Dear Friends,
Dress Up Tomorrow!
Pull out your ugly sweaters (or ideally t-shirts and tanks), reindeer pajamas, or Santa hats for our Corny Christmas themed Stop Drop and Dance class for Sandy Aley's birthday! Can't wait to see everyone for some laughter and fun (thank you to Karin Conn for my new "Merry Fitness and a Happy New Rear" tank that I will be wearing tomorrow!).
Our Holiday Schedule For The Remainder of 2022:
- Tuesday, December 20th @UUMarin:
- 9:30am Stop Drop and Dance Corny Christmas Birthday Class for Sandy Aley!
- Wednesday, December 21st @UUMarin:
- 9:30am 60 minutes of HIIT Camp 30/30 - bring dumbbells and mat
- 10:45am 60 minutes of All-Levels Yoga - bring a mat
- Thursday, December 22nd @UUMarin:
- 9:30am 75 minutes of Stop Drop and Dance
- After class cookie exchange and hang out!
- Saturday, December 24th: CLASS CANCELLED
- Merry Christmas!
- Tuesday, December 27th @UUMarin
- 9:30am Stop Drop and Dance
- Wednesday, December 28th @UUMarin:
- 9:30am 60 minutes of HIIT Camp 30/30 - bring dumbbells and mat
- 10:45am 60 minutes of All-Levels Yoga - bring a mat
- Thursday, December 29th @UUMarin:
- 9:30am Stop Drop and Dance
- Saturday, December 31st @OneThorndaleGarage:
- 9:30am 75 minutes HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE Stop Drop and Dance!
Invite a friend to join you (new students have a BOGO deal!), bring your kids for free to any class, join us on Zoom from home or on vacation, or all classes are recorded for 2 days afterwards and are available on-demand! Happy Holidays!
We Are Family!
I hope you get to be reunited with your loved ones during these next few weeks! This past Tuesday, Jennifer Overaa's kids, Eric and Annika, came back from college, and they came to Stop Drop and Dance class with their mama! Annika's boyfriend, Gabe, also joined, and the four of them took over the stage for Missy Elliott's song, WTF (Where They From)! It didn't matter that they were new to class and didn't know the dance, but they just gave all their energy and style! So good!!! (Thank you Erin Meyers for capturing photos for Jennifer's family!)
Then on Saturday, we celebrated my BFF Karen Shen's birthday (aka Jahpoo), who I have known since we were both 1 year olds! She lives an hour and a half away, but joined on Zoom with her favorite song playlist. Even her hubby Dave and sons joined for the whole class to support her (and they usually sleep in until late!). Happy Birthday Jahpoo!
Here's to all the friends who are not actually blood related, but are 100% people that you consider as your family member!
You Are Not Alone
*For those of you who are not on social media, this was written on Tuesday on my Instagram account @gracelingyu*
I was an emphatic So You Think You Can Dance fan, so much so that I even flew to Utah to try out when I turned 30 (the max age limit). Despite getting cut in round 2 by Nigel himself, I loved and respected how choreographers could create masterpieces of movement and storytelling, while dancers could infuse so much intense emotion and heart into the pieces.
I especially loved Stephen 'tWitch' Boss and Allison Holker.
I followed their social media accounts as they got married, created a family, and established solid careers. I admired their partnership and dedication during the pandemic as they danced almost daily with the happiest smiles on their faces.
They undoubtedly lifted spirits and changed many people’s lives.
So yes, today I have to share my devastation to hear of tWitch’s sudden passing. To share how awful I feel for Allison and her children. To share how saddened I feel for tWitch to lose his hope and end his light. I join the dancing world today, hurting, that we lost a good person to the darkness. I am shocked. I am shaken. You will be missed, tWitch!
So my takeaway today is: tell those around you, more often than normal, how much you care about them.
Write them a letter. Surprise them with a card. Send a random email. Do it out of the blue. And do it often. Maybe each week, choose a friend to shower with love. Or if you’re really ambitious, every day.
One of the biggest gifts I received 2 weeks ago during my The Power With Grace retreat was that the group of 38 other women had planned secretly to shower me with cards throughout the retreat. Everyday, different times of the day, even now after the trip, I literally was gifted a sweet, heartfelt, genuine card with words of love.
It was hard to read and to receive these notes. It was overwhelming in the best way. But it was so appreciated and it made a huge impact for me.
So today, I encourage you to write that note to someone you think about - a family member, friend, or even an acquaintance who left a kind impression on you.
Let people know you see them, you care about them, and that they are not alone ❤️.
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones,
Grace
PS Click on the image below to see the video of our last morning in Tulum together during our retreat.
