Just finished my last cheer camp...ever!

This weekend I traveled to the University of Tennessee to complete my last cheer camp ever! I am not sure that it has hit me yet. After all I still have a whole year of Cincinnati tradition ahead of me. I try not to concentrate too much on those sad thoughts, although they were definitely creeping up on me through out the weekend. With all that being said, let's just say that I have the BEST TEAM EVER!! I have been on many many sports teams and the bond and relationship that I have with these wonderful people doesn't compare to anyone else. I am very blessed to say that they are my best friends, and this doesn't include my amazing coaches that keep us in line and keep us looking our best. It is something that only comes along once in a life time and I value every minute that I get to spend with them. Of course there are frustrating times and we get on each other's nerves, but when push comes to shove we do our best to pull together and get the job done. U.C. cheerleading prides itself in being some of the best game day cheerleaders in the country and we love to show off what #BearcatNation is all about. We realize what an honor it is to represent our school and we want to do our best 100% of the time. I must say that our effort definitely paid off. We got 2nd in sideline, 1st in cheer, 1st in fight song, 1st in game planning, overall most collegiate award, and we won the camp leadership award (voted on by the other campers) We had tough competition including the host of the camp, the Tennessee Vols. I can't explain to you the feeling I get when other staff instructors come up to me and start spelling out B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S. (what we do at the end of our fight song) It's in that moment when I am reassured that I attend the best university in the country. This camp is the perfect start to an amazing season! I don't know about you but with this slightly chilly weather I can smell football season...I have one thing left to say BEAT PURDUE! 

Day 1. Ready to do some business.

Caitlin & I standing in front of the new turf they just installed before leaving.

Then Kevin & Guenther decided to make fun of us...

Meet the cheerleader's new mascot, Herman. The girl to the right of me made this in class this year. She's a fashion design student in DAAP. 

Literally skipping for joy haha 

This is a 100% accurate description of our relationship. 

Alex, a.k.a the hand stand contest winner, is playing with his bubbles that he won before doing final evaluations! 

One of our instructors, Courtney (who cheered at LSU) talking to our coaches about who knows what!

The relationship between a top girl (Caitlin) & middle layer (me) is one of a kind! I am SO proud of what we accomplished together this weekend.

This is Carsen! She's on UC's dance team & on the core UDA staff. One of the most talented dancers I have ever seen in my life!

Check out Kevin's smile during the fight song! Couldn't have asked for a better partner!

My little baby freshman stayed with me all week for pre-camp practices. The best thing about Carly & Naomi wasn't that you couldn't even tell they were freshman they acted so maturely, but they are some of the sweetest girls I know! 

Columbia, S.C. You have won my heart

As much as I love Cincinnati and the Midwest in general, I think that a part of my heart will forever belong to the south. The architecture, culture, and scenery of South Carolina is the epitome of southern charm. I enjoyed every second I spent there last weekend as my parents and I moved my sister Maddie into her little apartment in Columbia, S.C. She will be attending the University of South Carolina. Yes folks, she will be a Gamecock! Maddie loves football, so I am sure she can give up her life long ties to the Big Ten and jump into the conference that is the SEC. Columbia is located in a very convienent location. She is only an hour and a half away from Charleston, three hours away from Atlanta, and about three hours away from Myrtle Beach. How lucky is she?! The campus is absolutely gorgeous! We walked the Horse Shoe which you will see in the pictures below. It's where a majority of her classes will be and where the president of the university lives. OH and let's just talk about the football stadium. Having cheered in a lot of different stadiums I was anxious to see how this one was. I've had two SEC football experiences. One being when we played at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN my first year cheering and the second one being when we played Vanderbilt at the Liberty Bowl that same year. Let me tell you, USC's stadium lived up to the hype. Holding 80,250 people, I can imagine the game day experience is unlike no other.

I am so excited for my sister as she starts this new and exciting adventure in her life! Although she is about eight hours away from home, (seven for me since I am in Cincy) my Aunt Tanya, Uncle Mike, and their four kids live only twenty minutes away, so she is only a stones throw away from a home cooked meal which is always comforting when you move away for the first time. She is doing very well, but of course prayers are always welcomed! 

This is my cousin Matthew. He is only a freshman, but who knows one day maybe he will be a Gamecock! His dad played for Auburn & his brother plays offensive line for Troy University.

My mom & I love macaroons. We had our first one in Georgetown about a month ago & have been obsessed since then.

This is where the current president of the University lives!

This is Maddie's front door. This pic was taken at night so that explains the big flash on her door. But how cute are her flowers & doormat? 

The 19th president of USC had this on his grave.
"I have kept the faith." perfect.

Sneak peek of my apartment & a little cheer camp for the week

Summer nights like these, make long winters worth the wait. The sun is setting, the wind is just breezy enough, and I have an iced tea by my side. What more do I need?! Like a lot of you, I have had a busy week! I taught the Lakota Plains seventh and eighth grade cheer camp earlier this week with two other girls on my team. An alumni cheerleader who graduated from UC asked us if we could come in and teach them some new material. I was slightly worried because after all they are in middle school, and at that awkward stage in their life. However, I was pleasantly surprised and they ended up being such a sweet group of girls! Not giving us any trouble at all. Which made going in and coaching them a lot of fun. We taught them ten new chants, a hello cheer, two quarter cheers, and a dance to do at half time for basketball and football games. I loved every second of being able to help and love on them! Opportunities like this make me realized how blessed I am. It also kind of prepared me for when we go to the University of Tennessee for our college camp in a few weeks! It put me in the shoes of the instructor and how with every correction they give you, they really are just trying to help you get better.  Here are a few pics!

This sweet little girl is the coaches daughter, Parker. She was my side kick for the week.

I said in my last post that I would put up some pictures of my studio apartment. Well here they are! Let me tell you, my mom and dad should win parents of the year for making it look so adorable! I helped them but they did a lot of the work. Which involved laying down new flooring, painting literally everything including the ceiling, walls, trim, closet, cabinets, and my front door. I want to do before and after pictures once I am all settled down, which will be in August. Just about everything you see is from Anthropologie with a little bit of T.J. Maxx thrown in the mix! The turquoise lamp is from an antique store in West Carrolton. My mom and I got it for such a good price!

The quilt you see will sit just at the bottom of my bed! 

That's all I have so far but it is really coming together. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!