Holy moly, this year is going by way too fast! I can't even handle it!
I was completely ambushed after subbing Suzanne's class a few weeks ago and presented as the "Employee of the Month" for September! Crazyyyy! My supervisor walked in and my first thought was, "Ohhh crap, I'm totally in trouble for using J. Lo's Booty song!" Hahaha! :)
It was definitely nice to be recognized... Higher up Y peeps I didn't even know where coming up to me and congratulating me! Added bonus was my mom happened to be there! Yay!
...Except Samantha. She's freaking awesome! But we'll get to that.
Ya know how I went to the doctor last week, only to get turned away because apparently they weren't my provider anymore?
Ha.
I swear, people suck so hard.
Today, my new doctor's office calls me to get my insurance information. I give it to the nice guy (Justin) over the phone and all is well.
5 minutes later, I get a call back.
Justin: "Hey, so no big deal, but I guess your insurance doesn't list us as your provider. You can either go to that doctor, or give your insurance company a quick call and switch it over to be us."
Me: *Stunned and has no words for at least 10 seconds* "Wait, what?! So what you're saying is that when I went to my doctor last week, they rudely turned me away saying THEY weren't my provider anymore - only they actually are?!"
Justin: "Oh man, I'm so sorry! ...But yeah."
Me: "Man, some people suck so hard!"
Justin: *Laughs*
Let me just spell that out for you one more time... I WAS STILL COVERED BY MY OLD DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND I COULD'VE HAD MY FREAKING APPOINTMENT LAST WEEK! ONLY PEOPLE SUCK AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THEIR JOB! GAHHHHHHH!
It took me 5 minutes to switch it over to my new doctor. That is something the receptionist at my old place should have offered to do for me - especially given my reaction!
Granted, now I'm happy I switched because if you can't get something as simple as someone's insurance right (much less show ANY compassion towards someone who is clearly upset), I don't want to be associated with them anyway.
I think what makes it the ultimate worst, is that my poor hubby, that I was SO upset with last week for "switching" my provider, was right the whole time.
I hate being wrong!!!
So that brings me back to how AWESOME some people are!
My Tuesday night Zumba class rocks my world... Some days it's hard to get there, but I can always count on Samantha to be there with a smile on! She is seriously the best! I love talking to her - She is always so real and I feel like I've known her for years! I adore how she (nicely!) lets me know a song has been on my playlist for wayyyyy too long, and I love when she has song/choreo suggestions! So not only is she gonna help teach me to french braid my own hair (one of my resolutions!), tonight she showed up with a gift for me...
Do you see that?! Besides the hot sweaty mess that is me... There is "Kristyn's 'it is wayyy too hot' emergency cool down pack"!
Those that know me, know I have "sweat issues". Those that don't know me know I have "sweat issues". I sweat more than anyone I know. Add any extra heat (i.e. temperature outside), and it's no bueno!
Samantha shows up tonight with an already chilled, freaking AWESOME, ice pack - AND a headband to hold it in place!
The past few weeks, I've been putting ziplock bags of ice on myself to cool myself down enough to get a couple hours of sleep... Only to wake up in a puddle wondering if I've peed on myself!!!
I'm still shocked at the awesomeness of this gesture... But I had to get a blog post about it ASAP! So Samantha, if you are reading this - THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You rock!
In a sea of people that are the worst, you are AMAZING!
:)
Stay sparkly... And if you're feeling up to it, do something to make someone's day... I know this made my entire month... Think of what a very simple act of kindness can do!
It's fall. I think you missed the memo. It should not be 72 degrees at 7:00 am. Please stop this awful heat wave.
Sincerely,
Kristyn
Okay, I know it's beautiful and perfect where I live about 90% of the year and I have no right to complain. However, the 10% where it is NOT perfect, it is literal hell for me.
It is wayyyy too hot! I know the title of my blog is "SWEAT and Sparkles"... But really, sweating while laying in bed is not cute!
End of rant. For today.
;)
My reign of "Super Summer Sub" is officially over! I'm DONE subbing Zumba for awhile, hooray! I got a B on my Pysch exam I took last week, which is pretty good considering I completely forgot to look at the first chapter!
On Saturday, I spent the night at my mama's to try and escape the heat. A little bit of a trade off, as it was much cooler under the fan, but not so comfy on the couch! My dog was not at all amused.
