Thursday, September 9, 2010

"Cheerleader Camp"

For months, a guy that works with Garth has been teasing him about his upcoming "vacation" to "cheerleader camp." Garth is such a trooper to take time off of work to drive the family down to Rexburg, Idaho so I could have some time to reminisce with some old cheerleading friends. The reunion started at Heise Hot Springs where we played in the pool then were treated to a mini-concert by the Pink Stilettos. They are the three youngest daughters of my old cheer coach. My kids acted like they were meeting celebrities. They were asking for autographs and were elated when Garth gave them the money to buy their CD!The next day, we took a very hot, very long tour of campus that was only fun for me. The kids were semi-interested in the beautiful gardens but really weren't excited about campus until we went to the food court for lunch. They were all discussing how they wanted to go to college there because of the good food. Ha.The best part of the tour for me was seeing this dance studio where I spent hours every day practicing and the gym where I cheered basketball and volleyball games. Sydney didn't get her heel stretch the first time so she took herself out of the stunt and spent much of her time like this. Is this not the cutest future cheerleader you've ever seen?
The gym "play time" portion was the worst for Garth. While we were all playing "ultimate cheerleader," Derek was begging Garth to be out on the court. Garth obliged and set him down only to notice something ooze between Derek's toes. Now Garth was really ticked. Who doesn't clean up a spilled milkshake? Unfortunately, as Garth touched the supposed milkshake, he realized it was Derek's poo. Somehow he pooped right past his diaper and onto the gym floor (and Garth's shoes). Needless to say, once he got him cleaned up, we didn't stick around much longer. That night, I attended the banquet solo. The whole reason I planned this reunion (did I mention that this was all my idea and my doing?) was this woman. Shelley Liljenquist was my cheer coach and surrogate mother while I was at Ricks. She is a truly amazing woman. Highly capable, inspiring, giving. . etc. This is me with Shelley and her daughter Natalie who was my closest friend at Ricks. The three of us spent so much time together and have such fun memories I couldn't begin to tell them all. Excuse the strange look on my face, I think I was about to pass out. My waist has aparently changed size in the last 10 years. What happens when you get a bunch of old cheerleaders together and let them have their old uniforms? They try them on and think they should stunt. However, it has been a long time since some of us have stunted and this is the best we came up with. Garth specifically told me before we left, "no stunting with those old, fat, white guys." I don't think a thigh stand counts!The best part of the trip for Garth was spending time with our friends the Landers. We came to the reunion a couple of days early and stayed with them for the duration. They are such good company and have amazing kids. We all had a blast together!

1 comment:

Natalie said...

Rah, Rah, RAH! I loved reading this post and all of your pictures are fabulous! Thanks for working so hard to plan that reunion. It was magnificent and I had so much fun seeing you and your family. Thanks, also, for that darling card you sent me. You are so talented and you are now officially my hero for being able to get your cheer skirt on. I couldn't even begin to zip the skirt I brought home for my girls. :) You seriously rock!