First off sorry I have been MIA lately, I've been busy, well...ummm...listening to the live feed and reading the message boards for that Brad Cooper murder trial I told you I was obsessed with. Yeah...it's a problem...full blown obsession. I think I am going to have to cut myself off and I hope to write a whole blog post about why later.
So last Thursday I went out with some people from work to celebrate a co-worker's birthday. We went to The Red Room in downtown Raleigh. It's a tappas place I had been to once before. First off, if you go, you must try their mango mojito. It was SOOO good I had to have three! The tappas were good too.
But the best part about this experience was they gave a free salsa dancing lesson! Apparently they do these free salsa lessons every Thursday.
I wasn't going to do it at first. I am very introverted and self-conscious when it comes to dancing for some reason. But a guy I work with insisted I go up there and be his partner to learn. (Don't get any ideas...he's married ladies...as are most of the guys over 25 in this town.)
It was really fun! Seriously, I think I want to go back again.
That is one thing I hope my future husband has...the ability to drag me on the dance floor when I don't want to because I am so self-conscious, but it turns in to one of the most unexpectedly fun things ever. (Ironically the word I wanted to describe 2011 for me was Unexpected! You can read about that from this post.)
So #23- take a dance lesson, gets a double check mark off the list!
Also #7- run a 5K is about to get a quadruple check off the list this month. It already has 2 check marks and I am running another one this weekend and a 4th at the end of the month! I'm thinking about starting a 10K training program after that and maybe doing a half-marathon at some point? I don't know. I change my mind daily based on how my runs go. One day I'll have a terrific run where I feel great and so energized and relaxed from it, and the next I will have a run that makes me want to give up on running for the rest of my life! Either way, I never thought I'd even be able to finish a 5K and now I'm running 3 miles, 3 times per week! Who woulda thunk it!? This list has definitely changed my life :)
Oh, and still no cigarettes! And I'm off the Nicorette too! Let's hope I keep it up once Lent is over!
Showing posts with label #23- dance lesson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #23- dance lesson. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Zumba!
I marked something off my list this week! I finally went to that Zumba class!
At first I was thinking does this count as a dance class? But oh my, yes I think it does. I was doing the samba, the cha cha, and there was a lot of hip and booty shakin'.
I drug a friend along with me because like I mentioned before I have this thing about showing up somewhere by myself. She really did not want to go, but agreed. You see her texting boyfriend (yes, I swear they have a whole relationship almost completely via text) was coming to stay with her the next day and she did not want to be so sore she couldn't walk and had heard Zumba was kind of hard. She was giving me sighs of dread which was making me loose my never a little.
We got there super early to scope out the place. We parked and watched the place for a good 15-20 minutes before getting out of the car. It was hilarious. We kept worrying. What if there are only 5 people in the class? What if we have to do solos? Oh my, there are screens in the lobby so you can see what is going on in the classroom! What if everyone is super skinny and coordinated? We kept trying to talk ourselves out of it.
Finally there seemed to be a lot of people in the lobby and they didn't look too intimidating so we decided to go in. The girl from my bible study group that had invited me was there with 2 friends. We chatted and signed in and paid (only $7!) and then made our way to the classroom.
The class was great! I'm not saying I was great, but I did enjoy the class. There were songs that I recognized and the moves were challenging, but not impossible. And by the end of class, I had worked up a good sweat. My friend and I left feeling good and very glad we went!
It was really a lot of fun. My only problem with dancing is I think I have developed a complex over the years. I am a people watcher and I have watched a lot of bad dancers and thought to myself...do I look like that? This has made me very self conscious about dancing which in turn has actually made my dancing kind of bad.
You have to let go when you dance and really get into it for it to look good. I have no problem doing this in the privacy of my own home, but put me in a room with other people (and in this case a huge mirrored wall) and I do everything as if I am doubting myself.
