Thirty Six

Well my friends, it is state week. This is the sixth time this statement has been true in my life. Thirty six meets, six of them state meets. It feels odd being one of the "big dogs" as my coach used to call it. I am finially in an unoficial place of leadership on the team. While I may not hold any titles or positions, I feel a need to be an example to the youger kids on the team. When I was their age there were always older kids in the gym that I always looked up to. I followed their every move and dreamed of being just like them someday. This dream has become a reality, and while it hasn't been as smooth as I would have liked it to, it has been fantastic. There are often times where I am frustraited and confused as to what I want to do. There are times where I don't want to continue. There have been a few of these moments as of late. Thoughts of doubt and fear. But in these moments I always look for that one little girl standing on the side of the run way watching me. There is always one in the gym. Those moments make you realize how far you have come, and how good you actually are, because a few years ago, that little girl was you.

Now, it is also a special week for my little sister and my friends at the Jr. High. It is Hell week. Yes, I did just write that... sorry bishop. Hell week is what the thetre kids call the week before the musical. This week is a stressful week, but it is one of the most fullfilling weeks for you to experience. I am in photography listening to Aida pandora radio. Aida was the musical we did last year. A Step Too far is playing and memories are flashing through my mind. Memories of the moments before the curtains open... the sweetest moments. Memories of laughter, memories of jokes, memories of feeling like I completely belong, memories of feeling power, love, joy, excitement, adrenaline, and pride in my cast. So if I were to say anything to the cast performing Guys and Dolls next week, I know it has been stressful, I know it has been rough, but please do all you can to soak it all in. Soak in as much as you can and then soak in some more. It feels hard right now, but I promise you will look back on this as one of the greatest moments of your life. For many of you, like me, this may be the last performance you ever do. {well, atleast until my tumbing carrier is over} You are making lasting friendships. Now these friendships may not last, and things may change, but I encourage you to always hold on to the memories. They will get you through even the toughest of times. Break a leg!!!

The bell is about to ring. I don't want to go to health. If a future me is reading this, and there has been a time machine invented, PLEASE come pick me up and bring me with you! Peace out my friends!




Feel my Sunlight



p.s. Shout out to all the kids with mission calls. You guys rock!

my love life

I've been in this long term relationship with tumbling for the last nine and a half years. We are together and happy. In once cheated on tumbling with the teatre but called it off when it got to complicated. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had continued to date theatre. What would have come of it? Nevertheless I am happy with tumbling. And my words to theatre are:

      "because I

knew you,         

       I have been

changed     

                 for good."

 

 

Feel my Sunlight

 

 

p.s. Good luck to all my friends getting jobs right now. Jobs are fun. Money is even more fun. I have a job. I have had a job since I was 13. I know weird right?
 

p.s.s. Hank Smith is my favorite. Go listen to him.


p.s.s.s. Going back to school after a meet is quite painful. Going back to the gym, however, is not...unless you have a sprained ankle. :/ 

thoughts

I feel that my blog is lacking some of that deep-though-facebook-link-worthy-stuff. So here you have it. A whole bunch of deep from my mind. Hope it doesn't bore you.

I know I have written about this before, but I believe one of my greatest weaknesses is having to say goodbye. I don't ever cry.... unless there is a goodby involved. There is something about goodbyes that rip at your heart and tear at your soul. They never completely heal. I have a soft spot in my heart for several people that I may never talk to again. The boy from Jr. High that hugged me tight and I cried. Those groups of people I only knew for a week. That team mate that stuck with me for so long but slowly diminished out of my life. That class full of innocent pretenders that became so close. Those coaches that did so much for me I would never be able to thank them. Truth is...I miss you...all the time. Things are different now. They may be for the better, but they never feel any easier. I think about you often, and it saddens me when you don't want to talk. All I want is to talk and laugh like we used to even if it is just for one night. But I have come to learn something about goodbyes. They can never return to they way they were. They will never feel the same. Because the truth is we have changed. We have grown {not literally of course...}. And we have become new and greater people. The shapes of our puzzle pieces have changed, and we no longer fit together the way we used to. But even if we never speak to each other again, I hope you never forget the closeness we had, never forget the inside jokes, or the nicknames, and never ever forget the memories. And if you ever want to talk. I will be here...waiting.

