Getting back into the swing of things

Today I started back up in a Bible Study. We are studying "Esther" which is Beth Moore's new study. So far, I like it. It is going to be all about being a woman. I think it will be a good study. This morning, as I was driving across town to the study, I was happy to find my ipod on the floor of the car between the seats.

Either I have not been driving much lately (which is weird because I certainly haven't been home...as evidenced by the fact that my Christmas decorations are STILL UP!), or I just haven't had my ipod playing. Maybe I've been listening to too much talk radio. I much prefer listening to music. So, today I put on my "favorites" playlist and just let it play. I don't even remember what is on this play list. Sometimes that is a good way to hear music in a new way, just let the ipod play on "shuffle" or "random".

I can get into a rut when I only listen to a certain playlist over and over again. Today I really enjoyed hearing some good Alison Krauss from her live album. Her songs remind me of a few summers ago, sitting at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, listening to Alison and her band play. The weather was perfect; we didn't get rained upon (which is rare during a summer concert at Red Rocks), and Alison's voice was just clear and pure. In fact, my hubby and I remarked about how quiet the crowd was; it wasn't a typical Red Rocks concert. In fact, I remember crumpling up my soft pretzel wrapper, and the people in front of us turned around as though I had just completely ruined their experience with my rude loudness. (It was kind of funny) Listening to Alison this morning took me back a few summers when things just seemed simpler. I'm not sure why; I'll have to mull that one over. I think it is because her music is simple and sweet.

Wednesday of this week I got up before the crack of Dawn to be in a two hour Zumba class/live broadcast for a local TV station. My sweet husband insisted that I do this; he stayed home long enough in the morning to make sure all 3 kids were safely off to school. They watched the news to see me. I wish I had set up our VCR to tape it. I have no idea what it all looked like. About every 20 minutes or so, we did a live shot, just for a few minutes. I figured we'd just wait around between live shots but actually we ended up dancing for almost the entire time. It was exhausting!

I had to go straight to work from there (I felt sorry for my co-workers...i'm sure I was totally RIPE by that point) and by the afternoon, I was pretty exhausted. But the music in Zumba class is very energizing. I love Latin music! I never knew I loved it until about mid-November when I started going to Zumba at my health club. It is addicting. You can't help but feel great when you hear the music. It is the most fun I have ever had working out. I am actually sad when class is over! That, I can honestly say, has NEVER happened to me in my lifetime!

I have a few songs on my ipod by a group called The Iguanas. We got a cd probably about 15 years ago when we were dating, from our friend, who has the largest music collection I have ever seen. He knows and appreciates so many obscure groups, and sometimes we just end up falling in love with his new discoveries. The Iguanas play all sorts of cool music. Some of the songs, I can imagine, would be excellent for Zumba classes. Maybe I'll make a playlist of them and on the days that I can't get to class, I'll just Zumba in my bathroom!

I don't know what it is about Latin music, but it makes me feel like I'm on a beach vacation. I used to listen to the spanish radio station when I lived in downtown Chicago, years ago. It reminded me of being in Cancun. Maybe that is why I now correlate my Zumba music with being on a vacation. I just hope that someday if we ever travel back to Mexico or somewhere way down south, I'll be able to get up and do a salsa, cumbia, merengue, or cha cha like a native. If you have never heard of Zumba, you should check out the website and find a class near you. www.zumba.com. It is an amazing workout (I've yet to see any weight loss, but I can totally tell my core and hips are getting in shape). You'll probably love the music too; just give it a chance.