ZUMBA MASTER CLASS WITH CAMILO

A week before Christmas, me and some of my students had the pleasure to attend a super Zumba Master Class with Camilo Jimenez in SLC.

Me and my girls

It was fun to see and hang out with my Zumba sisters (Marylin, Me and Liliana)

The Brazilian Hotties (Me and Laiza)

Camilo was great! What a workout! We didn't mind a bit, since he's so easy to look at! {{giggles}}

Camilo and Lindsey (ZUMBA EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST) had some fun prizes for us at the end....Fun!


And guess what? I actually won $100 worth of Zumba clothes for being the instructor who brought more students! SCORE!

Us after the class

The girls

I couldn't resist and had to take a picture with him! lol

Me, Camilo, Lindsey and my AWESOME students! They are the reason I WON! I love you guys!

Thanks to my amazing husband who watched the kids for me. I could not do my work if it were not for the GREAT support he gives me. He is the greatest! I love you babe!

KETCHING UP...

Lately I feel that my blog is a big bottle of ketchup that I'm always trying to empty it, but for some reason never can.....however, this is my journal and no matter how long ago the event occurred or how boring the post could be for most people, I strongly feel that I should still post.

It's obvious at this point that I'm never going to catch up on my posts. Therefore, here is one super long one that briefly gives you an idea on how we celebrated our Thanksgiving.....yes, you read it right! I'm still posting about our last Thanksgiving (better late, than never, I guess)

The Mills/Allen/Christensen Crew

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law's house. Mindy was so nice to host a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and I was happy that I didn't have to cook and clean all day (My husband always helps with the cooking, but I always do all the clean up...Ugh!). We each brought a few dishes and at the end we had a delicious and comforting Thanksgiving meal (just how I like it!)

Us

David & Peggy

Mindy & Jason

Joseph & Carie

I was in charge of Thanksgiving activities, so my favorite part of the day was making the Oreo Turkeys with the kids. I couldn't find the orange and yellow candy corn :( I only found the ones with Christmas colors, but I still think they turned out super cute!!!!!

My handsome boy Tiago...I love his smile!!!

Tiffany "The Princess" and her turkey ;)



Cute cousin Damian with his turkey


Adorable Zoey and her turkey



After we were done making the turkeys, the kids couldn't eat them fast enough...lol

Even Peggy made her own Oreo Turkey. She was so proud of herself that she wanted a picture and even took hers home without eating it....wow, that's what I call self-control! {{giggles}}

What a fun family day full of great memories!

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY TO ME!!

WooHoo! I just realized that it's my blogoversary today! I'm so glad I'm finally blogging again :)



2 years ago I started this blog to mainly keep a journal about my life and adventures of being a mom of two little kids. It was definitely one of the best things I've done!

Although I haven't had the time to blog much lately due to all the Zumba classes I've been teaching, I miss it sooooo much and I'm looking forward to another year of blogging and inspiring stay-at-home moms to be healthy and exercise more often.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M 30.....I MEAN 18!

Seriously.....where did the time go? I don't think I could say that last year but thanks to Zumba, I DO feel like I'm only 18! Not only I have more energy than ever, I'm more fit than I was 12 years ago...I couldn't have asked for a better 30th birthday gift in my life!


What an AMAZING year 2009 was! Not only I started teaching Zumba, I also lost 25 pounds, I quit my part time job to do what I love (teach Zumba) and to be a full time Mom, ran my first 5K, got 2 more Zumba certifications, turned 30 and made amazing new friends in the fitness world.


I also have two wonderful kids and a great husband who loves me and supports me in everything I do! What else could I ask for? Life is GREAT!!!!



30 ROCKS!!!!

GNO - NEW MOON - ABOUT TIME!!!!