I ended up crashing a friend of my stepdad's son's (phew!) birthday party with family. It was a lot of fun, surprisingly! My mama loves to dance so we spent most of the time dancing on the dance floor. The mom of the kid LOVES Zumba, and is part Columbian, so she was playing all her favorite jams!
Extra added bonus: Yummy Phil's BBQ (Gluten free BBQ sauce, win!) and a photobooth!
On the agenda for today: A whole 'lotta nothing! Until I have to work at 2:20!
I woke up today actually excited to get to the doctor. That excitement, was sadly, short lived.
First things first, had to go on campus to take a Psych exam... Weeeee!
(Not.)
Then straight from there, I take off for good 'ole Carmel Valley where my doctor office is located.
Well, nothing could be simple or easy for me, could it? I get there and they ask for my new insurance card, which I happily oblige - Oops, gave them my vision insurance card first (OMG, I have vision?! New glasses after having the same pair since 6th grade?!? Score!)...
Then they drop the bombshell.
I AM currently insured, but unfortunately (despite my husband assuring me multiple times I had the same doctor), I am no longer in their network.
What. The. Crap.
Are you KIDDING me?!
So now it's the 9th of September... I called two weeks ago to make the appointment to try and get in at the beginning of the month with my doctor (only to be told she's booked up solid), and now she's not even my doctor and I basically have to start the process all over with someone else in a new office?!
I'm so sick of feeling like crap all the time, and I was so happy to finally get it taken care of. That's when the tears start, and more or less don't stop for hours.
I basically threw myself into a self-induced, panic attack mess. I feel terrible for whomever I talked to at Sharp (my new network), because I could barely spell my last name when trying to schedule - yet another - appointment.
I finally pull it together before I have to work, but I was more or less rendered useless. Luckily for me, it was just my babysitting gig, and the cutie pie wasn't feeling so great either. We both just moped on the couch all day... Which is not too different from most days, but was nice to have company.
Since I knew I was basically useless to the world and tried to get a sub for my 7 p.m. Zumba class. No luck. Naturally. Only I bend over backwards to help someone out to sub. No one ever seems to return the favor when I need it most. I head back home for the hour and a half before class.
Commence epic meltdown, part 2.
I couldn't breathe, that's how hard I was crying. Ugh.
I end up knocking myself out and crashing on my bed for a good 20 minutes.
Can today just be over?
Class was brutal for me. I'm dying of heat (like most native Southern Californian's, I have a comfort level of between 69 and 74 degrees) and combined with today's events, I'm more than ready to just crawl back into bed.
Only, it's way past 9 p.m. and I'm still awake.
Boo.
My new doctor's appointment is next Wednesday now. Hope you are feeling way more sparkly than me.
More exciting, is that it's SEPTEMBER! Holy crap. I am finally, finally, FINALLY insured! Sweet lord, hallelujah! I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, so hopefully they can get to the bottom of why I've been feeling like crap for the past few months.
Anyone else ready for this awful heat wave to end??? I know, we live in Southern California. It is perfect 85% of the year and I really have NO right to complain. However, my body has a comfort level of 69 - 74 degrees. Yup. That's it. Any cooler and I'm FREEZING (and of course, I refuse to wear pants - #kristynhatespants), and any warmer and I'm melting. I hate it. If it hits 80+, I'm straight up miserable.
Disney was great, but I'm totally bummed to not have passes anymore. We'll see how long that lasts.
My favorite moment from our day:
Belle. Selfie.
That happened.
I may or may not have pushed kids out of my way to ensure a picture with her. I more or less lose my shit every time I see her or Mary Poppins at Disneyland.
Over at California Adventure, we rode "Tower of Terror", per usual. It's not a Disney trip if we don't make it on the ride... Fun fact: I named my dog, Twilight, after the ride. I own almost the entire series on DVD. She is NOT named after the terrible vampire books (and even more terrible vampire movies).
Isn't she a love?! That's from the first couple weeks I had her...
