National Dance Day

Saturday, July 28 is the 3rd annual National Dance Day. There are going to be two routines. Routine 1 is Hip Hop and Routine 2 is Zumba. You can find out all about it at www.fox.com/dance or www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org

So You Think You Can Dance

What fun! SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is here again to enjoy. It is a show that celebrates talent, hard work, and the spirit of dance. I watch the show slowly. Watch a little bit, savor it, watch a little more. Christopher Scott, choreographer did a spectacular job on the baseball routine for three male dancers. It brought the entire audience to their feet and did such an amazing job of showcasing the special talent of all three dancers. I love this show. I love to see young people win.

Nora Ephron

I'm very sad that Nora Ephron passed away. It is a tremendous loss. I admire everything that she was as a writer, screenwriter, and playwright. She was a strong woman who stood up for women and understood that women do not have the same rights as others. On page A2 of the June 27, 2012 issue of the Seattle Times, Nora Ephron is quoted as saying of women, "We are definitely the best-dressed oppressed group. Nora Ephron wrote the screenplays, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and so many more. I loved what she wrote, like I have always loved Neil Simon. It is hard when someone dies who should have lived 30 more years so that the world would still be able to enjoy all she loved to create.

Ben Haber

I opened the Seattle Times and I found the coverage of the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon. On page C9, I looked down the list of runners and found my son's name, Ben Haber, as coming in 17th place in the men's section with a time of 2:55:18. Wow! I'm so proud. I knew yesterday. I was babysitting his two cute, smart, precious little girls, my granddaughters while he was running. I wanted to be on the sidelines yelling for Ben because he is amazing. He hasn't had time to train and he was injured too. He came in with an amazing time anyway! What could he do, if he ran and trained the way he should be? I sent him a text that said I would be cheering every mile in my heart and I was during the race. It was great because he arranged to have the stats sent to my cell phone during the race. It was exciting. Ben started the track club at Northwestern University when he attended. He got a degree in biomedical engineering at Northwestern. He came in first place in the Kilauea Volcano Run, a grueling marathon running on lava in Hawaii in July of 1999. His time was 3:11:53. He has been sponsored by Brooks. In the 2000 Chicago Marathon, Ben came in with a time of 2 hours, 36 minutes. In the 2001 Boston Marathon Ben came in with a time of 2:35:53. Ben is the best and he deserves the best. He deserves to be surrounded by people who are supportive, encouraging, and want to see him win. Ben has always been the best at everything. He has always worked hard and is amazing. Yes, I am very proud of him and always will be.

Mighty O Donuts

I had a Mighty O Donut today and it was delicious. Homemade right there in Green Lake. It was perfect. I had a coconut one. I love Green Lake. In a perfect world, I would have the money to buy a house near my son so I could walk to Tangle Town, Mighty O Donuts, Diggity Dog, Spud, Dukes, the zoo, walk to Wallingford, and walk around Green Lake every day. Oh the fun..............

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon

I'm so excited. My son, Ben sent me a text that signs me up so I can track him on my cell phone while he is running the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon. This is going to be fun because I can feel like I am part of it all. I'm so proud of him. He's always been a great and amazing runner. He started the track club at Northwestern University when he attended. He got a degree in biomedical engineering at Northwestern, the BEST, the FINEST. The Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon is tomorrow. I wish I was running too but I'm not ready. Maybe someday. My son, Benjamin Haber has always been my hero. He's brilliant and great at everything. I've always called him my Golden Boy. Now he is a man and all grown up with two beautiful, smart little girls of his own. Ben is an amazing runner. He came in first place in the Kilauea Volcano Run, a grueling marathon in Hawaii in July of 1999. His time was 3:11:53. He has been sponsored by Brooks. In the 2000 Chicago Marathon, Ben came in with a time of 2 hours, 36 minutes. In the 2001 Boston Marathon Ben came in with a time of 2:35:53. Ben is amazing and I'm always proud of him. If you are out there cheering for people at the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon, please cheer and yell for my Ben. He's amazing. He has worked hard for everything he has ever gotten and he deserves the BEST. Ben works at Dendreon, a biotech in downtown Seattle in the Seattle Art Museum building so I have fun going downtown on the bus, having lunch with Ben, and then going to the Seattle Art Museum. Please cheer for Ben. Ben is great at everything and I'm so proud of him. Ben ran the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon in 2 hours and 55 minutes. Great time for someone who doesn't have time to train and is so busy. If he had time to train consistently, I wonder what his time would be?.............

