Day in the Life of a Jazzercise Instructor

One of my latest passions is Jazzercise.  I recently became certified to instruct classes.  Cardio, stretches, strength training... it's a great workout.  Being strong & being able to dance really helps, but there is oh so much more that you have to do! Like being friendly, confident & aware of class participants' needs.  On top of that you have to know all of the dance moves from memory, be able to cue the class before the moves, remember to stay hydrated, don't overuse/abuse your vocal chords, all the safety tips, plus work a sound system with a wireless mic & iPod! It's a lot, but quite fun & engaging.  Today I taught the 6:05 class at the Prairieville center.  I got the class warmed up & working up the heartrate... then silence! All of a sudden, there was absolute silence! The iPod shut down... leaving me hanging with no music!  I kept the class moving, jumped off stage, & ran to get my iPhone out of my basket, only to find that I had left my iPhone in my car!  I grabbed my keys & had the class owner run out to my car praying that my iPhone wasn't in the bottom of my purse while still having the class dance to nothing other than my cues & classmates singing the song.  She came running back in with it! I was so relieved to find that my routine set of music was on my iPhone... I clicked to it & led the class into the next routine.  I held it together & the class participants were absolutely excellent! Lesson learned... make sure iPod is fully charged every single day & always have the iPhone in the building as back up :-)

"Latest News" as Bulleted List

I've been quite busy lately; what else is new!  I noticed that I haven't blogged in over a month! So here it is as a list & in no particular order:

• One of our best friend's got a job after being unemployed for quite some time! It's really exciting for them and for us.  Congratulations Daven!
• Dylan crossed over into "Boy Scouts" from "Cub Scouts".  We love his troop in Prairieville, Troop 769... they have lots planned for the boys & they hold the boys themselves responsible for activities. Downside, they have hit us up for money nearly every meeting.  We actually participated in a fundraise, which I so desparately despise, but Dylan did pretty well selling coke products.  Hopefully the money-collecting is done with for this year.
• Erin is done with competition dance at Jete'.  She and her team did really well, receiving a number of platinum & high gold awards this year.  I'm so impressed with her perseverance & love of dancing! Now to prepare for Griffin Girls (high school dance team) try-outs.  I'm sure she'll do well, although I can't believe she'll be going to high school next year!
• Wayne is in good spirits now that he has gotten his back to quit hurting.  He suffered with back pain, like an old man, for months now.  It has prevented him from giving his all to running/working out.  He went to chiropractor to be told that his wallet is his problem! Yes, his wallet (which is funny to me since he never has money in it).  When he sits at the computers at work for hours on end with his wallet in his back pocket, it causes his pelvis to tilt which has put strain on his back.  Solution... a few back adjustments & take the wallet out of his back pocket. Now to shop for a money clip (there again, for what since me & the kids smell it when he has cash).
• As for me I just finished the process of becoming a certified Jazzercise instructor! It's so much fun & I go almost everyday anyway, so instructing made sense.  It has set me back quite a bit of money for start up costs (clothes, franchise fee, liability insurance, microphone, etc), but it's well worth it.  I now get to "teach" without all the crap of being a classroom teacher, plus it keeps me working out with great intensity & fervor! I love it!  If you like to have a good time, listen to great music (my favorite Jazzercise routine right now is done to Jennifer Lopez's "Louboutins"), dance, & get fit, you should give it a try.  I'm at the Ascension Jazzercise Centers (Prairieville & Gonzales), but you can find a center close to you by checking out Jazzercise's website.

Well I guess I should wrap it up here... my bulleted list turned into bulleted paragraphs!  I'll try to blog more often :-)

My New Snack

I love discovering "new" snacks.  Thanks to one of my scrappin' friends, Beverly, I was introduced to the world of wasabi.  Beverly brought a small bag of wasabi peas to our latest scrappin' event.  Their appearance peaked my interest... small green peas, covered in white coating!  I was thinking white chocolate or yogurt covering, but couldn't get my head around the idea of putting either on a green pea!  Once I popped one in my mouth, it took me completely by surprise... can you say, "Fire!" It was hot, but best of all, it had a nice little crunch.  It gave this burning sensation on the roof of my mouth that was actually pleasant in a weird sort of way!   I headed to Albertson's & picked up a bag of wasabi peas, wasabi "trail mix", and then at World Market I found wasabi cracker mix!  1/2 cup serving runs me about 127 calories.  To make them even more appealable... I read that spicy foods can actually raise your metabolism.  Rev it up & Bring on the wasabi peas!

Yep... that's what Drugs do for you...

So sad, but it was well known that some of our favorite 1980's & early 90's heartthrobs were living rough lives.  Drugs were prevalent and destructive.  Today I see in the news that another one of the boys who I just thought was soooo cute (had his poster from Teen magazine pinned on my wall) has died at only 38 years old.  Of course the press won't definitively say Corey Haim died from drug use or overdose, at least not until an autoposy is done, but when I saw a recent picture of him, it is written all over his face & body.  He looks terrible & it is quite obvious that his lifestyle took a serious toll on his body & looks.  I'm sad for his friends & family, and I hope that others will see that you reap what you sow & to make a choice to live drug free.

Smells Nice

WD likes to buy me perfume and jewelry, but I am fickle and unpredictable when it comes to both.  Today I love one kind and tomorrow it's "just ok".  I guess I let my mood direct my preferences & it has kept WD from buying me such frivolities.  Well this Christmas he found the perfect "fragrant" gift for me.  It is a sampler from Sephora.  It came in this terrific little hat-box with about 12 different perfume samples.  Along with the samples, there is a guide describing each frangrance & its designer.  I try a different scent everyday, and then I record my initial opinion of it, my opinion the next day, and if WD noticed or not.  After I sample all the scents, I can take the enclosed gift coupon back to Sephora for a full bottle of which ever scent I liked best.  So far I really am liking "Stella" and "Cashmere Mist". WD gets a gold star for picking this gift out for me!