It’s great to be “forced” to work out.  I learn routines, show up, instruct, sweat and have fun.  I have to be what be what I’m teaching.  I can’t be lazy, bored or unmotivated when I’m on stage three times a week.  I love that I’ve made this commitment.

But the very best part for me is the community of women (and occasional few good men) that I teach to.  I teach Jazzercise in a community center. The women that take my class are your average, everyday kind of gals between the ages of 30-70.  Some gals need to lose more weight, some need to de-stress, others just like to dance (secretly they are my favorites!).  They show up, sweat a little and have fun, and they do it in good company.

Everyone has a story to tell.  You would never know that tall attractive woman in the back is a former television executive producer and BFFs with Katie Couric.  You would never know the woman that never misses Mondays is suffering from arthritis and this is the one day a week that she’s committed to dancing and smiling through the pain.  And here we are a bunch of broads in all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities rocking out to “I’m Sexy and I Know It” and we’re wiggling it well.

Last week, Sandra Kim, one of my favorite students said something that has resonated with me and kept a big smile on my face.  You see, she’s a 50-something Korean-born wife & mom of two daughters that she put through college making sandwiches daily in her sandwich shop.  Sandra said to me, “Where else can I get my groove on and get funky where it doesn’t look so strange.  Here, we do it together and have fun.”

Sandra, it’s because of women like you, who still like to get funky at 50 and dance like nobody’s watching that I love teaching Jazzercise as much as I do.  I am inspired and totally motivated by the women in my class.  It makes my heart swell with joy to see bigger beauties getting funky with retired teachers, new moms and stressed-out middle managers.  We’re all in this fitness class together working it out, sweating, laughing and having a good time in good company.

Thank you ladies for the regular motivation and inspiration to be a better Jazzercise instructor because there’s nothing better for my heart than seeing you getting funky.

This post was created as a part of a meme, MODAvationalMondays at MODA by Sofia.  My new favorite workout pants, the STR8 Pant (available in Pluscious & SkinnyGirl cut), are made by MODA by Sofia! Check them out. LOVE their tagline, “Active wear for real women that sculpt our curves and empowers our strengths.”

Gaga bless Mary (from Mama Mary Show) and Theresa (from Rock on Mommies) since this was their crazy idea.  We share a love for dance and they didn’t have to twist my arm to join #OperationGlory (our hash tagged code name for the flash mob).  The girls were hella creative and smart, quickly creating a secret Facebook group and posting the dance routine shot in a mirror (so mobbers didn’t have to learn different lefts and rights).

Fielding constant questions from understandably nervous nellies, they eventually added a few more videos breaking down the routine and even did a live streaming rehearsal.  There was practice sessions the day before BlogHer and the morning of.

At 12:15 Day 1 of BlogHer, the music started and Theresa stood up in front of 3000 lunchers and started dancing.  I could hardly contain myself so I let out a big celebratory yell, watched the first group stand up and join the movement. Then it was my turn.  Energy was streaming through me and I couldn’t stop smiling.  I bounded up to join the dance and got right behind Monique (a.k.a. SurferWife) because I learned the dance from her the day before (I figured I have to learn two routines every week with Jazzercise, so it couldn’t be that hard for me, plus I can follow Monique if I really lost it).

The thing that I remember most is seeing loads of people standing around us with their phones and video cameras. I remember feelings of pure joy soaring through all of us and hardly able to contain screams, laughter and tears when it was all over.  It was an exhilarating experience.

I love that the prospect of this venture was incredibly nerve racking for most and some even quit during the process.  Hell, I even brought a flask for a dose of liquid courage that day.  With all the fear and anxiety bungling our bellies, 100 of us powered through and did it anyway.  Felt the fear and continued on.  That’s a wonderful thing to learn.  Theresa was afraid that she would start and we would abandon her. We didn’t.  We were there joyfully sharing in an experience that for many of us are now crossed off on our bucket list (or Life List as Chookooloonks would advise).