Body Pump

I took a weights class at 24 Hour Fitness this morning in Northgate Seattle. The class is called Body Pump. It's a 60 minute weights class using a barbell as you do squats, lunges and lifts. There are supposed to be 800 repetitions in each class so you are really getting a workout. This morning at 9:30 a.m. Wanda was the instructor. She's great. She's high energy and her enthusiasm is infectious. She's nice to everyone. She's a great instructor, great at cueing, and great at making it fun. Now I love ACDC because of her. The music is blaring and she wears a microphone to tell you what to do. It is so much fun to just get lost in the repetitive motion and music. This class is good for me. It will help me to sculpt and tone my body as I lose weight. It's perfect and Wanda is my favorite instructor for Body Pump. The room is packed with strong women who are fit and take care of themselves.

Zumba

I just got back from zumba at 24 Hour Fitness in Northgate in Seattle. I had so much fun and did the entire 60 minutes. Marco is the instructor on Wednesdays now. He's the BEST instructor that I have ever had because he is a great dancer, great at cueing, great as an instructor, and great with people. I want to lose weight with zumba. Not all zumba instructors are created equal. Marco is amazing because he makes it pure fun and he is easy to follow. With zumba you get lose in the movement and the music. I'm not great at it but I do the best I can and I have a great time. It would be perfect if Marco would teach at 24 Hour Super Sport Fitness Club at Northgate every day or he needs to start selling DVD's but a class is better. All I want to do is zumba if there is a great teacher like Marco..........Zumba is pure fun!

Seattle

I had so much fun on Friday. I rode on the #16 bus downtown and met my son, Ben for lunch. Then I went to the Seattle Symphony to hear Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3. It was glorious. I was in the presence of perfection. After the symphony, I walked to the Seattle Art Museum since I have a membership. I wanted to see the new Australian Aboriginal Art collection. I saw a few pieces the last time I went and it inspires me to want to paint the galaxy using these techniques. After having fun at the Seattle Art Museum, I went to Ben's house [my son] for dinner and then home. A perfect day........

Sid the Science Kid

I love Sid the Science Kid on PBS. It's sponsored by Boeing. It's the greatest kid show. This picture is of my granddaughter, Anna with Sid the Science Kid that was taken at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.

Columbia Tower Race

My son, Benjamin Haber completed the Columbia Tower Race and came in 4th place. This yearly event is sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to raise money. Ben was on Team Dendreon. It is a 69 story climb up the Columbia Tower. Ben ran up the 69 flights of stairs in 8 minutes, 18 seconds. www.bigclimb.org

Tough Mudder

My son, Daniel Haber finished Tough Mudder on Saturday. It's a 12 hour grueling experience that is an extreme endurance challenge. You can see the video all about Tough Mudder at www.toughmudder.com. He didn't train and says that if he does it again, he will. One of his Sigma Pi fraternity brothers who moved to Ohio asked him to sign up. You have to be tough and fit to finish this challenge.

Arthur Murray School of Dance

My life has completely changed from last week to this week because of Arthur Murray School of Dance. I'm living my dream. I can't get over how much fun my first dance lesson was tonight. Let me take you back to two days ago when I discovered Arthur Murray School of Dance across from Office Depot on Aurora, not too far from where I live in Northgate in Seattle. When I saw it, I thought it would be so much fun to take lessons so I drove across the street to investigate. I signed up for two private lessons for $59. I had a lesson with Zach who is a great teacher and nice. We did the tango, the waltz, and something else like the waltz. I've been wanting to take ballroom dancing my whole life and now I finally get to do it. My husband didn't ever want to dance so I have only danced in my heart. I also love watching So You Think You Can Dance and once in awhile Dancing With the Stars. I can't get over how much fun I had this evening. It's fun to dress up, meet new people, dance to music, and just have a great time. The group lesson was learning how to do the Bachata. I have never heard of that before but Zach did a great job of teaching and getting everyone to learn it, even me. I sure hope I get to continue taking lessons. I had such a wonderful time. It was pure fun.

Rahm Emanuel

I look forward to casting my vote for Rahm Emanuel for President of the United States in a few years. I've been watching his career with interest and enjoyed reading the feature article, "In Your Face," in the Summer issue of Northwestern. If you want to read the complete article, go to www.northwestern.edu/magazine

Weight Watchers

I have been going to Weight Watchers for 16 weeks straight here in Seattle. Last week, I lost 4 pounds for the week. I have been concentrating on exercising and eating healthy and it is working out for me. I'm not giving up. I'm going to continue to work hard. What is helping me? Zumba and Body Pump, a weight class at 24 Hour Fitness!

Zumba

I have been having so much fun taking Zumba classes at 24 Hour Fitness in Northgate. When I wake up in the morning, I think about Zumba and it makes me smile. Zumba is pure fun. It is movement, music, and dance. I enjoy all the instructors but my favorite is Marco. He is great at cueing, a great instructor, his movements are fluid, and he is an amazing dancer. I also really like Niel as an instructor.