Lots of Noise

So last night was xtra fun!!! Some of the girls purchased hip scarves..and I got to wear one too. I must admit that I've seen the hip scarves before, in other peoples classes and I thought they were so annoying and noisy, and honestly I had absolutely NO interest in wearing them, ever. But after last night, having personally experienced the joy of shaking in one..I am now a believer! They are totally fun and I can't wait to wear it again tomorrow!

Such A Shame

Well heeelllloooo!!!!! I know, I know, I know..it's been AGES since I have blogged about anything. It's apparent that I don't like writing all that much. (My husband on the other hand, has a natural gift, he's a great writer and a great blogger. I'm trying to learn from his example.) I haven't been blogging cause I've just been lazy, pure and simple..no sugar coating it. However, I have recently received emails from people who apparently look to my blog for their entertainment (who knew?!) and they have summoned me to resume my work, so here I am!! I'm really gonna try to do better this time..for real.

Ok so, in the last couple of months, things have been really good. There have been a lot of changes (by the way, I just checked and it appears that February was the last time I blogged about something--- ridiculous. Anyway....let's move on..) in my life. I've done a lot of traveling and been able to get in some really good bonding time with my family. The biggest trip was a cross country excursion to Oklahoma. That was the most memorable trip I've ever taken. Me and my husband drove like 2400 miles, with four kids under the age of 12. Awesome. I got to go to Chicago for the first time ever. That was fun. Very very busy. There was a mall with like 7 floors! Most recently, we took a trip to see my family. Most of whom I haven't seen in a couple of years and a lot of them who had never actually met all of my kids before. Let's see...what else??? Oh yeah, our car of 10yrs died...and we were blessed with 2 new cars... BEAUTIFUL!!!

Over these last couple of months, God has really demonstrated just how good and faithful he really is. He has sustained, provided for and taken excellent care of my family in the hardest of times. And I am so grateful. AMEN!

Ok, so let's talk about Zumba. It's been totally awesome!!! Classes just keep getting bigger and better. Although, because of my travels I have had to miss quite a few classes and my students haven't been to happy about that. Traveling so much is certainly not the norm for me. But fortunately things have slowed down and I don't have any trips planned in the near future, so we should be good to go. But anyhoo, I'm having such a ball in my classes! Me and my students have been together for some time now and we're like a little family. It's great! We come in there and we just have a good time getting a great workout in. It's no pressure and it's not cold or impersonal at all. My students talk to me quite a bit during class and I talk right back to them. It's so fun.
Oh..and let me not forget to mention how quite a few of my students are getting certified to become Zumba Instructors!!! How cool is that??!!! I'm so extremely proud of them! It can be a little intimidating to teach in front of people, so I've been having them come up and do routines every once in a while.. and some of them have already taught their own classes. I visited one my students class this past weekend and I almost cried cause of how well she did and cause of how proud I am for her (I'll be able to release her name later...but u know who u r... WAY TO GO!!)

..well, i think I've said quite enough and got you all good and caught up..I'm gonna go update my schedule now..toodles!

What a blessing

    I was just looking at a picture from the Zumbathon we had a couple of weeks ago and it made me so happy to see the look of joy that was on everyone's faces… and then I thought about a comment that one of my students made to me. She was so excited after class on day. She was excited b/c 1. She was finally able to get through an entire Zumba Class and 2. She has lost 18lbs!! . Looking at that picture and thinking about that comment fills my heart with such joy to know that I am being used to help be a blessing to people and helping to make such a great difference in their lives. It almost brings me to tears. I know what it's like to not have any confidence in yourself. The process to gaining your confidence is so overwhelming and so fulfilling and totally changes your life for the better.

So I want to say a BIGG THANK YOU!! to all of my students who faithfully come to class and allow me the privilege of being a part of your lives!

Wow ...look at what we did!

So four days ago we just did something absolutely amazing! We put on a Zumbathon in an effort to raise money for the relief efforts over in Haiti. It took us exactly 5 days to plan and we did it! One of my students, Nicole, called me out on facebook (LOL!!) and encouraged me to do it. It was cool though...cause it put provoked me to do something awesome. Now, I'm always down for throwing a party, but this was a huge undertaking! So, with the help of my fellow Zumba instructors and my husband, we were able to do it. It was soo cool to see people pull together and support such a good cause. I mean, we got to make a difference and have fun & party at the same time! What more could you ask for? We ended up having 11 different instructors teaching and in the end we raised over $1200 and had 150 people come out!! Even though it was several days ago, I'm still on quite a high from it! We plan to do another one in March in order to raise money for "My Sisters House"; which is a an organization that provides services, programs and resources to empower victims of domestic violence and their children to live free from abuse. We'll have to plan that one to be outdoors maybe, b/c I'm sure it's gonna be ridiculously huge! It is such an honor and a blessing to be able to contribute to and support those in need and know that we are really making a difference. I am so glad that not only can I use Zumba to get a great workout in but I can use also use it to help make a difference in people's lives.

