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!

TIME TO DANCE

So, once the school year starts I always allow each child to have one extra activity (only one, so I don't go crazy driving them everywhere and we can still have quality family time).

I told Tiago that I was going to register him for Soccer and he said: No Mom, I don't want soccer...I want Hip Hop!

WHAT???

Where did he get that from? I think we watched way to many SYTYCD shows during summer! LOL

Tiago in front of the Hip Hop Studio

Who am I to say no to any dance class? I found an awesome Hip Hop class for him at Center Stage and he's been loving it ever since! Way to go buddy! Maybe you can be on SYTYCD 12 years from now, win the show and pay me back all the money I pay every month for your class! {{ That's what I call that investment!}}



He cracks me up!!!!! Go buddy!



Tiffany on the other hand, loves her ballet classes and was happy to go back to them! I love my ballerina!

My sweet ballerina! I love her big blue eyes!

She works so hard, I'm so proud of my little girl!!!!


Looks like I have two amazing dancers in the family! I wonder where they got their talent from???

2016 RIO OLYMPICS

I better start planning my trips soon! I want to be there with my family for sure!

Go Brazil! Go Rio 2016!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Woohoo! The school year finally arrived for us back on August 19Th and I'm only now blogging about it. Where did the time go?

Anyway....Miss Tiffany had to switch to a different preschool because her last teacher retired. I was a little nervous for her, but luckily her best friend from last year is also in her class this year {{Yay!}}. She loves her new teacher and I love that I finally have time to...

Think in peace and quiet 3 days a week...
Run errands without kids 3 days a week...
Nap without being interrupted 3 days a week...
Or just do whatever the heck I want 3 days a week...

She only goes for 2 1/2 hours M W F, but still I'll take what I can get!

It was so hard to get a good picture outside because it was too sunny, so this was the best I got!!! I was also mad because I only had time to put a headband and flower on her hair, instead of a cute up do {{Gosh, I'm so hard on myself!}}

She had to show off her new dress to her teacher....I love how girlie she is!

Miss Tiffany and Mrs. Julie

Tiago was so excited to go back to school and be a big boy in first grade. I asked if he was gonna miss me since he was gonna be all day at school and he replied:

Just a little....what? My baby boy is growing up!!!

Another sunny picture....(note to self: next year take pictures before leaving the house) HA!

Look at him all proud sitting at his desk, ready to conquer the world! Go Tiago!

Look at that cute smile! He looked so happy when I picked him up from school.

First Day of School was definitely a SUCCESS!!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY

My neighbor put together a fun back to school party the day before school started. What better way to celebrate or get kids excited about the start of the new school year than to throw a party? The kids had a blast!

Donuts anyone?

My little monkey!

They each got a bag with school supplies and treats. How fun!

The balloons were a hit!

How do you celebrate the new school year?

MUSEUM OF ANCIENT LIFE - TWICE IN ONE DAY!

Ok, so back in August Thanksgiving Point was having a promo for $2 admission every Tuesday...WooHoo! I couldn't pass that deal, so I decided it to take the kids there for our last Summer activity before school.

SCARY? Not really!

The line was for sure scary, but luckily it was going really fast!

We went with cousin Damian, but he was not in the mood for pictures!

Tiago and Tiffany watching the paleontologist work.

Playing at the sand and water table...

Please don't eat my kids!!! LOL

Oh, Did I mention I was there too?

This picture cracks me up! Talk about cool! This exhibit has a woolly mammoth being hunted by some paleo-Indians. Too funny!!!

The kids loved searching for dinosaur bones at the end of the tour!

As we were coming out of the Museum, we saw Fernanda and her kids (Tiago's and Tiffany's best friends), they were visiting from Washington. I told her we were going there, but I wasn't sure they were gonna make it! Luckily they did and we took the tour all over again with them ;)

The girls were so cute together!

They were so happy to be together again after so many months!

Check out the size of that egg!!! So cool!

The boys were silly as always!

Nothing like some computer time....

Scary? Not for them!

More fun in the sand!

What a great day we had with family and friends!

Have you been to the Museum of Ancient Life?