Ok, I'm tired of neglecting my blog and one of my new year resolutions is to update at least once a week. I know that's still not often as I would like, but I want to be realistic and when/if things slow down a bit I can start blogging more often again. I do miss everyone....family, friends and all my readers. But what I miss most are the friendships I've created in the blog world, so please don't give up one me :)


Back in November for our GNO we saw none other than Twilight sequel New Moon! The movie itself was AWESOME! I couldn't help but laugh at the awes and giddy giggles from people in the theater when Jacob took his shirt off for the first time. Jacob seriously dominated in the shirtless category, but I'm still TEAM EDWARD!!!!!


First, as our tradition we met at Olive Garden for some yummy food and to celebrate the birthday of all the girls in November (including yours truly). It was crazy! We had at least 35 excited, giddy ladies in that restaurant....It looked like Hollywood with all the cameras and flashes going off everywhere (most of us are Bloggers). I'm sure the servers quit after we left! lol


Then, he headed to the movie theater....Luckily we were one of the first ones in line, so we were able to wait inside instead of in the freezing cold outside like we did last year!



As I said, I LOVED the movie! I think New Moon just blew Twilight out of the water. When I watched this movie, I felt like I was watching one of my favorite books being brought to life. I can see why some people didn't like it. But then again there are so many more reasons to like it then dislike it. This movie did rush the book some, but what are they suppose to do? They want to please the fans of the book which means staying true to it as much as possible, which is what they did. As I said, Jacob looks good, but Edward is my favorite for sure!


Anyway, we definitely had a night to remember! I can't wait until the next movie comes out so we can do everything all over again! As Tiffany would say...."I LOVE MY GIRLS"!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM CALIFORNIA...

As I mentioned on the last post, my trip to San Ramon CA was AMAZING!!! Not only I learned a lot with the two new certifications I got, but I also met tons of Zumba celebrities and made lots of new friends.

Me and Gina Grant right before the Zumbatomic workshop

Me and Vanessa Lupercio. She is one of the several ZES's (ZUMBA EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST) I met there.

More ZES's....Jessica and Tony Witt

Me and Marcie Phillips

Group picture after Zumbatomic Workshop....So fun!

Breakfast with Beto Perez.....On my second day in CA, I found out I was staying at the same hotel as Beto Perez (creator of Zumba). Not only that, but I got to have breakfast with him. How luck am I???

Me and Priscila Sartori....the Brazilian girls! She's actually Beto's assistant....wow, I want that job! lol

Me and Diane Felkenes

Me and the amazing Jani Roberts, right after her Master Class

Us after the Zumba Toning Workshop

Wow.... just looking at all the pictures makes me want to go back in time. Oh, the memories!!!! I truly feel so grateful and blessed to have Zumba and such a supportive family in my life!

I'll NEVER forget that weekend! ;)

ZUMBA ACADEMY - SAN RAMON, CA

I don't have time to go into details right now, but let me just tell you that for my 30th birthday, my husband gave me a trip to California to get some Zumba training and meet tons of Zumba celebrities.

It was a trip that I'll never forget! What a blast!!! It was so fun, I didn't want to come home...(shhh....don't tell anyone)




I'll post more about it later, but for now.....


Plane ticket $220
Workshops $315
Hotel $250
A weekend of Zumba.....PRICELESS!!!!!

HEE HAW FARMS

Alright, alright...I know you're probably sick of all the Halloween posts, but I promise this is the last one....HAHA!

I love Fall and all the fun things we get to do with the kids. This year, we went to a super fun farm called HEE HAW FARMS for the first time. The kids had a blast!!!!



Me and my cute kids..


The kids at the maze....

My two little farmers...

Going down the slides...


Feeding the animals...


Getting a ride on the animal train...


Kids on the Hayride...

More rides...


Pedal cars....

Us again...happy and ready to go home!

HALLOWEEN RECAP - BETTER LATE THAN NEVER...

Okay, so Halloween came and went, Thanksgiving already passed and I hope I can finish blogging about all of it before Christmas comes....

You can always tell life is completely insane when I don't update my blog for more than a week, I used to be better about it and post at least 3 to 5 times a week, but now I'll be happy if I find time in my crazy life to update at least once a week!

