Bucket List Dream Flights

Beast Mode - the parent cheer team JB & I are doing at Annelise's cheer gym - is an absolute bucket list dream come true. We didn't have cheer like this when I was growing up, and even if we would have, I doubt I would have believed I was physically capable of doing it. I was an amazing youth cheerleader, but when I gained weight as puberty hit, I poured myself into less-judgemental musical theatre. I didn't love my physical self, again, until my senior year of high school. Not that there was anything like this cheer available around me, anyway, but it's definitely something I would have believed I was *NOT* good enough for. That is why getting to fly at this level as a 38-year-old woman - & being better than some others with true experience!!! :-O - feels like such a GINORMOUS DEAL to me. It's something so crazy & unexpected that it could only be orchestrated by God.

Check us out! (I'm in grey long sleeves, & JB is my back spot, right behind me.) This was last Monday's practice. Annelise had a tumbling makeup, so she was there with us & took a few video clips:

I can hardly believe that's MEEEEEEE!!!!! :-D

This practice did end with an accident: my bases were exhausted after over two hours, I fell out of the highest lift (the extension), & my base in the white shirt strained his neck. (I was 100% fine!) Pleasepleaseplease pray for his complete & total healing! We have Christmas break off now, but we are actually competing at the kids' New Orleans competition in January, so pray that he's either healed in time to come back strong with us or that some perfect-fit fill-in presents him/herself!

Let me say something about the danger factor: cheer is a sport - people get injured at the gym, on the basketball court, tennis court, running, etc., every day. (In fact, I have more friends who have seriously injured themselves running into their own furniture at night! No lie!) I am not the least bit freaked out by it. I was ready to go up, again, right away. I don't flinch when Annelise goes down in practice, either. I know that's not "normal" ...but I honestly believe it's confidence & peace from God that we're doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing. (And yes, I believe God actually *wants* us to be doing this right now! :-P Reread the 1st paragraph. ;-))

I love this...