The excitement even affected people in the surrounding crowds. One of my favorite tweets that afternoon said, “I’ll never forget where I saw my first flash mob!”  We’ll never forget the experience either.  And I hear that there are plans for another one. I’ll keep you posted.

Until then enjoy the video and look for me.  I’m wearing white capris and a brown top.  Just know that it’s possible to arrive at pure joy once moving through fear.  And big thanks to Mary, Theresa and Monique for allowing me to share in the experience.

Cheers girls!

As you know my life has been full of Jazzercise instructor training lately.  The great news is that I became an Associate to the Solana Beach classes and I’ll be teaching Tuesdays & Thursdays in the evenings and Saturday mornings.  (Yippee!!!)  The Tuesday & Thursday classes are new on the schedule, so in doing my part to help fill the class, I’m spreading the word.  I don’t want to be working out, sweating and singing with my manager (though I’m sure that would be fun), but  I would love if my class is filled with smiling familiar faces.

Even if you’ve never done Jazzercise before… Even if you think you are uncoordinated…  I’ll ask you… Do you like to dance? Do you like music? Do you need to get your butt moving and heart pumping?   Come smile, sweat and find your beat with me.  I promise that we don’t wear leg warmers, but we do have a good time.  Details for the Solana Beach Jazzercise classes can be found online or find a class near you.  One thing I know for sure is that having a fitness activity helps manage my stress, weight and general state of mind. So if you don’t have a fitness class (or regular activity), come try mine.  You just might love it!

If you end up loving it (and I suspect you will) then I’d strongly encourage you to join ESPECIALLY while there are some great deals happening this month.  (That’s how I got hooked feeling good and getting a deal!)

Here’s our Charter Membership offer (available only at the Solana Beach or Carmel Valley classes):

Here’s the corporate Summer Offer:

I hope to see you there!

Training was an ass-kicker. You’d think my butt would have disappeared working out six days a week, however I don’t think that I’ve dropped any weight, but I will tell you that I’m gaining serious muscle. I’ve never been an athlete or gym bunny. But I’ve long known that dance makes my soul sing and it has chasséd in and out of my life since childhood. It’s what I can count on.

I’ve got rhythm. I’ve got music. Who could ask for anything more? (JenHM that was for you.) Dance has always come naturally to me and when music is on, it’s always hard for me to contain myself.

Jazzercise is a great workout. It’s dance fitness, strength training and stretching to a variety of music. It’s not solely hip hop or latin (and there is a good dose of that too). The music is diverse and cuts across many a musical spectrum. I need that diversity to keep it fun. Fresh routines and great music kept me coming back for more.

And now, holy shit, I am an instructor too.

Here’s WHY I did it (I need to write it out so I have a place to come back for potential inspiration and I thought you, much like my Husband, may be wondering WTH too)…

I did it because I think people need more fun and funk in their life. I know I do.

I did it because Jazzercise is for every body. No matter what size, age, ability, shape, color or persuasion you may be, there is something for you to get in each class. You may think that you are this and not that, but the fact of the matter is, just get up off your ass, come move your body and shake your booty (big or little, whatever… They mean it when they say Jazzercise is for every body). Even if you’re not dancing to the same beat or moving in the same direction as everyone else. It’s okay. You’re moving your body, getting your blood flowing and pumping your heart and THAT’S a step in the right direction.

I did it because I know it feels good to move your body. You may even laugh a little bit during class. I laugh at myself all the time. Sometimes I laugh with others. Sometimes the instructor’s sense of humor is full-tilt boogey. It’s good to laugh and sweat at the same time. It’s an odd combination that doesn’t occur too often in life, but it’s good when it happens.

Not to get too woo-woo on you, but I think there is something deeply spiritual and humanly primitive to dancing in a group with others that feeds our souls in ways that we can’t ever imagine. I like to pretend that dancing together creates good cosmic waves that battle the negative mojo that’s out there. How’s that for crazy thinking?

I did it because I want to challenge myself especially the year that I’m turning 40. I know Jazzercise can melt the the soft and gooey center even only going 2 days a week for a year. I imagine that working at the instructor intensity level a few days a week, I will finally gain those shapely arms and put my mind at peace about wearing a bathing suit. I may still have cellulite and beginning varicose veins, but I know that I am doing something to help me feel good on the inside and look better on the outside.