This was one of the busiest Halloweens we have ever had...4 parties in 3 days!!! I know, I know...I'm a party animal! But, how can I say no to a party??? Especially when involves friends and chocolate!!! (evil laugh)

First we had Tiffany's preschool party...


Then, we had Tiago's first grade party...


Then, I went to a super fun Zumba Halloween class/party...



And to finish a great Halloween season, we had a party with some of our closest friends...





We also had a Halloween Party for the family at our house, but somehow when I tried to transfer the pics from the camera into the computer, they were all gone. So, I still don't know if the kids got a hold of the camera and deleted them all or what??? :( :( :(
It took me a few days to recover from the loss, but I'm doing better now!

A great Halloween was had by all! I can't wait till next year :)

HALLOWEEN 2009 - MILLS STYLE

Ok, so Halloween is finally over and at our house we had a whole month of celebration with lots of fun activities for the kids!

We started with decorating Pumpkins. Meet.....The Mills Family!

Can you see the resemblance???? lol

The kids and I had a blast decorating them! Unfortunately Daddy was at work that night working hard for us, but we still had fun!!!

Tiffany and her Pumpkin - The smile is almost the same, right?!?!

Tiago and his Devil-Dumbo looking Pumpkin - He was so proud of his creation!

And.....Myself with my adorable looking Pumpkin - Oh gosh, I wish I had those eyes!!!! lol (Please ignore my tired, makeup-less face and messy hair ....I had just finished teaching a killer Zumba class)

We also decorated cookies....







































































Here are my cookies....I think I had more fun than the kids! HA!




We also BOO-ed some of our neighbors!




The kids loved ringing their door bell, dropping off the plate of goodies and running away, but the very next day when the neighborhood kids asked who did it, Tiago told them and our secret was revealed :(

His excuse was....Mom, you said that we always need to say the truth!!!! (How can I be mad at that?)


We also went to a fun farm and several Halloween parties (next post). Halloween is definitely one of our favorite holidays!

WORLD MIX DJ SERVICES PRESENTS....ISADORA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

James and I had the pleasure to put together a list of fun songs for Isadora's Birthday Party. She turned 15 and had a darling party at the beginning of last month.

We got to take our kiddos with us (a very rare thing). Usually James is so busy DJing and I'm busy making sure the event is going smoothly and we don't have time to deal with kids, but this time everything worked out great because we had family and friends to help out, plus they were so busy playing and dancing with their friends that I didn't even notice they were there...HA!

It was a fancy party, so everyone was looking FABULOUS! It only took me 3 hours and 5 stores to find a dress I liked, but I was very pleased with it! I loved my dress!

Me, Kevin (nephew) and Stephany (niece). I can't believe how big they are!

My brother Ricardo and I (I know, I know, I'm the cutest of the family!) LOL

Me and the Birthday Girl!

After she changed her dress Tiffany and the other little girls kept taking her flowers, because they said she was a real princess....So cute!

Once the party started it was non-stop dancing! DJ J-Bomb rocked the house!

They were all fire burning on dance floor! So fun!

The teenagers and kids also danced all night long!

We were so happy to be able to DJ such a fun party....What a blast!
Stay tuned for more WORLD MIX events. We have a wedding at the end of November and New Year's Eve Party at Tucanos Brazilian Grill...WooHoo!

ICE AGE DIORAMA

Tiago had to make his very first diorama for school. They were learning about the Ice Age so that was the theme for it.


At first I started to freak out because I hated doing dioramas when I was in school, but then I remember how much he loves legos and how Daddy could help since Lego building is their favorite thing to do together!


Dang, I'm good! Not only turned out super awesome, but Daddy and Tiago had a blast making it! Great bonding time for sure!


It was actually the second best in his class....I was so proud! Way to go Tiago and thanks Daddy for helping ;)

YOU ROCK TIAGO!

