Cool Cats: National Champions

This weekend Marcy and Anna went to Seattle for another cheer competition. This was a big one with about 200 teams from all over the country. There were eight teams in Anna’s division so it was going to be tough to win. But their performances were better than last weekend and they went on to win. Their score of 96.67 was the highest score of any Level 1 team, regardless of age. Anna was understandably thrilled.

Enjoying the moment

While it was a very busy weekend Marcy enjoyed spending time with the other moms, they were a very friendly group and most had a similar attitude towards the competition which was good.

Anna with one of her best friends on the team

Meanwhile, Jude and I were home looking after Olive and Pickles. Jude had his first soccer practice of the season (indoors) after all previous practices had been canceled due to snow on the ground. Then on Sunday we went skiing with my friend Rick. We had a fantastic day. For some weird reason there was no one there, we literally did not wait in a lift line all afternoon. The snow was great and Jude got a lesson in bumps from Rick.

Rick, myself and Jude at the Outback in Keystone

Getting ready to perform (Anna is fifth from the right)

We are entering the cheerleading competition season. Anna missed the first one for her team, the Cool Cats, because of our Australia trip so she was super excited/nervous about this one. It was down in Colorado Springs and it was a two day event with a very early start on Sunday morning. So, we booked a hotel and made a weekend of it.

The fliers flying during their routine

Their routine on day one was excellent. They “hit zero” which means no major mistakes and it put them in first place with just a tiny lead over the second-place team. They would have to perform well again on Sunday to win. And it was an early start, 7:10am, everyone was supposed to be there (we were just a little late) for the performance at 9:24am. They did well again, hitting zero, and they went on to win their division. There was much excitement.

With two of her close friends on the team

After some downtime back at the hotel we drove back to Denver around lunchtime. Anna was so thrilled to have won and it also means they could get a bid to Summit in Orlando which is a national championship. They find that out tomorrow night. It was fun being part of the weekend, the next one is in Seattle this coming weekend. Then Dallas next month and Orlando in April (if they qualify).

Rockefeller Center in NYC

Marcy and I had a work trip to New York City this week. It was an all-team meeting, so it was important for us both to be there. So, we flew Marcy’s mom out to stay with the kids while we were away. We had a really nice trip. The whole company took in a Broadway show (Hadestown) and we had some other team-building activities: a cooking competition and donating our time at a food shelter. There was not much down time but we did get to walk around the city a little bit. And we stayed at the Algonquin Hotel (site of the Algonquin Roundtable) which was wonderful.

The spectacular St. Patricks Cathedral on 5th Ave

We got back home Friday night and then Saturday morning we all went bowling with Baba and Uncle Lynn. Anna had cheerleading and Jude started the first of three professional driving lessons as he prepares to take his test next month.

On a bump run in Keystone

Then today, Jude and I went skiing for the first time. Jude drove up with me right after the Arsenal game and we had a great afternoon on the slopes. Then we had Chimayo for dinner before doing the slow drive back (over two hours).

Testing out the new hot tub

We got back without incident on Monday afternoon. We were all desperately tired but we managed to make it to our normal bedtime before we all crashed. The kids had the next day to relax and ease their way back into the normal school routine.

Before we left for Sydney we had ordered a new hot tub from a local company. We have been thinking about this for years and now with Marcy and I having more aches and pains we decided it was time. They installed everything this week and we had it up and running by Saturday. So far, it is fantastic. My muscles are noticeably less tight after spending 15 minutes in the hot tub.

Our car getting loaded onto a tow truck

Jude and I intended to go skiing for our first day of the season on Saturday. We dropped off Anna just after 11am and were looking forward to getting a few runs in on Saturday afternoon. But fate had other ideas. We hit a major pothole on our way out of Denver and the Tesla blew two tires, both on the left side of the car. So, we had to call a tow truck, which took 90 minutes to arrive and then we got a tow back to our local tire place. Maybe next weekend we will be more lucky.

Anna, on her first day learning the guitar

We had some late Christmas presents for the kids that we gave out this weekend. Anna had been asking for a guitar for a long time so Marcy bought one for her and gave it to her today. Anna was instantly hooked. She played it for more than three hours and downloaded a couple of apps and by the end of the day was playing Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift albeit a little slowly, and singing along confidently. She sounded great and more importantly, she was enjoying herself.

On top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

We had a very full second week in Sydney. One of the highlights was climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, something that Marcy and I did about 19 years ago. Now the kids are old enough we decided it was time. We all enjoyed it, it was a picture-perfect Sydney summer day and the views were spectacular.

Hiking around North Head and Sydney Harbour National Park

One morning we decided to go for a hike to North Head. There are many beautiful trails there and we walked to Shelly Beach and around the headland to North Head. Unfortunately, the lookout was closed but we were able to take in some beautiful views anyway and case out a spot for New Year’s Eve. North Head is a popular spot to view the fireworks on Sydney Harbour. After the hike we had lunch at our favorite brunch place, Three Beans.

On the Rocks Ghost Tour

That night we went into the city to visit the Australian Museum, a regular haunt for us when we lived here in 2012, and then afterwards we did something really unique, a Ghost Tour of the Rocks. This was a Christmas present to us from Uncle Mark and Aunt Robyn. We learned some sordid stories from Sydney’s past and how some of the buildings (including a Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon) are supposedly haunted.

At the Australian Museum

We were undecided about what to do on New Year’s Eve. We were going to a friend’s house but that didn’t work out when his wife got covid. We talked about going to one of the viewing points near the city but we were concerned about parking and a long drive home. So, we decided to go someplace where we could walk, North Head. I had been there before and you get a good view of the fireworks from there.

Sunset on New Year’s Eve

I ventured out early, around 4:15pm to ensure we had a good spot to view the fireworks. Marcy and the kids arrived by 7:30pm and we settled in for the evening. They have a 9pm fireworks show and then the big show at midnight. It didn’t disappoint.

Our view of the Sydney Harbour fireworks, just after midnight on New Year’s Eve

We spent most of the past two days of our trip on the beach. It was beautiful weather with lots of sunshine so we were in the water a lot. And then this morning, before we headed to the airport, we had one last swim. I did the Manly to Shelly Beach swim, something I did almost every day. I will miss that swim and time on the beach.

Enjoying some beach time on our last day