To see the complete set with explanations, go here.

Here I am, sitting in front of the computer thinking about every last thing I want to tell you about today. Most of you know (because I've mentioned it several times on this blog) that my youngest daughter is in Cheer Leading, or what is known as "Competitive Cheer Leading." The major difference is that they are allowed to do a lot of stunts that the regular cheer leading teams can't (there are so many rules, I don't think I can keep up with them).

Today was the first of the competitions. The Saphires (Meelie's team), didn't compete in this one as they are not part of the Rec Centers. For them, this was a chance to show some of their stuff, as well as get a taste of what it would be like to cheer in front of an audience. They had a blast, and so did I.

Meelie wasn't very excited this morning. She was thinking of quitting, because practice was so hard.. They had to do their routine over and over (and over) again. She was just so tired of it all. It was with great trepidation that I walked with her to the gymnasium this morning. She is my negative child (glass half empty), and it is difficult to lift her up out of that mood when her heels are dug firmly into the ground.

When we entered the double doors, her shoulders were hunched tightly about her ears. Her expression was stone cold. I braced myself for a battle, that, if was not carefully negotiated, could turn into something very ugly. Just as I was about to take her aside and talk to her, the music started for one of the team's warm ups. The transformation happened right before my eyes, but it was so sudden, I was not sure if it was real. She straightened up, her eyes widened, and a wonderful smile lit up her face. That was all it took. I said a quick prayer of thanks, and the rest of the day went smoothly. Some days you get chickens. Some day you get rotten eggs. I love me some poultry.

There are no words to describe the atmosphere. The cheering, the music, the excitement. It was contagious. Lord help me when a real competition comes up because I don't think I will be able to contain myself. It's good stuff.