Argh! It's already Monday!?! When the holidays are around the corner, life just seems to get super busy! I haven't posted in a while, but have been busy.....or by the end of the day too tired. Had a free night out this past weekend with my husband, so we decided to go out and party. We partied a little too hard and paid for it yesterday. I hate feeling like that. Just really run down and tired. I had a Xmas party to go to also. Didn't really feel like going, but it was a good friend having it so I had to. I did have fun though:-) Ate some really yummy food! When I'm feeling a bit hungover I justify all the junk food I want. It really does make you feel better. I'm sure there's a study out there somewhere to concur! Actually not too much going on this week (thank God!). At least not until the weekend. So I will try to make the most of this free time. Maybe try to get my Christmas cards out!

Leaving to the gym soon to get some cardio in after my gluttonous weekend!

Bye!

Well, had a busy weekend. Friday went to a friend's apartment downtown. It was so awesome! It had a really urban feel, she even had pictures up of neighborhood areas back in their hay day! I thought we were going to go out somewhere, but I don't think her and her husband really wanted to. That's okay, it was still a fun night. Saturday we had some friends over our house. I found out that one of my girlfriend's is expecting!!! She's 6 weeks along right now. She and her husband just married this past September, so we were all surprised to hear the news! They're super excited!

Watched the movie UP last night. I don't know why it was always out at the Red Box, I didn't think it was that great. If you haven't seen it yet, just wait for it to come on cable. I'm still waiting for last season's Desperate Housewives to arrive so I can catch up! I missed a lot of last season, and haven't seen too much of this one because I don't want to spoil anything.

So, the countdown to Thanksgiving is on! I only have to bring the mashed potatoes, but I may bring a dessert too. I'm actually more excited for Black Friday! I plan on going on this year. I planned on it last year, but then I got the flu:-( So, I will try again. I haven't looked at the adds yet. Last year at this time I already had my game plan down. I work good under pressure though, so I know I'll be ready. I want to try to get most of my shopping done that day. I'm usually out with all the guys at Meijer on Christmas Eve trying to finish up for everyone, but not this year! I really want to have it done early. I think I may put up my decorations Friday night. I'll get the boxes from storage and a bottle of pino grigio and of course some Christmas music on the radio.

I didn't make it to the gym today. I wanted to go, but decided to do other things first. I'm also fighting a sinus thing, so my throat is pretty irritated. I decided it was better to give myself a little extra rest. I don't want to be sick again this year and miss the shopping! But I will be back on tomorrow. Ready to go get it!

Night y'all!

Went to see Disney's A Christmas Carol in IMAX on Monday at Great Lakes Crossing. It was pretty good. It was super loud in the theatre though. 3D movies are so much fun to watch! Had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. They don't really have good food, but it's the atmosphere I guess. I had a grilled chicken sandwich. I tried to find the nutritional's online.....but they don't do that yet:-( So I'm sure I didn't want to know how much that sandwich was! I love going to that mall. They have so many stores!

Thursday a friend and I went to my plastic surgeons office for a "Night of Beauty". It wasn't as good as last year. This year, we had to buy raffle tickets for the give-aways. Last year it was free. And they weren't giving as much stuff away. Last year I won a laser peel. It was awesome! But, I don't really need another, so I wasn't going to pay for raffle tickets. My friend is interested in augmentation so she set up a consult there. I feel bad because we found out my Dr. is on medical leave (they don't know how long yet) and there is someone else seeing her patients. We'll see how it goes for her. I trust that she would have someone great seeing her patients as it will reflect back on her.

Well, it's Saturday and I am babysitting tonight. It's my brother and sister-in-laws 11yr anniversary and they're going out to celebrate it! It should be fun tonight! My husband was supposed to go out for drinks tonight with some friends, but has come down with something:( He thinks it's swine flu because of how fast it came on;) I think it's just because he hasn't gotten enough sleep lately and is run down. I will try to nurse him back to health before tonight!

Well, off to the gym and run some errands. Hope you're having a great weekend!
Bye!
Amanda
XOXO

I'm still recovering from my weekend. They always seemed to be super busy. Friday actually wasn't too eventful. Just ran errands and went to the gym. I left my water jug there too! I'm so upset! I'm going back today to go get it. Hopefully it's still there! I leave that thing everywhere. Don't know how, it's HUGE! Watched Josie and the Pussycats on cable Friday night. It was okay. There were some parts that were funny, but for the most part it's a younger kids movie I think. Saturday hit the gym, then got ready to go watch Mike at a gig in Hamtrammk. He was only playing for 2 hours, but I ate some yummy Polish food there and dessert too! The weather was so nice that night. We thought about going to a friends house for a bonfire, but decided to just stay in. Watched Miss Congeniality, then went to bed. Sunday we had a 2 yr old's b-day party at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was fun. Ate too much pizza and cake. The cake was amazing! An old co-worker makes cakes, cookies, etc. and she is awesome! I had to have a piece! I wanted 2, but actually showed some self control and stayed away:-) We were having family over later for dinner and I knew I would be having MORE pizza so I figured I better not have too much! he he! So, pizza for dinner and carmel (sp?) apple pie for dessert! It was my uncle's b-day too, so I couldn't say no to the pie! I was so good all week! I actually don't feel so bad about all that food. It's more than I wanted to have, but I was good all week and was planning a cheat anyway.
Well, that was my weekend. Hope yours was great too!
Off to the gym!
Amanda