I did it because I think a t-shirt that says “jazz hands builds strong muscles” would be funny-dorky-cool. (You heard it here first, people.)

I did it for the love of dance.

I did it because being a part of a functional organization mostly run by women is a positive and awesome experience.

I did it because I want to participate in positive change in people’s lives, supporting them in their health and well-being. This gets more and more important as we age. I say, pay now or pay later. Either way, you’re gonna pay. We all hear that most people must have regular and frequent physical activity to maintain weight, health and vitality. It’s an accepted medical fact. Guess what…you’re probably like most people. Just get on board with it. The future is coming. Get off your ass and find an activity that works for you.

THANK YOU Judi Sheppard Missett for creating this phenomenon and a strong business that has been in existence for 42 years.  THANK YOU Shanna Missett Nelson for continuing your mother’s legacy, upholding high standards and plie´ marching us into the future. Thank you Cheryl Burke for attaching your name and great dancing reputation with Jazzercise. It moves the brand forward and extends its visibility in ways it couldn’t before. Thank you Jina Bjelland for the inspiration, humor and fun that you bring to every class. Much gratitude to Holly Galloway and The Decider, Sarah Fritz. You gals are great examples of the high standards and excellence that is Jazzercise. Thank you Michele Checchia for the reassurance and perfection. Thank you Faye & Gigi for being great training partners. I’m so glad we made it together!

This Thankful Thursday, feel free to comment below or write your own post and borrow my button. What are you most thankful for?  Or if you love Jazzercise too, what is your WHY and where do you do it?

Cheers friends!

You may know about my love for Jazzercise. How it met me in pudgy darkness and brought me into the dancing light with my soul singing. Well, not really that poetic, but it feels really good to shake it out, get funky and sweaty twice a week. And I’ve definitely firmed up. However…

Look, I know who I am. I have always been a bit of a curvy girl. And I get it, it’s all perspective. My weight is something that I have to manage. I’m not 20 any more.  Hell, I’m almost not in my 30s anymore. I know that I feel better mentally and physically when I have a regular fitness routine (currently Jazzercise twice a week and a weekly 3-mile walk). However I still have dimples in places that I’d rather not expose and a softened mommy middle. Last month, I would have said that I’m at a good level of fitness. I have been satisfied and comfortable.

Well, something came over me and I expressed interest in becoming a Jazzercise instructor. I think the impulse was coming out of a desire to bring more fun and funky to others. But now I’m in training to be certified.

Holy. Shit.

Really that’s all I need to say.

I have never, outside of pregnancy or social drinking, ever been driven to a point of nausea or thinking I was going to fall over and pass out. That was until Saturday when I met Holly Galloway, a Jazzercise Quality Coordinator in our district. She’s taking us trainees on in a big way and while she’s not a drill sergeant (because she’s really kind and wonderful), she is tough and a firecracker driving us to…well, I almost fainted.

There are three other women that are going through the certification process with me for the San Diego area. While chatting them up, I found out that they Jazzercise 4-8 times a week. Yep, I’m behind the curve. Bringing up the rear, so to speak. It was clear from my performance on Saturday’s district practice session that I am missing (yes, I wrote this down) intensity, endurance and stamina.

I have some serious work cut out for me. Certification is April 7th and there is a second workshop the week before auditions to see if you have it together enough to be certified. That means you must have the knowledge, movements, stamina, intensity, endurance, and the sensibility to cue all the movements while breathing heavy and connecting to the customers. And have I mentioned that there is a CPR exam that I need to do and a physiology test online before the end of the month? Yeah, there’s that too.

So I am challenged.

What I am particularly thankful for is that I know how to meet this challenge. I could easily totally freak out, talk myself out of this, have sleepless nights of worry and despair and give up. I could. This is a lot for me as a WAHM who was in fair shape exercising three times a week.

As Holly said during our first practice session, “This is what you signed up for. Are you going to rise to the challenge and meet it?”

