason than it's a way of documenting my life. My boring, take-the-amusement-where-I-can-get-it, life. Well, I'm proud to say that it's not just me who thinks blogging is therapeutic.

Maybe you all should give it a shot!! Think of it as writing your own life-column with no pressure from deadlines or advertisers.

Bo-ring

Not much going on, except tomorrow I'm driving to and from Selah, WA (near Yakima) for work, which will be a very long day, and I'm considering doing this. Let me know what you all think.

Four Years

Today is Jeremy and my 4th Anniversary. That means we've been together NINE years. And I can honestly say I love that goof more than ever.