Outside of raising money through Zumbathons, it's great to see how Zumba is positively affecting the lives of my students. For women there is soo much pressure on us where our weight and our appearance is concerned. Everyday many women wake up and they are so unhappy with their appearance and that in turn effects every aspect of their lives. I know from experience that when you are unhappy with your body you feel sad & unwanted & lacking in self-esteem & self-confidence...or in other words..AWFUL!..and that feeling of awfulness permeates into every area of your life: your relationship with your family members, friends and coworkers. When you live your life that way it will limit what you accomplish & limit you from reaching your full potential.

So you're walking around feeling bad and finally make the decision to do something about it. You're gonna workout and eat right, Yeah! But working out is work!? And its boring..and eating right is too hard!..Right? NO! It doesn't have to be! In comes Zumba!!!

You get to work out and have fun at the same time. So much fun that you actually want to the class to continue, rather than end. Who wouldn't be motivated by that? So now, you wanna keep working out, which will in turn make you want to eat better, b/c Hey! I wanna look good in Zumba class! (Just kidding..that should soo not be your motivation.. :-/ ) But anyway, you're proud of what you accomplish in class, heck, you're proud you were able to get through a class! In turn you start having a better opinion of yourself and eventually that will translate into you improving your life. I have already seen a transformation in the disposition of some of my students and it is soo rewarding to see how Zumba is affecting peoples lives for the better!

Ok, so this is an extra long post (I was feeling a little preachy). I'll refrain from writing anymore..except this...WE HAD 47 PEOPLE IN CLASS LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!

PS. Any comments you want to leave on those post on what Zumba's done for you..is welcomed!

Till next time....

Big

well hellloo there! Zumba is still awesome!!! I am soo grateful to it because it has brought so many wonderful people into my life, especially my students!!! You guys are the best!!!


This past weekend we had our first regular class in the main studio at the gym and it was aaaaaawwwweeesssssoooommmmeeeee!!! It was soo cool! A big ole room with lots of lights and big ole mirrors and a stage. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the stage yet, though. It was quite different. I've taught on a stage before, but it was still a little strange. I'm soooo tempted to face my class, although my students say its easier for them to follow when they are behind me. And even though they told me their preference, every once in a while I got so excited that I turned around to face them!!! (Sorry guys :-/ ) Like i told ya'll before..I really have to watch myself so that I don't get carried away and forget that I'm teaching! So I'm excited about this Saturday..and again, I will try to control myself :-) Also, something fun that happened...a husband and wife couple came to the class and had a really good time. They even came back on Tuesday (but we were in the ladies studio, so I don't know if he was able to come in..we tried though.)

So Zumba life is good...getting more and more excited each day about the upcoming Game in Charlotte and I'm excited and ready for class tonight. Whoop Whoop (my new favorite phrase)!!!

See ya'll tonight!

Carried Away

Well hey there!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!! It's been a fun and interesting new year so far. I've had some wonderful favor and added a class at Pivotal...and I get to teach in the big , main gym, which is so pretty and fabulous! I'm sooo excited about it!!! So I now have 3 regular classes per week. When I sit back and think about it along with the schedule I already have with my churn & hubby..I'm gonna be a pretty busy lady! I'm really gonna need Jesus and lot of organization for this! Of course I have to give a shout out to my extra supportive hubby & kids. (I should do something nice for them?)

I'm so excited about class tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!!!!!! I have soo many new routines to do. I did a private class last night and we did them then... so I'm really ready to do them with the big class. The only thing about doing new songs though is that I get so excited that sometimes I get carried away and forget that I'm teaching.. I totally zone out and go into my own little Zumba world. So the goal for tonight - STAY FOCUSED (ON YOUR CLASS)!!!!

Another shocker..the twins came home yesterday and it appears that they're teachers are stepping up and giving them regular homework assignments. That is not cool! I was a little spoiled with them just have little play play assignments. (Guess I'm anointed for that too?)

I"m getting sleepy and tired of writing, so I'm gonna go now.. You guys have a great day!