Category: Music

Music, Play, Think - Speak - Inspire

Gaga for Gaga

danicote

I do not care if you love or hate Lady Gaga.  I do not care if you loved or hated her Superbowl halftime show last night. Heck, maybe you didn’t even watch it.  Yet, if you used any form of social media or turned on just about any channel today, you’d hear everyone’s opinion about her performance.  Her “normal” stomach (who even determines what is normal?), whether or not it was political or not, when she did and did not lip sync, what songs she should’ve done instead, why didn’t Beyonce appear for Telephone.. Oh, and don’t worry, there are still the people jammed up from Bey’s performance last year.

We are all, clearly, entitled to our own opinions. I personally don’t think we’re all entitled to be a bunch of @$$holes, but it’s not up to me to give other people the right (or take away that right) away if you choose to do so.

However, for the people who always have to focus on the negative in every situation, maybe you could give positivity and optimism a try someday. If you hate it, then go right on back down Miserable Lane.

I love Gaga and loved her performance.

Here’s five reasons why I’m loving her performance and still lovin’ Gaga.

The Memes and Gifs:  I mean c’mon, you’ve got to at least appreciate some of these. I will be using some of these for weeks, probably years, to come.

When I occasionally have a grasp on things…
giphy-4

When I go to eat something that I think is going to be good and it’s not…giphy-3

How I feel at least once a day… giphy-2

K bye.

When I’ve had too much caffeine and I’m texting my friends via my computer getting way too into it… giphy

Her “stomach”: First of all (immediately thinking of this as I write that), y’all are delusional if you think there’s a problem with Lady Gaga’s stomach. Secondly, see previous sentence. Thirdly, girls, especially my dancers, you know what happens when you put on your Capezio or Danskins if they are just a tad too tight, nahmean?! Finally, anyone who has the energy to put on a show like that is clearly in shape so shut it, haters.

I dug up this quote from a previous blog post.  I’ve always loved it:

“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” – Lady Gaga

I’m always in the mood to listen to some Gaga, but her performance had me thinking about her a little more.  Here’s over an hour and half of Gaga remixes to workout, drive or work to:

If the above doesn’t work for ya, just click here.

Oh, and the 15 minutes she spent with James Corden…

And, finally, this post is dedicated to Ashley. Even if everyone else hates it, I know she will love it. ❤

Music, Play, Think - Speak - Inspire

Sometimes It Snows in April

danicote

“Everyone has their own experience. That’s why we are here, to go through our experience, to learn, to go down those paths and eventually you may have gone down so many paths and learned so much that you don’t have to come back again.” – Prince

The majority of my favorite Prince songs debuted before I was born or when I was a young child. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved Prince’s music.  As I got older, my appreciation grew as I understood what he stood for as an artist and entertainer…a true genius.

Running around my house on December 31, 1999 blasting 1999 wondering what was going to happen as the clock struck midnight. I remember hearing so much of his music at dance competitions throughout my entire youth. And how could I forget dancing to slightly inappropriate (for a school dance performance – hey, at least it wasn’t Lady Marmalade this time) choreography to Kiss during high school.  I won’t continue to ramble on and on with random memories from my past that tie in Prince and his music.  I’ll leave that to the experts and superfans.  I will however, point out the fact that it’s pretty clear that I can use Prince gifs to describe just about anything…

prince15

When I get lost in the music on the dance floor.

prince14

When I’m eyeing someone’s junk food and realize they aren’t going to share with me.

prince13

When I’m anywhere and someone asks if I can do a split.

prince12

When I open my bills…and when I got to Pure Barre training for the first time.

prince11

How my boyfriend and I ended up together.

prince10

When one of my friends or coworkers makes a really great point.

prince9

When I can see right through someone’s response. 

prince8

When I finally have a night out with my favorite people.

prince7

When I get on the mic ready to teach.

prince6

Me. All day. Every day.

prince4

When my Mom asked, “What was that….that’s what I thought” as a kid. 

prince3

Anytime I lose a “discussion” with someone.

prince2

When I speak my mind and say just a little too much.

prince1

When I don’t get my way. 

prince5

Farewell, Felicia.

“We could all die any day
But before I’ll let that happen,
I’ll dance my life away” – Prince, 1999

What’s your favorite Prince song or memory? Come on, even if you’re not a fan, there’s got to be at least one!?

Music

Music to My Ears

danicote

If you’re anything like me, you spend a whole lotta time on Spotify. I tried getting by with the free version for a while. It was only a matter of time before that would change.  Towards the end of last year, they had a great promo for their Premium option.  After three months of that, there was no turning back. I was in love.

You can use Spotify for free.  Better yet, you can try their premium option for 30 days for free. Go for it. I dare you.

Anyways, I figured I’d start sharing some of my wonderful finds for your listening pleasure. Hopefully, you like at least one. If you hate ’em all. Lo siento.

