This weekend, I competed at the National Cheerleader's Association All-Star Competition, and it was the time of my life. I work for NCA in the summer as a camp staffer, but this weekend was quite different. I competed against 10 other teams and we ended up walking away with third place!! I WAS SO EXCITED!!

However, winning was not the highlight of my weekend. My life lesson this weekend was to enjoy what I'm doing right now. I wanted to cheer from sixth grade all the way through college, but my high school did not provide me with that opportunity. I have definitely spent my time being angry and bitter about that, but it gets me nowhere.

Sure, there are days I wish more than anything that I could have started cheering sooner, but I didn't. No matter how much I sit around and WISH that I could have cheered sooner, it's not going to make me have started cheering sooner. The car ride home from Dallas, Texas gave me plenty of time to reflect; I walked away with this:

"Here is my expression of want, but now I will get over it."

For two minutes and thirty seconds, I cheered my heart out. Not getting to cheer for however many years does not change that I am jumping, stunting, and tumbling with the biggest smile on my face. I am doing what I love right now, and that's what matters most.

Yes, I would absolutely love to have more uniforms. I would love to do competitive routines for an outstanding amount of years. I would love to win countless other competitions. But if I get too worked up over everything I didn't get to do, I won't appreciate what I DO get to do in this very moment.

I absolutely loved getting the whole weekend to cheer. It truly was an amazing experience, and I would easily go back and do it all over again. Don't get it twisted, though. Instead of wishing I could go back and live it all over again, I'm going to work hard moving forward to upcoming competitions!

Here's a little clip of our performance!