Megan's love of dance pop

Yes, you read that correctly.  I have a secret love of dance pop.  Believe me, my husband laughs at me constantly about this.

I listen to pop music in two distinct situations: while exercising and cleaning : )  At the activity center in town, I take about three Zumba classes, two Spin classes, and 2 CRT classes a week, and we do all of our exercises to top 40 pop hits!  (If you think that's overloading...I've lost almost 30 pounds in 6 months thanks to exercising 6 days a week).  And there's nothing that can get me psyched up to clean a bathroom or tackle a pile of dishes after dinner like One Direction, am I right?

2012 was an awesome year for dance pop, so here are my favorites (along with the rest of the country):

Kesha, Die Young - Yes, it's full of debauchery, but it allows me to reminisce about my crazy clubbing nights in Aberdeen as an exchange student.  I drank A. LOT. and danced with probably too many boys.  But it's the only time in my life when I've been that crazy. 

f.u.n., We Are Young - The best song for a hill in spin class

Psy, Gangam Style - Yes, I have done the silly dance in Zumba class.  There is no way to dance to this song without smiling, and I love it!  I also thought the backstory to the song was interesting, that Psy wrote it as a social commentary* on the consumer driven culture of South Korea and ridiculous rap stars. 

One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful - I enjoy this song because it makes me smile and we do a pretty awesome routine to it in spin class involving push ups.  Slate also had a great comparison of One Direction with the boy bands of our adolescence here.

Taylor Swift, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - This is a fave of my cleaning routine, because you kind of have to bounce around while listening to it, and that gives me the energy needed to do unpleasant tasks.

Flo Rida, Good Feeling - Just a fun song, and you can't help but dance to it, even if you are washing dishes.

Maroon 5, Moves Like Jagger - Okay, I guess this was a 2011 song, but I really only started listening to it this year.  This is one of my top songs because we do a kick ass abs routine to it in Zumba class.

So if you want to see me dance in public, come to the San Marcos Activity Center most evenings, but you'll probably regret it.  It has been fun to mix up my usual prog rock and indie rock leanings with some good dance pop, and I hope 2013 brings with it some more awesome hits!




* Anyone who can reference my disdain for this term, and the person associated with it, earns a prize

Out and About (and excited about Christmas)

I was able to walk a little bit around town today, which I was so thankful for!  I walked Jon to and from school, and I also went to the post office (as did the rest of our town, apparently!).  I'm still a bit light headed, but my energy level is really good.  Yesterday, I was still so weak, and some of our friends offered to take Jon home with them after church, so we gratefully accepted, and I came home and slept all afternoon!  Since I felt much better today, I'm hoping this means the iron is kicking in, and I'm on the mend.  On the way to pick up Jon this afternoon, I was feeling so good that I contemplated going to my aerobics class Tuesday morning.  Then I stopped to wait for a walk signal, and felt my heart beating super fast and sucked some air...just from walking down the street, so I think I'll wait a little bit on the aerobics classes : )

In other news, I am super excited about Jon's Christmas present this year!  We have ordered him a push bike, and I think he's really going to like it : )  We were able to get it from a locally owned bike shop on our town square, so I feel good about supporting workers in our town.  We pick it up on Sunday, and I'm not sure how we're going to hide it from Jon in our tiny apartment for two days...any ideas?  Jonathan's present also came in the mail today.  It's more utilitarian than fun, but I think he'll like it all the same.  My present was a new phone, and it is already in use...but Jonathan is going to wrap up the box so I have something to open up on Christmas morning : )

Time to go heat up dinner.  Our friends from church have showered us with meals since I came home from the hospital - we are so blessed!

Another long week

Hello friends,

I've spoken to many of you directly, but I did want to share this with my far away friends.  We had another miscarriage last week.  Similar to last time, the baby stopped growing around 6 weeks and did not have a heartbeat when I was checked at what should have been 8 weeks.  Different from last time, I experienced significant contractions and excessive bleeding that led to going to the ER Sunday night.  I fainted once we made it to the ER, and I ended up needing emergency surgery to complete the miscarriage and stop the bleeding.  My wonderful mother drove down Monday morning and has been with us all week, since I have been very lightheaded and weak.  I'm most likely anemic from the blood loss, so I'm taking iron supplements in addition to my other medications.  Hopefully I'll be able to be out and about soon.

We are still in the grieving process, and as I get healthier, I am facing trying to get back to the status quo, but without the hope of a baby in the summer.  I realize that in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut today, our loss seems insignificant.  We are very thankful for Jon, and very thankful for all the love and support sent our way.  We are seeking God's will as we want our family to grow, and we are reliant on his timing and his sovereignty in our lives.

Just wanted to share our lives with our friends.  I'm hoping all of you have a happy, blessed Christmas!