So now that I have proclaimed my feelings towards the people I miss, I thought I might just proclaim my feelings on the people I have right now, since I know that the people I am with today, will be the ones I cry over tomorrow. So why not appreciate what I have?
Tonight was one of those nights where everything in the gym is just right. One of those sweet moments when you remember why you have done this so long and why you love it so much. Today we all came together and hit hard. With the music booming around us, and encouraging words being said you can't help but feel loved. You can't help but feel like you are in the right place with the right people. I just hope my team mates know how much I love and appreciate them. I know what it feels like to tumble in an empty gym and just want them to know how much I crave the days when we all come together. Thanks for being my team. It means the world to me.

<3 Teriyaki, StirFry, Kodee, Cid, Brittany, Brinna, Anedy, Cid, Kenz.



Feel my Sunlight




p.s. I finished my personal progress!!!!!!!!! I was torn because I like the look of the silver medallion better, but I am a tumbler that always strives for gold.... In the end I picked silver and am not sure how I feel about it... Can't I just have one of each?

p.s.s. I don't like when people bail. It makes me sad.

life of a tumbling coach

After I read THIS POST over on The Life of Bon about how much she loves her high school students it left me thinking about how much I love my students. {Though mine are much littler, and I don't teach them grammar....since I lack the knowledge myself.}

I teach tumbling. I believe it is the best job out there. Now there may be people who disagree with me, but I bet you would feel different after you spent some time with my kids.


Yesterday one of my 4 year olds ran  to me with the biggest smile on her face and says "WHITNEY! I brought you a present!" he then hands me a piece of gum.  I call this little one Jellyfish since she wears skirts that make her look like a jellyfish when she jumps. If I were to pick favorites she would definatly make the list. As would the rest of her class, along with my Wednesday intermediate class. These kids have been working so hard. Every single one of them learned there power hurdle roundoff today and am stoked!

1-Student learns a big new skill especially when it was a struggle for them.
2-Hugs... there nothing like love from a 3 year old.
3-When the kids have intense excitement about what we are doing. His name is Whitten and he brings me joy.
4-GOOD BEHAVIOR! {this does not include bringing your naughty 4 year old to the gym a half hour early and let her run around the entire gym expecting us to babysit her! We have classes that need our attention for crying out loud!}
5-And lastly, watching them grow.

In the short few years I have been teaching I have watched y kids grow up so much and I can't help wonder who they will become. I wonder sometimes how much of an impact I could have on these kids and it makes me think about what I have to offer them. I truly believe that the greatest thing I could give them is love. I have had kids that have come from foster homes, a girl with epilepsy, and a girl that could barley walk just to name a few. I have had some kids who have had it hard. I will never forget standing by the trampoline and watching the girl who struggled walking jump on the trampoline without falling. My kids have given me way more than I could ever give them. They have taught me about courage, they have taught me out working hard, they have taught me about patience, they have taught me about victory. They have given me enough love to last a lifetime. <3

I'd also like to do a quick shout out to my team mate Stirfry. Double mini was rough and I don't know what I would have done without you today. Thanks for the support.

So there you have it! My tumbling thoughts of the week! I've got a meet on Saturday and can't wait! That's all for now! I <3 my readers!!!

feel my sunlight

p.s. I am officially registered for EFY! I don't have a room mate yet, so if you don't want to go by yourself talk to me. Everyone should go register ASAP I promise you wont regret it!

Long Live, and it's all coming back

This is my BFF Hannah. Her clothes match my blog.

