So Zach and I accompanied 19 Lehi cheerleaders to one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.–Hollywood, CA. Needless to say, it was a very interesting trip. Zach seemed to enjoy himself most of the time (I think he’s finally living out his high school fantasies). I, on the other hand, struggled to “chill out” as Zach continually told me to do. The stress of watching out for 19 underage girls really got to me and I found it hard to relax enough to have a really good time.

The good news is that the girls had a fabulous time, which means that my planning was not in vain. I have spent about 4 months now planning this trip and they loved it. The highlights, in my mind, include:

• watching nearly 10 high school cheerleaders swim in the ocean fully clothed!
• laughing about the vintage 50s hotel that most would not consider a laughing matter.
• taking 2nd place at the competition.
• observing cheerleaders who originally thought that Hollywood would be a glamorous place realize that maybe Lehi, Utah, is actually the better place to live.

and finally . . .

• seeing my husband play “daddy” to the girls. (He was responsible for telling two creepy overage men to get lost when they were hitting on the cheerleaders!)

Though I couldn’t quite relax on the trip, there were some enjoyable times with my new husband. We got to spend almost an entire day alone at Disneyland, the most magical place on Earth. We had a great time–a flawless day. We also walked down the Santa Monica pier and the scenery couldn’t be better.