A Very Peppy Weekend
Thursday, July 16th started VERY early. My alarm woke me up at 4:00 am. Why would I put myself through that kind of anguish you ask? Because it was cheer camp day!
My daughter and her cheer squad were to meet at school at 5:30 am to leave for Dallas, Texas, where they would attend camp at SMU. And since last year I was a sub-par cheer parent, too busy with class and studying to volunteer to drive to various functions, I decided this year to make up for it by driving the kids wherever they need to go. So this particular carpool excursion would be my first official parental duty for the season.
I figured since I would be driving to Dallas on Thursday, and bringing my daughter back on Sunday, it would just make sense to stay the weekend. Well... it made sense to ME. I mean, what female in her right mind could pass up the opportunity to shop in Dallas AND eat at the Cheesecake Factory?! So I enlisted the company of my friend Tamam, and together we drove one carload of girls to Big D.
Fun was had by all, and there were a couple of highlights.
As a parent, I was not allowed to hang around cheer camp once I dropped my girls off and set them up in their dorm room. My understanding was that the next time I'd see my daughter was at the closing ceremonies on Sunday. But as I was walking through Northpark Mall on Saturday afternoon, my cell phone rang. It was Emily.
"Mom, guess what!!! I was nominated for All-American! I try out tonight and you can come watch!"
I got teary-eyed right there in the middle of Bebe Sport. So, of course, I went to the tryouts. It was surreal. As a former cheerleader myself, memories of my own camp experiences came flooding back to me. Only this time, I was on the sidelines watching my child live through what she will one day realize to be the best time of her life. She did a tremendous job and I couldn't have been more proud of her. It was an awesome experience.
Once the tryouts were finished, we were booted back off the campus. Earlier that afternoon, an old high school friend of mine who lives in Dallas invited Tamam and me to eat that night at Nick and Sam's. It was fabulous! Once we had filled our tummies, he took us to the Ritz to hang out and people watch. We were there about an hour before my eyes started getting heavy.
But just before we left, as we sat on our perch near the exit, this guy walked right in front of me.
You will only know him if you've watched The Bachelorette this season. His name is Jake, and he's an airline pilot from Dallas who was rejected by Bachelorette Jillian Harris several weeks ago. Female fans of the show went a little crazy when Jilly dumped the Jakester for being "too perfect." That's a bit silly, seeing as every woman knows there is not a man on the planet who is "too perfect." Ugh.
But off Jake went, from the world of reality television back to Dallas, and apparently, back to The Ritz, where my buddies and I watched him walk out the door, hand in hand with some cute blonde girl sporting a sprayed-on dress and a ponytail.
I was not nearly as excited to actually see the guy myself as I was to tell my friends Betsy and Allison back home. They are huge fans of the show. They were just as shocked and amazed as I had hoped. Now, though, I'm a bit afraid that Allison may find a new hangout at the Ritz in Dallas. If she starts disappearing for long stretches of time, I'll know where to look.
Anyway, the trip was fun, shoes were purchased, Emi scored big at camp, I ate at the Cheesecake Factory, spent time with an old friend and saw a reality TV personality. Not bad for a 3 day vacation!
(Note - You can read more about Jake on one of my favorite websites - www.ihategreenbeans.com . If you watch the show and haven't visited this site, you're in for a real treat. Lincee, who writes this blog is hysterically funny. Enjoy!)
My daughter and her cheer squad were to meet at school at 5:30 am to leave for Dallas, Texas, where they would attend camp at SMU. And since last year I was a sub-par cheer parent, too busy with class and studying to volunteer to drive to various functions, I decided this year to make up for it by driving the kids wherever they need to go. So this particular carpool excursion would be my first official parental duty for the season.
I figured since I would be driving to Dallas on Thursday, and bringing my daughter back on Sunday, it would just make sense to stay the weekend. Well... it made sense to ME. I mean, what female in her right mind could pass up the opportunity to shop in Dallas AND eat at the Cheesecake Factory?! So I enlisted the company of my friend Tamam, and together we drove one carload of girls to Big D.
Fun was had by all, and there were a couple of highlights.
As a parent, I was not allowed to hang around cheer camp once I dropped my girls off and set them up in their dorm room. My understanding was that the next time I'd see my daughter was at the closing ceremonies on Sunday. But as I was walking through Northpark Mall on Saturday afternoon, my cell phone rang. It was Emily.
"Mom, guess what!!! I was nominated for All-American! I try out tonight and you can come watch!"
I got teary-eyed right there in the middle of Bebe Sport. So, of course, I went to the tryouts. It was surreal. As a former cheerleader myself, memories of my own camp experiences came flooding back to me. Only this time, I was on the sidelines watching my child live through what she will one day realize to be the best time of her life. She did a tremendous job and I couldn't have been more proud of her. It was an awesome experience.
Once the tryouts were finished, we were booted back off the campus. Earlier that afternoon, an old high school friend of mine who lives in Dallas invited Tamam and me to eat that night at Nick and Sam's. It was fabulous! Once we had filled our tummies, he took us to the Ritz to hang out and people watch. We were there about an hour before my eyes started getting heavy.
But just before we left, as we sat on our perch near the exit, this guy walked right in front of me.
You will only know him if you've watched The Bachelorette this season. His name is Jake, and he's an airline pilot from Dallas who was rejected by Bachelorette Jillian Harris several weeks ago. Female fans of the show went a little crazy when Jilly dumped the Jakester for being "too perfect." That's a bit silly, seeing as every woman knows there is not a man on the planet who is "too perfect." Ugh.
But off Jake went, from the world of reality television back to Dallas, and apparently, back to The Ritz, where my buddies and I watched him walk out the door, hand in hand with some cute blonde girl sporting a sprayed-on dress and a ponytail.
I was not nearly as excited to actually see the guy myself as I was to tell my friends Betsy and Allison back home. They are huge fans of the show. They were just as shocked and amazed as I had hoped. Now, though, I'm a bit afraid that Allison may find a new hangout at the Ritz in Dallas. If she starts disappearing for long stretches of time, I'll know where to look.
Anyway, the trip was fun, shoes were purchased, Emi scored big at camp, I ate at the Cheesecake Factory, spent time with an old friend and saw a reality TV personality. Not bad for a 3 day vacation!
(Note - You can read more about Jake on one of my favorite websites - www.ihategreenbeans.com . If you watch the show and haven't visited this site, you're in for a real treat. Lincee, who writes this blog is hysterically funny. Enjoy!)
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