And there's a more recent pic... I adore her little gray beard! :)
Well, I guess that's it for now. Not too much happening in the exciting world of Kristyn. Although, maybe something to note: Hubby is planning to change the word, "Yes" to auto correct in my phone to "No", because I apparently have a hard time turning things down. So if you ask me if I'd like a million dollars, and you get "No" as a response, I'd go ahead and assume my phone has been officially hacked! ;)
It's official... I suck at life. Okay, maybe not at life, but certainly at this blog. Some updates in my world: Summer was long and financially draining. The girl I babysit was out of town or in camps half the time, so my bank account quickly dwindled down to double digits. Not fun. In an attempt to make up for lost funds, I subbed any and all classes that came my way - even Stroller Jam. "No" was not in my vocabulary. I ended up subbing a gazillion classes at the Y. Yup, a gazillion. Funny story about that... The Y sent off this email the other day, saying that they wanted to recognize all the instructors who subbed more than 10 classes between May and August. Thinking I'm definitely one of them, I scan the list - only I'm not on it. At this point, I'm totally bummed and feeling wayyyyy under appreciated. Then I scroll down a few more lines: "...And our SUPER SUMMER SUB of 2014 is... Kristyn C!"
Ha. :) That being said, I have been feeling way less than sparkly. Is Mercury in Retro? My mood tends to get all outta whack when that happens. School started last week - 2 online classes: Psychology and Kinesiology. Bring on the fun! Then all I have left is Biology and I'll have my Associates Degree. Started my new job last week too. New babysitting gig Monday - Thursday. The kids are a ton of fun and it doesn't interfere with Zumba. I also got asked to start back up at Thinker Things. Yay for them wanting to work around my crazy schedule, and double yay for getting to wrap presents! My 3 year wedding anniversary was yesterday - all together now, "Awwww!" Should you feel the need to see an overload of baby Kristyn and the hubby, click the link below (opens in a new window). Talk about a Throwback Thursday!
Yes, my hair is black. Yes, I made my necklace. Yes, out of Legos. Yes, hubby is wearing a Lego boutonnière. We are nerds, what do you expect?! We are celebrating by going to Disney tomorrow, and it's sadly the last time we are going for awhile. Our passes both expire on Monday, and we just didn't get enough use out of them this year. Boo. I was crafty over the past few weeks and made a couple of "Awesome Jars" for birthday presents. Literally, it is a jar full of reasons why I think that person is awesome. I think they were well received, and these didn't break the bank. I like to think they brightened the recipient's day... I'd be stoked if I got a jar like this:
Okay, I guess that's about it for now! I'll try to keep you all in the loop - but no promises! Stay sparkly, Kristyn
I mentioned in my last post that I just recently got home from the Zumba Conference in Los Angeles... What a weekend that was!
I left for South Pasadena (shout out to Jackie D for letting me stay with her!) on Thursday afternoon after spending most of the morning in a packing fog. I just don't know how to pack!
This video sums it up in a nutshell:
I mean, what IF there was a zombie apocalypse?! I'd want to be prepared for that sort of thing!
So naturally, I left way later than I planned to and my 1.5 hour drive turned into a 2.5 hour drive (thank you LA traffic and construction), but I finally made it to Jackie's house. I got settled in and headed off to bed early, as I knew I had a full day ahead of me!
Finally made it!
On the schedule for Friday:
Kick Off Session
Dancing Through the Decades
Fierce Funk
Fitness Concert
The Kick Off Session was actually really great! Beto Perez (aka the founder of Zumba) came on and brought out Augie Nieto, who has Lou Gehrig's disease. He talked about how our Zumbathon's for ALS are helping take steps to treat and find a cure. Next up was Marci Shimoff, co-author of a handful of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I was pleasantly surprised what a fantastic and inspiring speaker she was. Finally, we were treated to a little demo of Zumba Step - it looks like a ton of fun! Bringing the 90's aerobics back with a Zumba twist!
At the Kick Off Session!
My first official session was Dancing Through the Decades with Zumba Education Specialist (ZES) Kass Martin. I took her session last year, but wanted to start off this Conference with some familiarity - there are over 3,000 instructors present and it's really easy to get overwhelmed (especially me)!
The session was amazing, as expected! Some familiar songs from last year like "Call Me" by Blondie, and some new (old!) jams like "Blame it on the Boogie" by The Jacksons.
Me with the lovely instructors (Kass to my left) of "Dancing Through the Decades"!
We had a little break in between the sessions, so I wandered around the Convention Center for a bit and bumped into Heidi Torres, another ZES.
Gahhh! That hair! LOVE!
I may or may not have went shopping after...
Okay, I shopped!
My next session was Fierce Funk. I had my reservations about that session, but it turned out to be FABULOUS! I love how Pepper Von taught the dance, and he (and his crew!) were amazing! I would take that session again in a heartbeat!
Get it, get it, get it, get it, get it! Get funky with it!
I had a bunch of time to kill before the concert, and debated running back to Jackie's, but ended up just hanging around a bit more.