So how was your Halloween this year? Mine was fun! We took Gregory out as a Thomas the Train:) We went around the old neighborhood (we had some great neighbors!). We ran into a few who invited us over after trick or treating for some drinks. They do it every year, their garage has been transformed into a man cave and that's where we mainly hung out. They did have a fire pit in the back, a trampoline for the kids and lots of yummy food inside! I hope when we finally find our new house, that we have neighbors that are just as fun!

My training has been a little out of whack. I don't miss workouts, they just get juggled around the week sometimes. At least I'm getting them in I guess. My food has been pretty on track. Besides Halloween and a dinner we hosted this past weekend, I have been good. Still trying to get more cardio in! I can always find the time when I'm pre-contest for it, but for some reason it's so hard to do when I'm off-season! I'm going to try a different approach to cardio.....something more along the lines of aerobics. I'll still do my step mill (devil!) coz I need it, but the tread and elliptical can get so boring sometimes! I don't really like the recumbent bike, it doesn't feel very comfortable to me.

I have so much to catch up on! I don't even want to look at my inbox....it's probably overfilling! I have cleaning to do, cardio, workout, laundry, pay the bills, more cleaning, and studying.
I've had the study material to get my personal training certification, but was so busy trying to sell the house, then move, I didn't look at it too much. I'm more focused on that now, and am hoping to be ready to test before the year is out (that's not too far away!).

Don't know what I'm going to do with the certification when I get it. I may pick up a few clients here and there. I love helping people transform their bodies....for the better! It's such a confidence booster:) I have helped a couple friends drop a few lb's for occasion's, but they always put it right back on:( I think if someone were paying me, they would stick to it better. I did!

Years back I had a trainer, and I stuck like glue to our regimen. I didn't want all the money I was spending to be wasted! I think when you actually have something more invested, you're more likely to follow through.

Well, off to get my day going!
Happy Wednesday!
Me

Finally back on-line! It's been 2 months since we've had a computer! You realize how much you really use something when you don't have it anymore! I have so much to catch up on it's gonna take me forever! I have been doing pretty bad with my diet:( If I'm not getting ready for something, it's sooooo hard to say no to yummy foods! I have just tighten it back up this week, and have been doing really good:) It's actually very similar to my pre-contest diet, but not quite as strict. I'll keep on it for a couple weeks. I don't think I'll need anymore than that (hopefully not!). Well, got lots of other things to go through now that I'm back on the net. I'll try to post again later tonight. If not, then soon. I don't want to go another few months before the next one!
Bye!

Hello! I'm pretty tired these days.....and I'm getting more sleep than ever!?! We have been super busy trying to find a house and all the summertime events. It's been hard trying to keep up with my training schedule. My mom just broke her ankle, so I will helping her out for a while. Everyday something new. I guess it keeps life interesting:) I still haven't been doing as much cardio as I wanted, but I think all the running around I have been doing should count for some! Tomorrow I have to take my mom to the Dr., we have an appraiser coming out tomorrow for appraisal (duh), and I have to go to the Dr. because I have laryngitis:(
Well, gotta get things ready for tomorrow. I want to get to bed early tonight.
Bye!~

I'm feeling pretty good about getting back on the wagon. I have been pretty good with my eating:) I just got to add my cardio back in. I think if I can get back on track with that, things will be all good. Not too much going on today. Got a pedi this morning, and have been trying to catch up on emails, FB, MySpace, & Twitter. It's a lot! We're going to a birthday party later tonight with family. I don't expect to be out too late, so hopefully I can get some sleep. I want to get to the gym early, because tomorrow is going to be a busier day. I have a graduation party to go to, and we're taking a friend out for her 30th b-day! Just the girls.....we're going Sex and the City style;) Sunday is my nephew's b-day party. Summer time is always so busy. That's why it seems to go by so fast.

I have been holding on to the fantasy that I would compete on the national stage this year. I wanted to do North Americans, and possibly Team U. It's too close to start prep now:( Maybe if I was a bit leaner it would be doable but I have to come to terms with it......not this year:( That's okay, I will use this time to bring out lines where I need them, add size where I need it, working to see what colors work best, & posing, posing, posing! So when I come to that stage next year I will give the other competitors a good run for their money! And if I don't place that well, it will not be because my physique was not "there".

TGIF!

