First Blog Ever!

I have never made a blog before and decided that now I am 29 and nearing my midlife crisis (what am I doing with my life???), I thought should maybe start one. I am not sure how "good" at it I will be since I was never very good at keeping an actual diary. My diary was mainly used to complain about my siblings, parents, or bullies at school. On the brighter side, I would also use my diary to gush about my crushes, or boyfriends and write pop songs for my girl band in the 7th grade. Unfortunately and very fortunately, those songs never got out...

But here it is! Welcome to my blog! 

I plan on posting random musing and observations about my life and my surroundings. I live in New York City so there is always something going on to talk about! Also, I am 29, a performer and yoga instructor. By day, I am a receptionist at a financial advisory firm and during the evenings and weekends I teach yoga, rehearse for community theater productions and dance in independent dance companies. I am also happily married for 6 years now to a wonderful man, who is also an actor and we have an adorable pug who is basically our child!

Phoebe the Pug crashing on our romantic hand-holding

One thing about me is that I cannot sit still for too long. I HAVE to have a project of some sort, be it a play, film, dance show or even something unrelated to the arts. In May of 2016, I ran my first half marathon in the AirBnB Brooklyn Half Marathon. It was a solid half year of scheduled training and a goal to work towards. I like to work this way because it gives me short term goals and great feelings once I have accomplished them! I also find, that my mood improves when I have something to focus on. Physical activity, crafts, reading, writing, etc. are very meditative for me helps ease stress. Over the years, I have taught myself to knit socks, write and produce a short play, choreograph a contemporary ballet piece, and became a certified Yoga Instructor. And today, I have started a blog.

So that is basically me in a nutshell...now onto my first topic!

Swimming Like an Olympian! (sort of)

The Rio 2016 Olympics came to a close this past weekend and I am truly sad that it is over! I was so inspired by the Final Five women's Gymnastics Team, Team USA Swim Teams (especially the women's team), Track and Field teams, and the Beach Volleyball teams. I am in no way down playing any of the other sports, these were just a few of my favorites. So naturally, I caught the Olympic bug and I for some reason I think I can swim just as good as Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Manuel...or rather, I WANT to learn how to swim like them.

Pretty much sums up my preconceived notions about my swimming abilities

Luckily, I live close to a college that offers recreational swim lessons by the American Red Cross Association. I know how to swim, but I never really learned the techniques of proper swimming styles. Do I stroke, stroke and then breathe? Or just hold my breath until I need to breathe? And how the heck does the butterfly stroke work? 

I am currently in the process of registering for an Advanced Beginners Swim class at Medgar Evers College. I have already bought my swim cap, goggles, and professional one piece TYR Swimsuit from SwimOutlet.com. I bought a $25 grab bag swimsuit and am waiting for it to arrive! For those of you who don't know, a Grab Bag is a discounted option that most retailers offer to help them clear out last season's styles. I gave them the size and brand of swimsuit that I wanted and they pick a suit at random and send it to me! I am really excited to see what arrives! And since I already bought the gear there is no backing out now!

Classes start on September 3rd and they are an hour once a week until November 5th. I am just finishing up the final process and seeing if I need to take a swim test prior to registration. I am looking forward to this new project! It is a great form of exercise and will help me reduce stress! I plan on blogging about my progress in the class every week and comment on my experiences. I can't wait! It is always fun to learn something new!