Well, it turned out to be worth my while... I bumped into another ZES that I adore, Eric Aglia! I met him last year at the Hip Hop session, and try to see him at Zumba events whenever he is in San Diego!
Me and Eric! Love him and his family!
At this point, I'm just hanging in the lobby, slumming it in my sweats and playing on my phone... I glance up and see Steve Boedt... My FAVORITE ZES! Like let me put this in perspective... I adore Beto, but I saw him a couple times (naturally he was being mobbed by everyone for pics), and didn't feel the need to go squealing up to him... But for Steve Boedt, my inner "fan girl" cannot be contained!
So I go casually walking up to him (ha, yeah right!), and basically ramble off something along the lines of, "OMG, hi! You're Steve Boedt! I'm taking your Pro Skills training tomorrow, but can we take a picture right now? Oh wait, I hate these pants!"
And then I proceed to strip off my sweatpants (my skirt was underneath, I swear!) right there in the lobby! I got a couple of whistles... Steve luckily cracks up (BTW, he's gay!) and we take the picture!
You can see my sweatpants in the background!
But needless to say, I was dying! Not one of my finer "ladylike" moments! Haha!
Time for the concert, so I made one final outfit change - The colors for Augie's Quest (the charity Zumba chose for the Fitness Concert) are blue, black, and gray, so naturally my pink top would not have been appropriate ;)
I met up with a couple of my Instructor friends, Zuliya and Cosette, and hung out in the back for most of the concert.
With fellow Y staff, Penny, at the Fitness Concert!
I headed out a bit early... Full 8 hour training day ahead! But one last encounter with Pepper on my way out!
All smiles and laughs!
Pepper noticed I had changed into a different color skirt from earlier and started cracking up! Called me a ballerina! If only I was graceful enough! Stay tuned for highlights of day 2! Don't worry - my pants stay on! Stay sparkly, Kristyn
Well, it's been a month since I last posted, and if you couldn't tell by the title, I was rejected from 24 Hour - again. To add insult to injury, I got the rejection email not once... not twice.... but FIVE times in my inbox. Ouch.
I didn't even interview with them! Ugh! Hate the lack of any personalization :(
On to bigger and better things, I suppose. But I can't lie, the rejection hurts even more the second time around.
School is going okay. I dropped my biology class after the first week. I would've never made it through May taking both bio and chem - not sure what I was thinking attempting to take 9 units of science my first semester back at school. Not to mention the final would've been on my birthday... Thanks, no thanks!
Studying hard or working on my Zumba playlists?
I ending up missing a lab and a quiz for chem while I was at the Zumba Conference (more on that coming next blog post). I can't make up the lab, but the lowest lab score gets dropped at the end of the semester. I spent hours stressing myself over the stupid quiz (25 points) as I missed two lectures, and without having the lab or quiz contributing to my grade, I basically am considered "failing" the class.
So I scheduled a time for a makeup quiz (although my professor almost didn't let me take it! I'm not allowed to miss any other important quiz or exam dates - Yikes!) and left feeling not so great about it...
Ummm, yeah... Nailed it! Well, almost! 89%
I ended up doing MUCH better than I thought... Maybe I'll stick this class out a little longer after all :)
So I know you all are dying in anticipation with how it went on Saturday!
Well, the audition was set for 5 p.m. Unfortunately for me, that meant I had the entire day to kill and be nervous!
I ended up working with the dance staff at the Y's open house event, so that was nice to distract me in the morning. I ran a few errands after, cut up a Zumba top - a very typical Saturday.
Laid out my outfit, burned an extra CD (just in case the iPhone didn't work)... And I'm ready to go!
I get there, and there's like 25 of us auditioning for Zumba and we all go in the Group X room... Then they inform us that it would take too long for them to change music for each person, so they are just gonna cue up ZIN 47 and randomly call us up to dance for a couple minutes... No one got to do the song they were prepared to do.
My immediate reaction is to just turn around and run for the door...
Then I realize that I should at least go for it, and hope I don't get the freakin' reggaeton or quebradita. So the first song comes on, and I know it, and I'm thinking, "PLEASE let me be called for this song!" Nope. Not so much. Then a salsa comes on, and I'm thinking I could handle that too cuz I know bits and pieces to that song. Do I get called? Negative.
Then the awful raggaeton comes on and I'm begging and pleading not to be called. The odds were ever in my favor... I didn't get called. Next up, the quebradita... Do I get called?
YUP.
