Aunt Eunice and Zumba--Look Out!

You want me to what??

Hello dearies! Shaa-ren asked me to write a beauty blog this week and I had already titled it, "How to Beautify the Unbeautiful" when she called and begged me to Zumba with her.

"What is a Zumba?" I asked. She started to explain, then I interrupted, "Never mind, darlin'. You know your Aunt Eunice--I'll try anything once!" And let me tell you, that statement has gotten me into more trouble than I dare to speak about. Before hanging up, I asked, "What shall I wear to Zumba?  Oh, never mind, I'll find something in my wardrobe that is suitable for Zumba-ing."

Here are bits and pieces of our first Zumba experience:

The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in the cozy little dance studio was a basket full of colorful scarfs with gold dangling bells that jangled. "What are these scarfs for, and how much?" I asked the perky dance instructor. She gave me the once-over, then said, "Ten dollars, but I don't think we have your size." Didn't matter. I just had to have one. Well, two. I tied them together and voila! I was ready to Zumba!

"Ma'am, before you begin, you might want to consider removing your hat and your necklace...and that shawl," the cute little instructor suggested. She was right; they didn't match my new gorgeous scarfs, so I stripped down to my basic black smock.

Ten minutes of shaking and jiggling, I was sweating like a pig. "Are you okay, Aunt Eunice?" Shaa-ren asked in between jiggles.

"I might look like I'm having a heart attack, but I'm really into this Zumba thing!" I panted.

Twenty minutes of moving and grooving to music of every beat known to man, I was in a world of my own. I was twisting my head to-and-fro when I noticed that Shaa-ren was looking over at me, trying to get my attention. I could see in her eyes that she was asking, Are you ready to go now? When I smiled and waved, "I'm having the time of my life!" she slowly shimmied her way to her water bottle that was sitting in the corner. I was a little concerned when I saw that her face had turned a crimson red, the color of my lipstick. "Darlin', how are you feelin'?" Weak, yet determined, Shaa-ren let out a faint, "Oh, I'm groovin' to the the rythm of the beat, Auntie."

An hour passed before I was feeling the urge to pass out when the energetic instructor yelled, "That's all for today! Y'all did a great job!" Then she glanced my way and whispered, "I have to admit, I have never seen anyone shake those bells the way you did!"

That did it! I was hooked! And Shaa-ren? Well, when I dropped her off at her house and asked, "Are you going to Zumba with me next week?" she sighed and shrugged her sore shoulders. "I can't think that far ahead. Right now I'm going to take a long, hard nap."

Until next time, remember, beauty is only skin deep. Yeah. Sure. If you want to read my "Forever Yung Beauty Tips", scroll down to May 2009 and it'll change your life forever!

Love, Aunt Eunice