I’m doing what I know can work and not focusing on what won’t work. I am constantly reminding myself that I have a choice here of how I react to this challenge. I’m not going to psych myself out. I’m gonna psych myself up. I’m not even going to give too much airtime to how much my body aches. And it aches. I just need to pay attention so that I’m not going too far as to injure myself, but I am holy moly pushing my limits.

Here’s what’s working and how I’m eating this elephant (eww…that is a gross saying). I have a partner, the lovely and determined to count it out, Faye. We’re a great pair. I listen to the changes in the music and she provides the count. We’re learning a lot from each other. We’re taking full advantage of more time with Holly (twice a week for the next three weeks). Holly provides great feedback, asks a lot of us and sets the bar really high. Well, she IS the Quality Coordinator for our district and (what I would say) Premiere Instructor. I’m doubling up on the number of Jazzercise workouts each week. I’m practicing the trainee routines everyday for a hour (at least). I’m listening to the music every chance I get. I’m finding the goodness in every song because typically, you’d never see a country song in one of my sets. But I am strangely falling into great like of a Leann Rimes song.  Strange and unusual, but I’m finding what I like in it.

Outside of the corporate offices there is a sculpture amongst the design-winning xeriscape. I don’t know the artist or the name of the piece, but it just spoke to me, “I Can.” I can do this and I am grateful for this challenge that has presented itself to me.

Where are you being challenged in your life to rise above where you’re comfortable? Have you embraced it? Have you given thanks for the opportunity?  Feel free to comment below and let me know.

Just some good thinking for you to consider on this Thankful Thursday.

Cheers!

But since we’re on the topic of dance, I have to write about Paula Abdul’s Live to Dance series.  I don’t love it, but I love dance.  I am frustrated that there is a tweener dancing against a professional ballet couple that have spent years perfecting their art.  It just doesn’t seem like a balanced playing field.  However, I am compelled to watch and write about it.

If you happened to watch the show were you as distracted by judge and former Pussy Cat Doll Kimberly Wyatt’s crazy ass hair changes as I was? (sorry, just needed to get that out of the way.)

Six semi-finalists danced last night with the judges choosing one dance act and America to choose the other to go forward to the finals.  The first act last night to perform was The Vibe.  They have 38 people in their dance troop.  That’s nuts!  But they’re great and they proved it last night.  They looked fabulous – like Travis Payne said, “it was like watching a musical.”  However, that was a lot of movement for a lot of people.  I don’t think that the camera work or the editing did the troop justice to their performance.  But they made it through which was well deserved.  For sure they are contenders in this competition.

Jittin’ Genius from Detroit is a one-man massive hip-hop show.  He’s got moves and is fast, but IMHO I think he’s not hitting all his moves fully.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s good.  I just don’t think he’ll go all the way.  Nice show.  It would be very hard being a soloist in this program.

Chi-Town Finest Breakers is an incredible break dance family.  It’s really wonderful that these brothers and sisters are so committed to dance.  It’s clear that dance deeply connects this family.  And they are wildly talented.  You could easily watch Live to Dance just to see these kids.  Last night they danced to Jackson 5 – Sugar Hill Gang mix.  Really cute.  However, the judges didn’t put them through automatically and I do take issue with these little kids dancing on television.  You’ll see more about that later.

Next up was 10-year old Justin Bieber-look-alike, Austen Acevedo.  He’s incredible for only being 10.  It’s crazy that this kid has only been dancing two years because he has such amazing natural talent.  Crazyville.  And while he’s awesomely talented, I just don’t think it’s right that a kid of his age is on a national television show.  It’s kinda warped and I don’t like it.  He needs to keep working on his performance and thankfully the judges agree.  It’s way too much too soon.  But good job.

Bev & Hap are a lovely couple (not married or involved).  He’s 68 and she’s…well…older.  They are most certainly inspirational tapping and dancing their hearts out.  I want to be like that when I’m in their…well older years.  Awesome.  But they are not America’s best dance act.  They’ll be gone after tonight, but I think they are incredible and bring so much joy to my heart.  I LOVE the spirit in which they dance and that’s a wonderful thing to be broadcast nationally.

