My Mama Always Says, "It Pays to Hint!"

It’s true. My mom always says that whenever I open a gift from her that is exactly what I wanted. I may have even forgotten I wanted it. But, she was paying attention and heard me say I liked it. She always smirks a little and says, “It pays to hint!”

Well, all these years later and mom’s words of wisdom may have paid off! Last Thursday, I took my daughter to her ballet class. While she was doing her thing, I went into the little shop full of cute leotards and tutus. As I was paying for the tights I bought for my little ballerina, I asked, “You guys have adult Zumba classes here, don’t you?”

“Not anymore,” the gal at the register replied.


And there’s my opportunity! “Oh! I just moved here from California. I’m a newly licensed instructor. I was teaching back there. I’d love to find a good Zumba class!”

She walked right into my web, “Oh, really!? Well, here, (hands me a pen and paper), write down your name and number. I’ll give it to the owner (of the dance school). She’s been thinking about bringing it back.”

That was a week ago. I haven’t heard back yet, but I’m not giving up. Even if this doesn’t pan out, I’ll keep looking for a place in town to share my love of Zumba!

How I Measure Success Along My Fitness Journey

I can finally take a breath and share what I consider to be something very awesome and very relevant to this page!

Before I moved out to Texas, my BFF & I went out for one last hurrah. Hubs rented us a limo and away we went. I'll spare you the silly details, cuz our craziness just doesn't make much sense if you don't share a brain like we do...and it's really not relevant to the point I'm trying to make.

The cool thing is, the next day I was looking at pics, reliving the experience. I was laughing about the silly, nonsensical things we had done. Later, it hit me. This photo review was the first time since I can remember (if I were to guess, I'd say my veryyyy early 20s) that I looked at pics of myself and smiled. Not just because of the memories with my friend, but I wasn't repulsed by the way I looked. I didn't see my own image and think, "Yuck," and just flip through as quickly as possible to get it over with.

Later, I pondered this and bounced off of said BFF and the hubs...was this reaction due to changes on the outside, or the inside of me? I believe it's a little bit of both.

I share this story to help remind us all to gauge our progress by realizations such as this...not so much by the numbers on the scale or the tag in our jeans. It helps to see movement there, but I believe there are much more valuable measuring sticks in our lives of how we're doing.

Stay beautiful, my friends!

Consolidating Blogs!

I have started several blogs because I am interested in various things. The problem is, it's hard to keep up with all of them! I like to write about all of the things in my life such as beauty, health & wellness, books, crafts, and family stuff.

I made the mistake of creating a blog with my name and the name of the salon where I was working in Chico, California. Now that I live in Texas, that doesn't really make sense any more. So, here I am...blogging about everything I feel like in one, convenient location.

Watch for recipes, book reviews, thoughts on current events, crafty ideas, and more!

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