Thankfully, there was only like 10 seconds left in the song, so I start doing a toe/heel thing... Then the horns/drums speed up and I do a little shimmy with my shoulders. The song ends... I'm freaking out cuz I have NO clue what song is next - and no time to mentally try and choreo something while someone else is up front. I do a little curtsy and a bow to try and ease my nerves...
----------
Time slows down... I think back to my very first Zumba class I ever subbed at the YMCA.I was hired to sub one class, and one class only: Zumba KIDS. The instructor who teaches on Saturday got stuck in Vegas due to some crazy fog and NO ONE else was free to teach - except for me!
I never wanted to teach adults... I cried at the end of my 8 hour Zumba training because I was so incredibly overwhelmed (Zumba makes you take the adult license before you can take the Zumba Kids specialty).
Here I am, auditioning for the SECOND time at 24 Hour... And I think back to this moment in the Mega Studio. All eyes on me from both directions, just waiting for my first song to start: "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti.
It does and I'm trying SO hard to keep it together. I'm a nervous wreck, a deer in the headlights. Then I hear singing from the front row, "I love you, I love you, I love you..."
Dear sweet Eve! The nicest, most inspiring and amazing person ever is singing along! And that was all and everything I needed at that moment. Eve (and her equally amazing and adorable husband, Alan) both exude so much love and joy, and their energy is contagious. I cannot help but smile every time I see them!
I will never, ever forget that day and I cherish that memory.
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Present day, the music starts...
First reaction - CRAP! It's a belly dance!
Then I realize... It's a cumbia! And not only is it my FAVORITE style... I KNOW (AND LOVE) THE SONG!!!!!!
I've used it in my class AND Jeanne made me do it with her up front for her class on Thursday! I smile the BIGGEST smile and proceed to rock it out pretending Alan, Eve, and Jeanne are all up there boogie-ing with me
Hopefully I nailed it, because they obviously knew I knew the song.... I think I was the only person who got a song they recognized/had a routine for and they were clearly trying to throw us a curve ball!
We'll find out more in a couple weeks... But meantime, I think I should go buy a lottery ticket because I'm seriously the luckiest person ever!
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be." -Marianne Williamson
Well, a week into the new year and already new adventures await...
I'm officially sharing the Wednesday morning Zumba class with Shelby! So that brings me up to 2-3 classes a week at the Y, depending on the week.
But back to what this post really is about...
I'm auditioning for 24 Hour Fitness - again. I kept it more or less a secret the last time I auditioned, as I wanted to spare my feelings by not having to tell people if I didn't get hired. Well, I ended up not being hired. I'm realizing months later, I think I actually made it worse by keeping it a secret - suffering in silence and not sharing my experiences, whether they are positive or negative. Not only that, but by keeping it to myself, I lost out on the support from friends and family that I clearly needed.
So I'm sharing with the world this time... I'm auditioning for a position as a sub for Zumba THIS Saturday at 5:00 p.m.!
Needless to say, I'm more nervous the second time around. My last audition was one-on-one with the manger. Three songs and three chances to dazzle her. This time, it's a group setting with only time for ONE song each - and a new manager to impress. I've got one shot to get it right!
I've been ripping myself apart ever since I confirmed my attendance:
I can't salsa or samba.
I dance on my tip-toes.
I'm too "dancey".
I need to cue better.
Not to mention I'm driving myself (and I'm sure all my instructor friends that I keep texting!) crazy trying to choose a song...
Story time!
A couple of Y instructors surprised me and showed up to my class last week Thursday. I don't think I looked at them once the entire hour and these two lovely ladies are my friends! I go to their classes as frequently as I can! Yet I was almost embarrassed - like somehow I was going to disappoint them...
Then I realized the bigger issue: Confidence.
I stay inside my little comfort zone next to the stereo and a tad off to the left... Mere inches from where used to be my "spot" in studio one before I got my class.
Where did my confidence go?
Who am *I* to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
I live by the motto, "Never let anyone dull your sparkle!"...But here I am doing just that! Dulling my own damn sparkle!
I'm getting in the way of myself! Who am I NOT to be those things?
I'm talented and fabulous enough that the Y gave me classes of my own. People keep coming back each week to boogie with me, so I must be doing something right :)
So I'm gonna go on Saturday and I'm gonna give it my all. Even if I don't get hired, then I'm in the exact same position I'm in now... But I'll never know if I don't try!
Think a happy thought or two for me and send me some good vibes!