200

Dine, Music, Think - Speak - Inspire

I’m Gonna Be

danicote

In 1988, The Proclaimers released the song, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”…perhaps you remember it? I sure don’t, at least not in 1988, considering I was only two years old. I do however have very fond memories of this song playing at middle school dances and people jumping up and down singing this song like maniacs. Particularly around when the song hits the minute and half mark and this happened…

Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da

During The Superbowl, one of the Budweiser commercials that aired had an acoustic cover version of this song from Sleeping at Last playing.

Ahhhh, I’m not even a dog obsessed individual and remember fighting back tears. Who am I kidding…I’m sure I cried.

Recently the song popped up again at Pure Barre and I have been obsessed ever since.

It always blows my mind how an acoustic cover can totally make you FEEL a song so much more and really notice the lyrics in a whole new way. Slightly different feeling than my middle school days. Weird. Well, not really.

Have no idea what song I’m talking about? Don’t worry all these cool kids did when Imagine Dragons performed it last year in Scotland.

…Maybe because The Proclaimers are a Scottish duo? Or maybe just because they haven’t been living under a rock for the past 26 years. 😉

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I spent my weekend in Sparkle City leading a two day training. You know, just doing a little something like this:

Exercise

And now, I’m at home sipping on a Frozen Moscow Mule that I made…stalling on the cleaning and seeing what I can whip up for dinner.

6 oz. Ginger Beer + 2 oz. Vodka + 1/2 oz. Lime Juice + Cup of Ice + Vitamix = Magic

Oh, and I went to Dairy Queen, not once, but TWICE to have the featured blizzard… Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzard. I think it’s safe to say that it’s my favorite blizzard of all time. I didn’t go twice in the same day. Not that that makes it any better. For all I know, I’ll go again tomorrow. Kidding. Maybe.

#HeavyweightsForLife

That’s all for now!

Heavyweights

Music, Think - Speak - Inspire

Sprinkles on the Sundae

danicote

I knew that even if I made it through Fast and Furious 7 without crying, I wouldn’t be able to make it through the tribute at the end that I had heard about it.  This isn’t the exact reel, but this will give you a pretty good idea:

Whether you’re a fan of the franchise or not and whether or not you’re a Paul Walker fan or not… I think it’s pretty hard not to be moved by the above video. Whoever it was that decided to keep the lights off for all of the credits, I thank YOU – between my allergies and crying, I know I looked a hot mess.

I happened to read this earlier in the day:

“I have seen death too often to believe in death
It is not an ending, but a withdrawal.
As one who finishes a long journey,
Stills the motor,
Turns off the lights,
Steps from the car,
And walks up the path
To the home that awaits him.”
— Unknown

I found it particularly fitting for both the movie and how Paul Walker lost his life. Not only for him, but for anyone that has left this world…it really creates a positive image for what’s to come after we leave the world as we know it.  When I read it, I can imagine some of the people who I’ve lost in the most peaceful way – just turning off the lights of a car, slowly stepping away from it, waving goodbye and heading on to their new home.

“Death is a part of the future for everyone. It is the last post of this life and the reveille of the next. Death is the end of our present life, it is the parting from loved ones, it is the setting out into the unknown. We overcome death by accepting it is as the will of a loving God, by finding him in it. Death, like birth, is only a transformation, another birth. When we die we shall change our state – that is all. And in faith in God, it is as easy and natural as going to sleep here and waking up there.”

It’s so hard to associate positive thoughts with death. Most of the time we think of the tears, the grief, the loss, the memories that we’ll never get to create… We typically fear the unknown or things that we don’t fully understand. We don’t like the idea of not having all the answers. Through all the sadness and anger, it is so important to remember those we have lost in a positive way. Even if that means smiling and crying at the same time.

No matter what your thoughts are on what happens when we leave this Earth or what your religion might be, I hope that you believe in something that inspires you in whatever way that you need in order to get up each day and feel ALIVE.

One of the definitions of faith is “the complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”  Remember, it’s all about believing…you don’t know how it will happen, but you just know that it will. So believe in something, someone or some higher being.

Have faith in someone to not let you down when you will need them the most. Have faith that we all are here for some bigger purpose despite all of life’s ups and downs. Have faith in whatever it is or whoever it is that will give you the motivation to get up out of bed each and everyday. Have faith that if things never seem to go your way, that one day they will.

“None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have Faith.” – Paulo Coehlo

I’ve realized that a lot of my posts start out one way and than unfold in a totally different way than I first thought they would. I don’t try to fight it. I think it’s really appropriate. First and foremost, because it’s how most of my conversations go with people on a daily basis. Secondly, it perfectly portrays the uncertainty of how each day will turn out and all of the unexpected moments that happen to us each and every day. I’ll aim to keep my blog and my life a beautiful mess. Thank you all for being a part of it. ❤

Music, Think - Speak - Inspire

Mirrors

danicote

Since my Papa passed away a week ago, I’ve heard Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors come on the radio or Pandora a number of times.  You may or may not know this, but Justin’s video was inspired by his grandparents who were married for 63 years. His grandfather had passed away due to a breathing problem, his grandmother noted, “He just closed his eyes and went to sleep.”

