Another Competition Down - 2 More to Go!

We had the competition at TD Waterhouse this weekend. This was just a one-day competition, thankfully. The company that organized it, however, isn't known for staying on time. The squads were running about 30 minutes behind, on average. Carissa's squad had one other team in their division, and it was a team that they had beaten in Atlanta. We had our hopes up, but they came in 2nd again! They were very disappointed. The routine was as perfect as it could have been. The other squad had harder stunts, but they were incredibly sloppy! We aren't sure how they ended up winning.

Some fun news from the cheer gym . . . one of the families is a finalist for the TV show Wife Swap! The show was looking for a family that is involved with competitive cheerleading, and the family that applied has all 5 members of the family cheering! The mom and dad are both on the parent squad, and their 3 children also cheer. The show was excited to learn that this family also has 2 boys that cheer. The show is coming to the cheer gym tonight (Monday) to videotape the kids' practice, AND the parents' practice! That means me, too! How fun!

Duchess and Adonis

Okay, to give equal time, here are our current pets. Our cat is Duchess - she's the Siamese looking one. The other cat is Adonis, and he belongs to the Storins whose house we're staying in. We've kind of adopted him. We call him Fuzzy, and he's a good cat and very affectionate. A favorite spectator sport in our house is "Kitty Wrestling." When we first moved in, Duchess would stalk after Adonis and it looked like she was beating him up. Eventually I guess he decided he liked it, because now he tries to get her to chase him. Typical, right? It's quite funny, and it always ends up with Duchess spitting out a huge clump of fuzzy gray fur. He never gets her, for some reason.

Look at this puppy!

A friend of mine at work sent me a picture of this puppy. It is his grandmother's or his aunt's or something. Anyway, I'm obsessed with this dog. I swore I would never have another dog after Amos, but this one has caught my fancy. He is a Bijon Frise and a Terrier mix. After we have our own place, I'll think of getting one. Of course, Steve wants a beagle to name "Buster." I think this little dog is much cuter, don't you? =)

Carissa is 11

Well, I guess I did this a little out of order, but not much. Carissa turned 11 on February 8. We were at a cheer competition on the weekend of the 4th, so we did her party on Sunday the 12th. We met at West Oaks Mall food court for lunch and cake, and then went to see the new Pink Panther movie with Steve Martin. It was typical "Pink Panther" stupid humor, but the girls all enjoyed it. She invited friends from her cheer squad, from her middle school, and friends from long ago. Everyone got along great and had a good time!

It had been a busy weekend for Carissa! On Saturday she had a birthday party to go to at Universal Studios (it rained so they didn't get to ride roller coasters), then she had a cookie booth. After her birthday party on Sunday, she had a Girl Scout meeting and another cookie booth!

Atlanta was GREAT!

Well, Carissa's biggest competition of the cheer season is over! We went to Atlanta for the Cheersport National competition on Friday the 17th. I drove with my friend Margaret, but Carissa had to ride the bus on the way up with her team. Steve and I decided he shouldn't go to Atlanta because we wouldn't be able to afford the bail after he killed someone! So he stayed home and held down the fort (and scooped the cat box!). Carissa's squad did great! It was a two day competition, with each day counting as 50% of their score. They came in 7th out of 11, which for their squad is phenomenal! The other MAC squads did well, but the oldest group of kids did the best . . . they came in 3rd! We were all very happy. We came home Sunday afternoon instead of waiting until Monday morning, and we were back in Orlando by midnight. So we had all day Monday to relax. The bad news is that I'm sick now! I have laryngitis (I'm sure that's from screaming over the weekend) and also bronchitis. I'm feeling better than I was yesterday, though. I'm sure I'll be back at work tomorrow!

In the meantime, Carissa is preparing for another competition this weekend! They'll be at the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando for a state competition. The biggest news is that the Big Macs (the parent squad I'm on) will be performing, too! Woohoo! You can check out the parent squad routine at this website: http://www.macallstars.com/2006_Spirit_Cheer_DP.html Just turn down your volume a little - there is someone screaming on it!

A New Blog!

I was told by a friend that I should start my own blog. After much consideration, I've decided to do it. What a great way to keep everyone up to date on the goings on of the Czerniejewski family! I hope you all enjoy my blog. I'll keep it updated regularly!