We arived at the Junior High with a whole team of last years students. The dedicated students that brought me mounds of joy last year. I haven't talked to most of the people on this team in a while, but as soon as we walked through those doors as almni, it was as we never left. Still family, but as teaschers this time.
Hannah and I got there first, and as we were waiting a couple of friends walked in that we hadn't seen in a while. Well, of course we ran as fast as we could so that we could exchange hugs. Well as I was runing in my cowboy boots I rolled my ankle. Hard. I lymped over to them and exchanged hugs. I shook off the pain. Maybe it was the fact that I was so excited to see them, or that I was so excited to relive the memories of Dinner Theatre, or the fact that I am a gymnast and I am used to shaking off pain, but none the less I shook it off and acted like it was all good and dandy. And it was! Well...kinda... helping was a blast today. I remember the feeling of stress at this point in time last year, and all the help the high school students were to help me get ready to perform. Today we were the ones who got to be the directores and we were the ones to help the students fix their scenes. It was fun. I even performed my scene for everybody and I can't even tell you how good that felt!
After that we made ginger bread houses {actually we made hotglued-grahm-cracker-houses} It's a tradition with our family, and the Daniels family. We tried real ginger bread one year, but with 9 kids, grahm crackers are the way to go. We built some funky houses this year! It was fun.
Well, here I am in my bed icing my swolen ankle. Yippe! Probubly sprained.

So I had a request by the girl in the picture above to do a post disecting a song that is very dear to us as a theatre class so here it is!

Long Live

By Taylor Swift

 

 



I still remember this moment

{Dinner Theatre 2011}

In the back of my mind

{I am always thinking about it}
The time we stood with our shaking hands

{Right before we performed}
The crowds in stands went wild

{HUZZAH!}

We were the kings and the queen

{Litterally, we had a queen}
And they read off our names

{As we walked in at the start of every performance}
The night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same

{At the end of every performance...we danced.}

You held your head like a hero

{Because we were confident, and ready.}
On a history book page

{Because Shakespeare wrote the best history books.}
It was the end of a decade

{Our 10th year in school (including Kindergarten)}

but the start of an age

{The start of our lives.}

Long live the walls we crashed through

{We all had to get out of our comfort zones}
While the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

{For a moment every eye was on us}
I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

{Never forget the things we did}
And bring on all the pretenders, one day we will be remembered

{We are actors, and don't for get us}

I said, remember this feeling

{The feelings we had about this class}
I passed the pictures around

{I scrolled through my facebook pictures}
Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines

{watching dinner theatre in years past}

Wishing for right now

{The day when we get to perform}

We are the kings and the queens

{We had a Queen Elizabeth}
You traded your baseball cap for a crown

{shakespearean costumes}
When they gave us our trophies

{Applause}
And we held them up for our town

{Final bow}

And the cynics were outraged

{The principal didn't like us too much}
Screaming, this is absurd

{Because we didn't do sports}
'Cause for a moment a band of thieves

{We stole the show from the athletes}
In ripped-up jeans got to rule the world

{It was all about us that night}

Long live the walls we crashed through

{We all had to get out of our comfort zones}
While the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

{For a moment every eye was on us}
I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

{Never forget the things we did}
And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid

{Bring all the actors together. I'm not afraid}

Long live all the mountains we moved

{We accomplished some pretty big things}
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you

{This was the time of my life}
I was screaming, long live the look on your face

{That look of pure joy. We all had it}

Bring on all the pretenders, we will be remembered

{Never forget this acting class}

Hold on to spinning around

{The final dance}
Confetti falls to the ground

{these moments become memories}
May these memories break our fall

{When this has to end, it will live on in our memories}

And you take a moment
Promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if God forbid fate should step in

And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name

Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine

{my final wish to all my theatre friends}

Long live the walls we crashed through

{The things we accomplished}
I had the time of my life with you

{This was one of the best prarts of my life}

Long live the walls we crashed through

{We all had to get out of our comfort zones}
While the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

{For a moment every eye was on us}
I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

{Never forget the things we did}
And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid

{Bring all the actors together. I'm not afraid}

Singing, long live all the mountains we moved

{All the things we went through}
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you

{I had the time of my life overcoming fears with you}

And long, long live the look on your face

{That look when we realized we were finially done}
And bring on all the pretenders, one day we will be remembered

{One day we will be back together, and we will remember the memories}

Now if you want to know about the song for the rest of the year listen to this one

 

 

 

 

 

So here is the story of my 9th grade year. The year I became a theatre nerd. That time may have passed, and I may never do theatre in school again, but I will never forget, and it will always be a part of me.

 

 

 

Feel my Sunlight

 

 

 

p.s. my ankle hurts.

 

p.s.s. I got my schedule changed for next semester and GUESS WHAT! I have photography now! YAY! So I will finially start posting pictures on my photography blog again!