2nd Place!

Well....it took me a while to get back here and post the results, but I took second place! I wanted to win, but am still very happy with my placing. The Michigan is a very big show, so to even take second is great! I got some feedback, but I already knew what I needed to work on. I probably could/should have come in a pound or two tighter, and I need to work on bringing out the lines in my legs. I have been working them differently in the gym. So far I seem to be noticing some improvement with the new routine. I usually like to change things up every 4-6 weeks. That's coming up pretty soon so I'll have to decide what I want to do.

My eating has been pretty clean, but I have been eating too much! I wish I didn't love food as much as I do! I can stick to anything if I have a specific goal in sight, but with nothing to prep for the will power kinda goes down the tubes.

Plus, we sold our house!!! Like, who does that in Michigan right? Well, we did and now we get to go house shopping! Yay! It doesn't help my work out schedule or eating schedule though:-( It's a lot of fun, but very time consuming. There's so much I want to get done, that will just have to wait for now.

I'll have to post later, mister Gregman wants to watch some choo choo.
Night night!
XOXO

Okay, so I'm just about off of work. Then I'm off to get my eyebrows waxed, check to see if I can get my hair done for tomorrow (was going to do it myself, but figured why not see??), go over checklist/pack, paint on coats of tan, get food prepped, practice posing...some more!, and try to relax:-) I just hope I can get to bed at a decent time. A lot of people have a hard time sleeping the night before a show, but I never seem to. I can't wait until tomorrow night! I really, really, REALLY hope I win!!! I want to win it so bad with everyone there:-) I think I want it so bad that I might be jinxing myself. Don't think about it, there's nothing you can do. Okay, I feel better, sort of.
A lot of people ask me what I've been eating. It's not bad, it's just restricted. Actually, my diet was really not bad at all until just about 4 weeks ago when I had to cut out my carbs. It really seemed to make a difference with me.
What I will/have eat(en) today:
M1:
6 egg whites w/ hot sauce
1 grapefruit w/ stevia
coffee

M2:
4oz. turkey sloppy joe's meat
2 cups mixed veggies

M3:
6oz. turkey sloppy joe's meat
2 cups veggies

M4:
2 scoops protein powder

M5:
8oz. turkey sloppy joe's meat
2 cups veggies

M6:
2 scoops protein powder

I eat a lot of the same thing strictly for convenience. I could make different stuff, but it would just be more time consuming right now, and I'm all about saving my time!
Tomorrow, I will eat the same for Meal 1, but the rest may vary because cold veggies are GROSS!!! I will most likely have some protein powder, then PB w/ honey on a rice cake before I pump up, a chicken salad w/ low fat ranch (what I ate for both other shows, so maybe it will be good luck!), then some more PB w/ honey minus the rice cake. Then we will probably go somewhere like TGIFriday's or something. I will definitely find some yummy things there!
TGIF!!!!
~wish me luck!!

I WON OVERALL!!!

I can't believe it! I won the overall in Grand Rapids!!!! What an amazing feeling. It was a good class, and I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to go. The other 2 girls (in med/tall classes) had both won their classes at different shows before, so I knew it could have been any one of us. When they said my name I wanted to jump up and down! Unfortunately, since most of my friends and family are coming to the Redford this weekend, only one person got to see it. Chrissy, thanks again for coming with me......and dealing with painting my backside!!! LOL!

Well, this is it, this weekend is my last show for the season. I hope I can pull it off again, but I think this will be the toughest competition yet! I'm excited, anxious, and a bit nervous. I am Nationally Qualified now so some of the pressure is off, but I really want to win and finish on a winning streak!

I also can't wait to go out afterwards and eat and drink myself sick! I had a nice rib dinner treat dinner last week, but no dessert and I still kept it within reason. After this Saturday there will be no reasoning with me....I will be feasting!

So, I'm off to go home, cook some kufta (ground meat), get my nails done, wash suit, puffs, and paint some more coats of Pro Tan on. I'm getting SUPER EXCITED!!!!!!

Hello!

Hello everybody! Well, I finally decided to get a blog! I used to have an online journal, but I didn't really stick to it. So I thought I would start up a blog so you can learn more about me and keep up with what I'm up to. I am super excited to say that I won my first figure competition this past weekend!!! This was my 3rd competition. I have taken 2 third placings, first in a class of 6, then a class of 10. This past weekend there were 13 girls in my class!! It was a really big class. It's still kind of sinking in:-) I have another show this weekend in Grand Rapids. I'm really hoping to do well as this one is a National Qualifier. That is really my goal this season. I obviously want to win, but if I at least place in the top 2 and get qualified I will be happy! I was told by one of the judges that I need to tighten up my lower half a bit. Just a couple of pounds. So, my diet tightened up a bit, and cardio up'ed as well. That's okay, if it gets me where I need to be then it's all good! Well, back to work!

Happy Monday!