I didn't have this problem when I was younger. I was a cheerleader in high school and had no problem dancing in front of the whole school. Even my first few years of college, I didn't mind getting out there on the dance floor with all my girls. But years of watching other people dance has made me self conscious about it, and I now avoid it unless I have some liquid courage or am completely alone. (You should have seen me last night rocking out in my living room with my new Zumba moves.)
Maybe this Zumba stuff can help me get my confidence back! I ordered a DVD so I can get used to doing it full force alone for a little while and I plan on going back to the class (not every week because you know- money is tight, but I think I'd rather use $7 to go to that class than go to a movie! So it will be like my treat every once in a while).
This is totally not the type of dancing I had in mind when I put "Take a Dance Class" on my list, but I think it's just what I needed!
At first I was thinking does this count as a dance class? But oh my, yes I think it does. I was doing the samba, the cha cha, and there was a lot of hip and booty shakin'.
I drug a friend along with me because like I mentioned before I have this thing about showing up somewhere by myself. She really did not want to go, but agreed. You see her texting boyfriend (yes, I swear they have a whole relationship almost completely via text) was coming to stay with her the next day and she did not want to be so sore she couldn't walk and had heard Zumba was kind of hard. She was giving me sighs of dread which was making me loose my never a little.
We got there super early to scope out the place. We parked and watched the place for a good 15-20 minutes before getting out of the car. It was hilarious. We kept worrying. What if there are only 5 people in the class? What if we have to do solos? Oh my, there are screens in the lobby so you can see what is going on in the classroom! What if everyone is super skinny and coordinated? We kept trying to talk ourselves out of it.
Finally there seemed to be a lot of people in the lobby and they didn't look too intimidating so we decided to go in. The girl from my bible study group that had invited me was there with 2 friends. We chatted and signed in and paid (only $7!) and then made our way to the classroom.
The class was great! I'm not saying I was great, but I did enjoy the class. There were songs that I recognized and the moves were challenging, but not impossible. And by the end of class, I had worked up a good sweat. My friend and I left feeling good and very glad we went!
It was really a lot of fun. My only problem with dancing is I think I have developed a complex over the years. I am a people watcher and I have watched a lot of bad dancers and thought to myself...do I look like that? This has made me very self conscious about dancing which in turn has actually made my dancing kind of bad.
You have to let go when you dance and really get into it for it to look good. I have no problem doing this in the privacy of my own home, but put me in a room with other people (and in this case a huge mirrored wall) and I do everything as if I am doubting myself.
I didn't have this problem when I was younger. I was a cheerleader in high school and had no problem dancing in front of the whole school. Even my first few years of college, I didn't mind getting out there on the dance floor with all my girls. But years of watching other people dance has made me self conscious about it, and I now avoid it unless I have some liquid courage or am completely alone. (You should have seen me last night rocking out in my living room with my new Zumba moves.)
Maybe this Zumba stuff can help me get my confidence back! I ordered a DVD so I can get used to doing it full force alone for a little while and I plan on going back to the class (not every week because you know- money is tight, but I think I'd rather use $7 to go to that class than go to a movie! So it will be like my treat every once in a while).
This is totally not the type of dancing I had in mind when I put "Take a Dance Class" on my list, but I think it's just what I needed!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Not Domestically Inclined but Creatively Frustrated
I only took one Home Ec class in high school and the only thing I remember from it is that you are supposed to flip the pancakes when the little bubbles start to form and burst in the batter.
I am not very “domestic”.
I don’t really cook very often. If I ever needed something that requires minor sewing attention, such as a pair of pants that need to be hemmed or a button that need to be sewn back on, I would take it to my mom. She has since given me numerous “iron-on” hemming products. I think she is trying to tell me something, but the joke is on her because I don’t know how to iron either! In college I used to get my roommate to iron stuff for me since she was obsessed with it. (She would even iron her t-shirt and shorts before going to the gym!) Now I just throw things back in the dryer on the "wrinkle release" setting.