The final act of the night was tiny salsa dancers D’Angelo & Amanda.  They are too young to compete!  Glad they got their well-deserved recognition.  Now they should go home.  I particularly feel this way because salsa is such a sexualized dance, I found it uncomfortable to watch their connection and gyrations.  It’s just odd to me.  However they too are very skilled in their performance and I wouldn’t be surprised if America voted to keep the on.

The judges chose The Vibe to go through. Now America must choose the next act to move forward.  If I had to choose I’d take Jittin Genius because I don’t like seeing little kids performing on national television.  I just think it’s too much too soon for their little talent.  And I want a level playing field with similar age/experienced dancers competing against each other.  We’ll see who America voted for next week.

If you want to get caught up on this show, you can watch the latest full episode online.

Cheers to dance!

And PLEASE by all means watch the video, it’s ALL ABOUT the hair and those guys are ugly mofos.  But yeah, gotta love some Foreigner.

Anyway, I just got my first blog award and I’m doing the So Awesome Dance (just not to Foreigner…maybe “Just Can’t Get Enough” from Depeche Mode, but I’ll spare you).  I am honored and tickled to receive this award from Heligirl.  She’s totally awesome because she’s a jen, but she’s also a mom of two, a part time public relations manager, a freelance journalist, a dog mom, and a licensed helicopter pilot in Seattle…and oh yeah, an avid blogger (whew!).  She’s also way up on positive parenting techniques, which we all can use good tips and support of other positive parents.  Be sure to check her out and tell her I sent you.  THANK YOU HELIGIRL! (#1 done. Check!)

Now, on to the rules

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to five bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

Seven Things

1. I LOVE lists.  You will often find post-its all over my desk and in my purse with lists of stuff.  Groceries, ideas for my blog, things I need to do, books I want to read, and music I want to get from the library are all common occurrences.
2. When swing was king (for the second reign in the 1990s), I went out and danced three times a week.  I also had an addiction to vintage clothes and furniture (still have a few dresses and Heywood Wakefield pieces).  I was even bold enough (but not quite good enough) to compete a small bit.  It was loads and loads of fun and swing dancing brought lots of joy to my life.  Swing introduced me to salsa, tango and other forms of ballroom and my love of dance was reignited.
3. I really did leave a tiny piece of my heart in San Francisco.  It still hurts when I think about it too long.
4. I crack up every time I see this picture of myself as an 8^th grade cheerleader in Texas.  OMG, that was some weird shit and it was serious.
5. I deeply believe that we’re all connected, karma is real, positivity begets more positivity (the reverse is also true), what you think about you bring about and words wield magic.
6. I have a story that has been brewing inside my imagination and is aching to get out.  Tiffany Fox, I do believe you’ve given me a key, but I can’t wait 52 weeks to tell the tale!
7. I love my life, where we live, my darling husband, and my surprising and sunny two little boys.  I love my larger family, cherish my dear friends, respect where I came from and am proud that I’ve lived my life without many regrets.

(#2 done. Check!)

Blogger Award

Bloggers I am awarding and that I have recently discovered are mostly local.  It’s been good to find and great to know that we may have a good-sized mom blog community in San Diego.  Please excuse my short list of local love, but these are actually women that I’m reading regularly or Tweeting with.

Red Lotus Mama – we share a love for SYTYCD and wine

Mama Mary Show – also a viewer on SYTYCD and I’m hoping that she’ll do a SD Mom Blogger National Dance Day get together (and that I’ll be invited).

Sugar in the Raw – she’s a little bit crazy and I like moms like that

Kara-Noel from EliLids – not necessarily local local, but regionally local. She’s really cool, I like her company and she just had a wee one

Jennifer (aka La Jolla Jennifer or jen_eration_X) – because we share a love of all things 80s, especially the music

SuferWife – because she’s cool, rubs elbows with the rich and famous (and talks about it), shares the same dream job as me, and our kids are going to the same elementary school.  Yeah!

