Well....I DID it!

Zumba Instructor Certification?  Check.  Next project?  Actually teaching a Zumba class.  What can I say about my training except the hardest part was actually walking through the front door. 

Arrived at Medford, Oregon on Friday night and Saturday morning, Paul dropped me off at the local YMCA for registration.  You know, I'm my own worst enemy.  All my fears and insecurities...all in my warped little mind.  Would I be the oldest one there?  I wasn't.  Would I be the fattest one there?  I wasn't.  Would I be the most uncoordinated?  I wasn't.  I met a lot of fascinating people and hopefully we'll keep in contact.   

After registration we had an hour Master Class.  I was happily surprised to see I could keep up with most.  I was pretty hot and sweaty at the end of the class.  It was a foreshadowing of things to come.

 

A lecture and a dance class, a break for lunch and two more dance classes and I was feeling completely overwhelmed, extremely tired and not very excited any more.  

 But a few more lectures and a couple of "games" to help solidify what we learned and a final Master Class and guess what?

                                                  I'm a Certified Zumba Instructor!  Yay!


Now on to my next challenge.  Actually getting a job and teaching Zumba.  Stay tuned.

It's All Good News!

After

Congratulations to me! It's been many, many years since I last ran a 5K. But on July 4th, Paige and I ran the Freedom Festival 5K. And to show our true patriotic spirit...we ducted taped flags to our back. 


                                    

Before...

During...

After.

We're awesome.  Adding to the awesomeness...Mitch and my nephew ran the one mile fun run. 

Winning

Are You Kidding Me?

Well...I did it.  Plunked down $225 and registered to become a Zumba certified instructor.  I didn't sign up for the one in San Diego.  Instead, I am going to Medford, Oregon on August 4.   I'm still gulping in air every time I think about it about it but I am getting really excited.  On Mondays, our Zumba instructor Amy can't be there and so Curves is letting me "practice" leading on those days.  Very exciting!  I have been very overwhelmed with the support people have given me.   When I tell people what I am going to be doing...9 out of 10 tell me that they would definitely come to my class.  I know they are just being nice but it still makes me happy to hear it.

Let's talk about the guy who is going to be my instructor in Medford.

This is Abraham Hernandez.  Wow!  Are you kidding me?  I have a little just a little under 8 weeks to lose 1000 pounds, become an incredible dancer and turn into a Latin beauty before I shake my bon bon in front of Abraham.  I watched a video of him on YouTube and he's a pretty amazing dancer.  So instead of being intimidated by "California Girls" in San Diego...This middle-aged, overweight, uncoordinated girl is going to try and 'drop it like it's hot" in front of Mr. Hernandez.  Sigh.  What have I got myself into?

Biggest Clown of Them All

So...I haven't posted in months and months.  But let's catch up.  Seth:  Still hasn't taken the GED but is working on it as well as working on his mission papers.  He DID get a job at Target and as of yesterday, he got a promotion.  So while the rest of his class was at High School Graduation, he was busy getting a Promo-tuation.
Erika got a job at a court reporting company.  She is their office manager and basically runs the entire company.  They are very lucky to have her.
Paige got a part-time job at Erika's job as a delivery person.  Plus she is going to Texas to babysit my sister's kids for a week.  That is a paying gig, so she is happy about that.

School is out for the summer today and I will have to grit my teeth and close my eyes until summer is over and they are back in school (Paige, Hudson, and Mitch).

The point of this post is that who would've thought when I started this blog, that the biggest Clown and Joker would be ME!!!

I'm about to enter into a mid-life crisis and since I can't find anyone who will have an affair with me.  And because I can't afford a sports car or plastic surgery, I've opted to become...(wait for it)...a Zumba instructor!!
Cue spit take and hysterical laughing.

This picture pretty well explains my Zumba life.  I love it so much but really...I'm uncoordinated, overweight, and very middle-aged.  But hey!  Pretty sure I can teach plenty of other people to be uncoordinated, overweight and very middle-aged too.

In order to become a Certified Zumba Instructor, you need to take a class.  I am signing up for one in San Diego.  And the more I think about it, the more I think, "What the crap was I thinking?!"  I am going to be in class with California girls...Daisy dukes, bikinis on top.  I have 2 months to look like the girl on the left instead of Jim Carrey on the right.  Yeah.  Ain't going to happen.

Nevertheless, I am stepping waaaaaay out of my comfort zone and going forward with this.  Eleanor Roosevelt said,  “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  Well...every time I think about doing this, I start to vomit.  Hope Eleanor is happy.

Another Freakin' Holiday!

Happy Presidents' Day everyone! The day we celebrate the birthdays of two of our finest presidents. These men represent hard work, tenancity, loyalty, and above all...patriotism.

In keeping with the spirit of these amazing American men, I present Chuckles, Sporto and Lumpy...boys who may (or may not) be leaders of our great nation someday.

Send in the Clowns

Let me start with an introduction of sorts: First of all, Stealers Wheel sang a song in 1972 entitled "Stuck in the Middle With You". The catchy hook states, "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right--here I am--Stuck in the Middle with You". This describes my life perfectly right now. I have three adult children living at home --all currently unemployed and not in school. There are two younger children that are incredibly involved in sports and cannot drive so guess who gets to chauffer them around. There are my elderly in-laws , my widowed mother and my husband's widowed aunt that lives in an apartment attached to our house. Add my OCD husband and my nutty friends and Stealers Wheel song starts to make a lot more sense. As you can tell--I'm the only sane one around (twitch twitch). At the risk of offending everyone that is around me, let me describe the "Clowns and the Jokers".

This is Paige, my 22 year old daughter. She just got home from serving an LDS mission in Austria. She does not go back to school until August. She is currently substituting as a a German teacher for a half hour every day at Meridian Academy. Currently she is the record holder for Solitaire on her iPhone.

This is Erika, our adopted daughter. She, too, is 22-years-old and a returned missionary from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. She has applied for so many jobs, when she gets interviews, she can't remember what company they are for. In her spare time, she likes to bowl and go to doctors' appointments.

This is Seth, my 18-year-old son. He just dropped out of high school and says he is going to get his GED soon. He just became certified to be a flagger for road crews but hasn't gotten around to applying for any construction jobs. The two jobs he has applied for haven't called him back. Strange.

This is Hudson. He's 13. He's good at it. He likes basketball, soccer, Hope Solo and long walks on the beach. When he's not playing some sport, he is picking on his younger brother. He's good at that too.

And Mitch: Ten years old and cute as a button...when he isn't crying as causing himself an asthma attack. It would help if his older brothers didn't pick on him but that is asking too much.

I have one more adult child: Colin. He is currently serving and LDS mission in Germany. At the moment, he is off the "Clown status". But he's been there before and I am sure he will be there again at some point.

These are just some of the clowns and the jokers in my life. They certainly make things interesting.