I know that I am officially getting old because this is starting to bother me. I want to be able to cook scrumptious meals every night. I want to be able to hem my own pants. I want to be a domestic goddess...or at least an apprentice.
But even weirder, I want to make stuff. I want to buy a sewing machine that also does monogramming. Then, not only will I be able to hem my own pants, make cute homemade dog dollars, sew my own reusable grocery bags, and maybe even make my next Halloween costume from scratch, but I will be able to monogram cute gifts for my friends…and for me!
I mean I could see myself getting obsessed with it and sewing cute little things every chance I got. (I could also see myself getting frustrated with it if it doesn’t work the way I want it to.)
The only problem is sewing machines that do monogramming are not cheap. And they seem kind of complicated.
I think I need to determine how important this is to me and then maybe save up for a sewing machine and sign up for a beginner’s class.
You see I think there is a frustrated artist inside of me wanting to get out. Every year of high school, and even in college, I took some kind of art class. I wasn’t a genius at it, but I enjoyed it. I loved my pottery, calligraphy, and color & design courses. Sewing could be a new outlet for my creativity.
Either that or photography…or pottery…or painting…hmm what do I want to do?
Sewing would be the most “practical” and “domestic” thing to do...or cooking or baking, but all that food for just little ol' me would not be good for my waist. And I don't think you want to see me getting "creative" in the kitchen.
Maybe I should wait and add something like this to my 40 Before 40 list (gosh that sounds so old!) and concentrate on marking off the things I already have on my list now. Like the dance lessons?
I don't know. What do you think?
I am not very “domestic”.
I don’t really cook very often. If I ever needed something that requires minor sewing attention, such as a pair of pants that need to be hemmed or a button that need to be sewn back on, I would take it to my mom. She has since given me numerous “iron-on” hemming products. I think she is trying to tell me something, but the joke is on her because I don’t know how to iron either! In college I used to get my roommate to iron stuff for me since she was obsessed with it. (She would even iron her t-shirt and shorts before going to the gym!) Now I just throw things back in the dryer on the "wrinkle release" setting.
I know that I am officially getting old because this is starting to bother me. I want to be able to cook scrumptious meals every night. I want to be able to hem my own pants. I want to be a domestic goddess...or at least an apprentice.
But even weirder, I want to make stuff. I want to buy a sewing machine that also does monogramming. Then, not only will I be able to hem my own pants, make cute homemade dog dollars, sew my own reusable grocery bags, and maybe even make my next Halloween costume from scratch, but I will be able to monogram cute gifts for my friends…and for me!
I mean I could see myself getting obsessed with it and sewing cute little things every chance I got. (I could also see myself getting frustrated with it if it doesn’t work the way I want it to.)
The only problem is sewing machines that do monogramming are not cheap. And they seem kind of complicated.
I think I need to determine how important this is to me and then maybe save up for a sewing machine and sign up for a beginner’s class.
You see I think there is a frustrated artist inside of me wanting to get out. Every year of high school, and even in college, I took some kind of art class. I wasn’t a genius at it, but I enjoyed it. I loved my pottery, calligraphy, and color & design courses. Sewing could be a new outlet for my creativity.
Either that or photography…or pottery…or painting…hmm what do I want to do?
Sewing would be the most “practical” and “domestic” thing to do...or cooking or baking, but all that food for just little ol' me would not be good for my waist. And I don't think you want to see me getting "creative" in the kitchen.
Maybe I should wait and add something like this to my 40 Before 40 list (gosh that sounds so old!) and concentrate on marking off the things I already have on my list now. Like the dance lessons?
I don't know. What do you think?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Update on The List
I feel like it is taking FOREVER to cross the next thing off my list! (I’ve already told y’all I’m not patient at all!) I am also getting a little nervous because 2 years seemed like a long time when I made the list, but time goes by more quickly than you expect. And if I don’t get everything crossed off I am going to feel like a complete LOSER, so the pressure is really on. It would really help if I could find a money tree somewhere around here. I didn’t realize so many of these things are going to require a good chunk of change!