After hearing it on the way to the airport this morning, I watched the video again when I got to the airport. Probably not the best idea, but I am totally ok with crying in public. My Mom had commented that this song was on when we were on our way home last night and that’s when I filled her in on the story behind the song and how the music video brought it all to life.

Here’s the video:

Seeing my Nana’s strength and serenity over the past two days turned the waterworks on time and time again. Yes, they were tears of sadness for the loss of my Papa, but they were also tears that brought warmth to my heart. To see how she carried herself after losing the man that she was married to for 58 years left me speechless.

I am so blessed to have had my Papa in my life for the past 28 years and honored to still have my Nana here for the years to come. I love being reminded of all of the wonderful examples I have surrounding me that demonstrate the love and support of family and friends as we go through all of the ups and downs that life presents us with.

“They say that a part of you dies when a special Loved One passes away…I disagree…I say a part of you lives with your Loved One on the other side.” ― Daniel Yanez

Music

Supa (Dupa Fly) Bowl Sunday

danicote

First and foremost, this was me when Missy Elliott took the stage:

CelebrateHow did I not know she was going to be performing?

In no particular order I need to go listen to:

1. Sock it to Me
2. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
3. Hot Boyz
4. One Minute Man
5. Work It
6. Pass That Dutch
7. Lose Control
8. I’m Really Hot
9. Ching-A-Ling
10. Gossip Folks

Reverse It

Because I like to see my family and friends happy, I’m pulling for the Patriots because the majority of them are all huge Pats fans. I’m just here for the food, commercials and half time show. And by “here” I mean sitting on my couch and by “food” I mean the super unhealthy food I went and got for Randall and I before the game started.

Speaking of healthy, I signed up to do The 30 Clean Spring Break Challenge. It starts on February 23rd. Since I will definitely do another post as it gets a little closer, I won’t get into it too much now. Head on over to their website to read all about it. If you’re interested in it and up for the challenge let me know. The two Pure Barre Lake Norman studios are partnering with them so we will have our own group. That way we can all inspire and motivate each other! Looks like I will be listening to a lot of Missy Elliott once that starts 😉

Yesterday, I taught our first (first for our studio) 90 Minute Intensive class. If you’ve ever been to a Pure Barre class before there was an extra 35 minutes of lifting, toning and burning incorporated throughout. The clients who came out totally rocked it – I’m sure they were feeling it today!

Today, I was down in Sparkle City (Spartanburg, SC) leading a training. I actually really enjoy my 75 minute drives down there. There’s no one on the road and I throw on a great Pandora station and I’m there before I know it. There’s something so calming and motivating about walking into the studio before everyone arrives for the day.

Studio

The drive back isn’t always *as* fun, but I’m not complaining. I love having the opportunity to meet people from all over the country that will be using their talents and passion to start teaching at a Pure Barre studio before they know it.

Well, that pretty much sums my weekend!

What did you think of the halftime show and commercials? Who are/were you rooting for? Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Dine, Music

Sensory Overload

danicote

“Every second of every day, our senses bring in way too much data than we can possibly process in our brains.” – Peter Diamandis

Sometimes I feel like my brain is on shuffle. There’s just so many things I want to do, people I want to see and places that I want to go. And let’s be serious… foods I want to try is always top of mind.

So, let’s take a few moments and go through all five senses based off of things I encountered today 😉

1. Sight

What I’m planning to watch tonight (or at least by the end of the weekend).

Fed Up

A friend’s mom let me borrow this a while ago and I keep putting it off. Mainly because I’m slightly petrified at what I’m about to be enlightened with.

And to put this cookbook to use.

Thug Kitchen

I bought it because I liked the title and was pleasantly surprised when I got home to find the humor, but more importantly the story behind the movement. I didn’t even realize the cookbook was vegan friendly, but hey, not complaining about that! I plan to make every recipe. No joke.

2. Hearing

A couple of weeks ago, I made a video with hundreds of pictures in memory of my cousin who had just passed away. One of the songs I used was a cover of Coldplay’s “Sky Full of Stars”. I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with this version by Boyce Avenue right now.

3. Touch

I’ve never been huge on wearing scarfs, but when we got the Soulscarfs at Pure Barre, I fell in love. Bonus: They donate 20% of the proceeds to charity. Look good and feel good.

Soul Scarf

4. Smell

Loving Ralph Lauren’s Midnight Romance that was given to me as a gift not too long ago.

RL

5. Taste

I couldn’t stop thinking about Cookie Chips ever since I saw a Facebook post about a giveaway that they were doing. I stopped at Rhino Market on my way home to grab a bag. I don’t know why I love them so much.

Cookie Chips

Cookies

If that wasn’t bad enough, I walked around the corner and saw these and had to give them a try. Unfortunately, I really like them. I love the assortment of products that you can find at Rhino Market (more to come on this place soon!)

Jalapeno

Oh well, I’ll do damage control on Sunday morning.

Work out

Work Out 2

Have a great weekend!