And two of my most favorite bloggers (I’m stealing this from you JerseyGirl) that I think I know in life, but really don’t.  Yeah, I’ve known them for a while, but I want to share their goodness.  And I do consider them blog friends:

Dirty Little Secret – she’s a jen and awesomely sarcastic and snarky

The Mommyologist – she’s not a jen, but witty, awesome at creating community and incredibly generous

(#3 done plus bonus two. Check!)

Now, I realize that some people think that these kinds of awards are lame.  I get it. I really do.  So I’m okay if you don’t post the award or participate.  Just know that I think of you as an awesome blogger that I like to read and appreciate. I hope you meet this award with good cheer and pass it along.  Cheers friends!

My boys got up this morning and fixed me birthday pancakes, our family tradition.  Even BabyD sang Happy Birthday really well (he’s getting so big!).  The boys got me a cute beach cooler bag, a sexy blouse and necklace from Anthropologie in my favorite color, and a cute sun dress.  I can’t believe that Husband did such a good job on color and fit.  So totally awesome.

The boys are in day care today so I can get some stuff done, but I must tell you I’m wearing my new birthday dress and dancing around the house to totally 80s music.  And no, I’m not drunk, but I do plan on having my share of tacos and margaritas tonight at Las Olas.

But the other reason that I’m in my party dress dancing around to 80s music is it’s Mom Sexy Prom today!  I love the Mommyologist’s idea of getting gussied up just because.  She’s really out to have moms feel their sexy best.  She’s so pumped about this message; she’s even auditioned for Oprah (please go vote for her!).

So yes, I have my high heels on and dancing to the Sugar Cubes, Oingo Boingo, and the Thompson Twins all by myself.  Turn it up and come join me on a little groove.  You can start with this video below and then bounce to the last one for my birthday song.

Cheers to summer!  Cheers to all the awesome Facebook messages, text, emails and calls I’m getting today!  Thank you dear and lovely friends.  Cheers to dancing and feeling good! Cheers to Mom Sexy Prom!  And hell, cheers to my last birthday in my 30s!  Dance!

Ting Tings on Yo Gabba Gabba sing "Happy Birthday"

Bootyliciousness is my biological destiny.  If you’ve ever met my Mom, you could see.  She’s got a big butt and that’s where she gains her weight (she’d also say her arms, but those stay hidden most of the time).  She can’t hide her behind.  It’s not as bad as Jennifer Coolidge’s character in Robots, Aunt Fanny, but (pun intended) you get the picture. (btw, Robots is one of my favorite kid animated movies, a must see if you’re a parent!)

I’ve been up (size 12) and I’ve been down (size 6) through the years and certainly child bearing has contributed to the coming and goings of my fat.  But this time around, I have a new flab.  It’s my squishy center.  Not unlike that box of See’s Candies that I shared over the holidays.  Yes, my stomach area was permanently disfigured when Baby was born. (Oh SOAM, I love you so).  However I believe that after you reach a particular age you shouldn’t wear a two piece bathing suit anyways, so I’m okay with it.  SoCal Moms will loudly disagree, but I wasn’t raised here.  Can I blame this new blob on Baby?  Maybe a little bit.  Is this a part of aging?  Ugh.  I’m not ready to accept that quite yet.

Living in SoCal is a double edged sword.  It’s extremely beautiful here.  While many of you are dealing with freeze and snow days, I’ve got my back patio door open as I write this.  However, people think too much about what they look like here.  Simple fact is that we wear less clothes year around.  I never get to wear my turtlenecks here and I never put away my sandals or tank tops.  Our bodies simply show more.  Our summer starts sometime in April before the May Gray or June Gloom sets in and then it lasts well into September (no, I’m not kidding).  Frankly, this was one of the reasons I was scared to move down here.  You have to think about your body more than where you can hide it under heavy sweaters six months out of the year.  And vanity screws with my sanity.