Anyway, here is an update on The List progress:
Anyway, here is an update on The List progress:
- Get in the best shape of my life- the 5K training is helping with this a little, but I need to step it up! Maybe I’ll get a trainer? They really do help!
- Try snowboarding – trying to get a ski trip planned for Feb. I guess I’ll be renting a board instead of skis!
- Get a job I love – Still no word here. I am thinking about going back to school.
- Take Cam to an agility class- no time or funds right now. But he did learn to “bow” recently (it’s so cute!)
- Pay all my own bills (with no help from mom)- I plan on taking over my car insurance when I get a new car next year. (My lease runs out in April.) I’ll have to learn to budget better in order to take over the gas though, and hopefully prices will go down a little.
- Ask out a crush- This would require an adequate crush. There are none at this point in time. Sad…I know!
- Run a 5K- I might have to take a week off from training because I have the worst blisters on the back of my heels! Or maybe I could run in flip-flops?
- Go to a water park and not feel self-conscious- luckily I don’t have to worry about this until at least next summer!
- Kayak- too cold to kayak now, but I think a camping/kayaking trip in the mountains sounds fabulous!
- Catch a fish- This can wait until summer
- Open my heart to someone- Yeah, that would require a guy. (see #6)
- Make a baby laugh- My friend in ATL is having a baby in Feb. Maybe I will get a chance to go out there to meet the little munchkin, act stupid and get a laugh out of him!
- Change a diaper (no I have never done this) - I don’t want to think about this. But whatever baby laughs at me, I guess the least I can do to thank them is change their diaper!
- Go on a mission trip- I found out about a mission trip to South Africa in December, but I looked it up on the website today and it costs $2500! That took the wind out of my sails!
- Help a stranger- no strangers that need help have crossed my path yet
- Find a doctor I trust- haven’t had time to investigate this yet, plus I have been pretty healthy, so there hasn’t been any motivation to do so.
- Grow a plant- I’m going to wait until growing season for this (someone please let me know when “growing season” is!)
- Upgrade one room in my house- My light fixture in my kitchen broke. I had already been thinking this would be the room I would re-do. So I guess I’ll do it one thing at a time. I’ll post some pics when I finally get a new light fixture!
- Travel abroad- yeah money is an issue with this one. I might have to count Mexico as “abroad”!
Swim with a dolphin- Go skinny dipping- No…no desire to do this right now
- Visit Washington, DC – I am trying to see if I can pull together a trip this spring to see the Cherry Blossoms.
- Take a dance lesson- I did have a dance lesson from a 7 year old last week…does that count?
Sing Karaoke- Invest in the stock market- umm…have you seen the news? I don’t want to get on that roller coaster ride!
- Kiss in the rain- Need I remind you? …THERE IS NO GUY in the picture right now. If I kiss my dog in the rain could that count? (Yet another reminder of how pathetic I am!)
- Read the Bible all the way through- I signed up for this “Bible in a Year” email service. It emails you a selection each day and in a year you will have read the whole Bible! I also joined a Bible study group. We actually have to memorize a new verse each week. It takes me back to Bible School days!
- Go see a movie at the theater- alone!- Nothing that I am dying to see right now
- Attempt Surfing- Again…waiting for summer…too cold for the ocean right now!
Purchase 1 piece of expensive jewelry for myself- By the way, the other night I thought I lost one of my earrings and FREAKED out! It was just the icing on a bad day that I didn’t need! Luckily I found it in between the sheets on my bed. Note to self: Do not wear expensive earrings to bed anymore.
Oh and I finally finished my latest book! Check out my review of The Friday Night Knitting Club on my Bookshelf Blog!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thoughts on finding “The One”…
My Dating History so far:
Kindergarten BFF- taught me boys can be fun! (Dump Trucks Rock!)