BRAZILIAN FESTIVAL 2009

Okay, as I mentioned on the last post, here are some more pictures from the Brazilian Festival 2009 that took place at The Gateway Mall back on September 19th.


My best friend Mari and I got to teach Zumba 3 times! It was so much fun! I can't wait until next year for some more Zumba fun and yummy Brazilian food!!!


Thanks to my awesome husband for taking most of the pics, filming our choreos and watching the kids while I taught Zumba! I love you babe!

Me and kids at the Brazilian Parade! It was so much fun!

The kids also had a blast at the Splash Pad!

More Zumba in front of Tucanos

Me advertising my class at CBA
The poor guy behind us didn't know what to do with himself....lol



It was amazing to see the amount of people that showed up for the event!

Definitely a success!

ZUMBA, ZUMBA, ZUMBA!

ZUMBA at the GNO in August

Alright guys....Do I have any readers left??? I hope so!!!!!
The reason why I haven't updated my blog again is because of all the Zumba I've been doing everywhere and I'm not really sorry this time, do you know why?

ZUMBA at the Brazilian Festival in September (more pics coming soon)

Because, last year I updated my blog almost every day, I commented on other blogs like crazy, I spent most of my time in front of the computer and I also was 22 pounds heavier and unhappy!

Please, don't get me wrong! I have nothing against anybody who is doing that and I still LOVE blogging, but I've also learn that I need to do what makes me happy! ZUMBA makes me happy!

ZUMBA at Fabulous Friday also in September

I can finally look at myself in the mirror again and like what I see! I have more energy to play with my kids and do everything required by a mom, wife, chofer, cook, housekeeper and the list goes on...........And still have energy to teach 6 Zumba classes every week!

I love my life and finally feel like I found my purpose in life! To be able to help not only myself but other people to feel better and healthier is the best job I could ever ask for! In fact, it doesn't even feel like a job, since I get paid to do what I love the most : DANCE.

ZUMBA with Brazilian friends in October

Anyway, going back to my point....Find happiness in your live whatever it is, whatever it takes!

MY FIRST 5K

Today I ran my very first 5K - The PiMi - Utah County's Annual Charity Race! To say I was nervous would have been an understatement, but overall, it was an amazing experience!



We all had to leave the house by 7:00am, in order for me to be there for registration at 8:00am. But of course, that didn't happen, so I had to drive by myself and meet James and the kids there later cheering for me on the finish line. I got lost on the way there, because google maps sucks! But finally made it, after stopping and asking two guys two different times for directions! I'm so glad I'm not a guy, otherwise I wouldn't have made it!!!! Get it? LOL


When I arrived, it was freezing cold! I parked the car and headed to registration, then got my free t-shirt...YAY! My race number was 715. Now it was official - no turning back!
When I finally found my two friends that were running with me there, I felt more at ease. We talked for a while to distract each other and soon was time to go. I saw that a lot of people had their headphones on, so I was really glad that I'd brought mine. I knew my ZUMBA play list would calm me down and make me think it was just another class I was teaching! FUN!


I forced myself to run a bit slower than I wanted to, a lot of people were passing me, but I knew I'd pass a lot of people later on because I was playing it smart and starting slower ;) My goal was to run the entire race, no matter what speed, so I focused on that and before I knew it, I was at the top! And guess what song came on at the very end of the race? Don't Stop Believing from the new TV show GLEE. That's my new favorite song and I use it for the cool down of my class - perfect timing! I really started to push myself and soon enough, I could see the finish line! There were a lot of people standing there and cheering as the runners came in and I could see my sweet husband and my kids. What a great feeling!



I don't know exactly how many people were running, but all I know is that my time was 30:25 and I came in 15th place! Not bad for my first 5k, I'd say that's pretty darn good! A big THANK YOU goes out to my husband, kids and friends who have been so unbelievably supportive of me during this whole running process! I couldn't have done it without you! Oh, and Zumba, of course...hehe ;)

My new running quote: “You are better than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can.”

I can't wait for the next 5K!