Well the good news is that I know what to do.  It’s simple, but not always easy.  Get rid of the sweets in the house (working on it, ahem), drink more water (check), walk more (check – Sanity Friday 3 mile beach side walks with Lola), and eat less (shake weekday mornings, chews for snacks, more salads for lunch and sensible dinners).  I know I can’t fight the battle of the bulge by only walking one day a week.  But where to fit in exercise when I’m a SAHM?  How do you Moms do it?

I’ve got to find a low cost, (or preferably no cost) way to exercise.  Yeah, I’ve got DVDs that collect dust and no, I’m not pushing BigBoy and Baby in a stroller.  Maybe I’ll have to reconsider that; the beachside walk is extremely nice.  I want to add dance back into my life.  That’s been a BIG missing since marrying Husband.  It’s not his fault, I know that dog don’t hunt.  So here’s my next mystery, Scooby Doo.  Find joy in exercise.  I’ll find it if dance is involved because to shake my bootie puts a smile on my face.  And I’ll keep coming back for more.  I know myself.  Dance brings me great joy.  So I must find a way to do this.  I’m open to suggestions.  Let’s hear it, friends.  I’m going to do some research with my glass of Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc tonight.  Because that’s one piece of sweetness, I’m not giving up.  Cheers!

I’ve been drinking Barefoot’s Pinot Grigio all summer (their Pinot Grigio Champagne is good too!).  Since having Baby and living in a warmer climate, I simply can’t drink red wines in the summer.  My internal temperature has gone way up (no I don’t want to talk about the possibility of perimenopause thankyouverymuch).  But now that the seasons are changing, I’m gladly going back to red (5 Cents favorites – Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir and Tapiz Malbec).  But not so fast.  After a great conversation with the Wine Guy about the kind of white wine I like (just say no to Chardonnay, like my whites crisp, mineraly and maybe a touch sweet, but not too sweet), he pushed two bottles of CMS on me and I’ve now gone back for a full case.  It’s like a yummy crisp apple and right now it’s only a $6 apple that I’d love to share with you.  Go get some and enjoy!

Ok, now with glass of wine in hand, let’s talk about SYTYCD.  I don’t have many regrets, but if I was able to do it all over again, I’d spend more time dancing.  And yeah, I can dance now, but I just think I would have made it a higher priority in my life sooner and therefore would have made different decisions.  I love my life, but just wish there was more dance in it.

As for the show, it’s SOOO much better than that D-list celebrity dancing show.  I really applaud the pseudo-celebs that take on learning Ballroom and Latin dance in front of a national audience. Learning that shit and making it look good is HARD.  However, I hate the judges (all of them) and how they sugar-coat their feedback.  What I love about SYTYCD is that the feedback given is straight-forward and honest, and delivered in a way to make a difference for the performer.  These performers are actual dancers trying to make it out there in the world.  Consider it like TV Fame with just dancers and not actors and musicians.  Hell, even Debbie Allen is a guest judge from time to time.  These young dancers (are hot, oh sorry, just got distracted thinking about Legacy) are dancing with some phenomenal choreographers in diverse styles – contemporary, Broadway, Hip Hop, Latin, Ballroom, and even random folk dancing numbers.  They really make it look good!  Every night there’s a performance that gives me the chills, it’s so spectacular.

As for the judges, yes, Mary Murphy gets on my nerves, but the Betty knows what she’s talking about as a former Ballroom National Champion nine-time winner.  Having only one out of three (or sometimes four) judges annoy me is not too bad.  I can deal.  Although, here’s the downside.  Nigel Lythgoe, judge, creator, and producer, wants Paula Abdul as a judge on the show.  Ugh.  It’s time for her to go away.  Forever.  We don’t need two nut jobs on the show.  And I can’t help but to wonder if her potential participation on the show is why Mia Michaels may not be around this season.

Anyway, I’m anxiously anticipating tonight’s first night of the competition.  I’ve even got a betting pool with friends on FB.  Yeah, I like it that much.  I love seeing people’s full-out expression and soul soar through dance.

I hope watching SYTYCD inspires you as much as it inspires me.  It certainly lifts my spirits, but so does that bottle of CMS.  I’m gonna pour a glass and go make dinner.  Enjoy friends!