Rat-tailed 5th grader fling- taught me the stress of Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t take the pressure so I dumped him that day- He was way more into me and I didn’t like that rat tail)
Middle School Boys- where I developed the art of the crush
First High School BF- taught me how embarrassing my dad can be and how a first kiss can give you butterflies (then he moved away)
My First BadBoy- taught me guys are liars and cheaters even if they do act like they love you
First Upperclassman- taught me even cute guys can be big dorks
Band Guy- taught me guys can be really sweet and nice but also can rip a friendship apart (even though it totally isn’t worth it, I shouldn’t have been jealous)
First LOVE- taught me what love really feels like and how much life can hurt
Rebound Guy- taught me how you can kiss other boys and not feel guilty when you just aren’t that into someone (sorry rebound guy)
The LONG timer- taught me a guy can totally get you and be your bestest friend ever but at the same time totally SUCK at being a boyfriend (and that guys can make girls go crazy)
The Work Romance- taught me a guy can be an AMAZING boyfriend but if you don’t “get” each other or “click” it just won’t work
Kindergarten BFF- taught me boys can be fun! (Dump Trucks Rock!)
Rat-tailed 5th grader fling- taught me the stress of Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t take the pressure so I dumped him that day- He was way more into me and I didn’t like that rat tail)
Middle School Boys- where I developed the art of the crush
First High School BF- taught me how embarrassing my dad can be and how a first kiss can give you butterflies (then he moved away)
My First BadBoy- taught me guys are liars and cheaters even if they do act like they love you
First Upperclassman- taught me even cute guys can be big dorks
Band Guy- taught me guys can be really sweet and nice but also can rip a friendship apart (even though it totally isn’t worth it, I shouldn’t have been jealous)
First LOVE- taught me what love really feels like and how much life can hurt
Rebound Guy- taught me how you can kiss other boys and not feel guilty when you just aren’t that into someone (sorry rebound guy)
The LONG timer- taught me a guy can totally get you and be your bestest friend ever but at the same time totally SUCK at being a boyfriend (and that guys can make girls go crazy)
The Work Romance- taught me a guy can be an AMAZING boyfriend but if you don’t “get” each other or “click” it just won’t work
I think I have learned a lot from my past relationships. I just need to find someone who can be my best friend but at the same time not SUCK at being a boyfriend. Someone that gives me butterflies but can also make me laugh until it hurts. Someone that wants to have crazy adventures with me and my friends. Someone I can be silly with but who will also do romantic things to surprise me every once in a while. Kind of a mix between the last 2 guys I dated with a lot of the qualities of my First Love. Why is that so hard to find?
But you know what? I am starting to think there isn’t just one guy out there that would fit this bill. I think a lot of it is about timing and confidence of the 2 parties involved. I mean if he won’t approach me, shake me and say “I like you stupid” then it would probably just pass me by because I am so oblivious. Also, if I don’t get my confidence up it’s never going to happen. I need to quit obsessing, but it is hard when your house is so quiet and you feel so isolated everyday. Plus I have a lot of stuff on my list that requires me to find a guy:
#6- Ask out a crush
#11- Open my heart to someone
#26- Kiss in the rain
(Even #23- Take a dance lesson will probably require a boy!)
Oh the pressure! Or Maybe I am just having a down week…who knows!
But you know what? I am starting to think there isn’t just one guy out there that would fit this bill. I think a lot of it is about timing and confidence of the 2 parties involved. I mean if he won’t approach me, shake me and say “I like you stupid” then it would probably just pass me by because I am so oblivious. Also, if I don’t get my confidence up it’s never going to happen. I need to quit obsessing, but it is hard when your house is so quiet and you feel so isolated everyday. Plus I have a lot of stuff on my list that requires me to find a guy:
#6- Ask out a crush
#11- Open my heart to someone
#26- Kiss in the rain
(Even #23- Take a dance lesson will probably require a boy!)
Oh the pressure! Or Maybe I am just having a down week…who knows!
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