Gobble Gobble!

So, how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was good, we went to my SIL's house for dinner. It's about 1/4 mile from our house so it's perfect! At the end of the night when you're stuffed and tired it's a short drive back home:) Although I did say I was thinking about walking home to burn off dinner. Lol! I actually didn't eat too bad. I wasn't overstuffed or anything. Just full enough. I wanted to hit the stores early on Friday, but that didn't happen. I didn't get out until almost noon! But ya know, I didn't really see any good doorbuster's for the things I wanted. I mainly went out looking for Xmas decor for the house (now that we're in a bigger place I need more!). I did pick up a couple gifts and a new file organizer for me to keep clients info in. I have been really slacking in the gym and I am feeling terrible about it. I've been getting cardio in, but my lifting has been lacking. It's actually harder to get workouts in now that I work in a gym. I know it's seems like a no brainer, but when I train a client I have to work with their schedule. So if I have something going on have to leave the gym and try to make it back in later. After already making the trip and being there, sometimes it's hard to get back. I do my own training at a different gym than Fitness 19 (although sometimes I train there), but it's still hard to get back in there:(

Oh, I mentioned that supplement in my last post. Let me tell you a little about that. I met with Debbie Beyer, who is the founder of Answerfoods, LLC. I'll let you do the reading, because there is quite a bit of info, but this seems like a really good supplement to add to your list. It's not a protein supplement (only 12g per 2 scoops), but more a vitamin/mineral supplement. Debbie did tell me they could formulate it to have more protein if requested. It's got a 94% absorbtion rate! That's amazing! Some pills you take don't break down much at all before you pass them. I have been taking this supplement for about 5 days and I have already noticed an improvement in my energy. I'm not springing out of bed, but I notice I can do more without tiring out as quickly. Also, as an extra bonus I lost about 1lb! I didn't change anything with my eating habits (I do eat pretty good to begin with). I think the only thing that may hold people back from trying it is the cost. It's $31 per container, and it carries 12 servings. I actually only take 1 scoop in the morning and 1 scoop in the evening to stretch it out longer. But she does offer to first time customers a buy 1 get 1 offer. I think that's a great offer and at $15 per container why not give it a shot? The cost is higher, in part, because of the high quality control the ensure in this product. In the future they would like to expand into whole food products such as oatmeals and nut butters! I can't wait to try those out! So, check'em out and see what ya think! answerfoods.com

Well, today is going to be filled with a trip to the gym, more decorating!, checking up on clients, probably some cleaning (there's always something to clean!), and some grocery shopping. I dread going to the grocery store on the weekend, but it just has to be done (if we wanna eat!).

Happy Sunday!!!

xoxo

Oy! I FINALLY got my computer back so I wanted to come post something real quick since, once again, it's been a while. We had a nasty virus and had to take the computer in to be fixed. It took over a week! I'm still looking for everything I had on here. They said they backed it up, but I'm not a techy. I need everything spelled out for me to find it. Plus, I think if you're paying them money they should make it super easy for you to find your stuff:) Oh, well what can I do at this point? I'm just trying to get through emails, pay the bills, catch up on my blogs!, and hopefully if there's any time left, catch up on the forums!

I really want to revamp my website soon too! I got a template last year, just to get it up and running. I had my domain name for a whole year before I got the site up. I'm not sure where I should look though. I don't want to go too crazy with changes and also don't want to break the bank either. If you guys know of anybody I should be checking with, let me know!

I have started working with some more clients lately:) I'm sure it's going to get pretty busy come resolution time, but I'm glad people are starting to take the initiative early. I think it's better to face the holidays head on with a game plan instead of waiting until you do more damage! One of my clients/friend, Nancy Bara competed in the 2010 NPC Western Michigan and took 2nd place in the Grand Masters and 1st place in the Open! I was soooo excited! I really couldn't have been happier if I had won myself! I helped her with every aspect of her prep. From diet and training, to posing and suit selection. The girl who took first in Grand Masters took second to her in the Open. I know some people think that's strange. Well, let me explain. I saw the scorecards and Nancy lost to the first place winner by 1 point. In the Open, she took first by 5 points. I did see that 2 judges scored Nancy higher by 1 point in the open over the other competitor than in the grand masters BUT (big but there) even with the 2 points given to the other competitor, Nancy still would've won the open. What was the X factor? A third competitor in the grand masters who was in the Medium class for open (not short like Nancy and the other girl). So, there ya have it. Hope that cleared things up for those of you who were a little confused by that. (not that there were many:)

I think I have a couple more competitors lined up already for next season! I'm super excited for next year already! I'm glad to be able to help out because when I started there wasn't as many people to go to. For my first show I had male bodybuilders helping me! As much as I appreciate what they did, they were only able to help me so much. Even in the past couple years the sport (locally) has grown quite a bit. And over that time I have learned a lot, and to be able to help others and help the sport feels really good:)

I'm meeting someone today to talk about a nutritional supplement they want me to try out (before Jan). My friend is having a party in January to give people an opportunity to try out the product and giving some great deals on pricing. Apparently this is not only used as a meal replacement but will make you feel great too! I am always a little skeptical when I first encounter a new product, but I have a friend who's been using this and says she feels fantastic and is down 15lbs already! I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but I'm really interested in the whole feeling great part! Who doesn't want to feel amazing and have energy?!?! I'll report back later;)

Well, off to get going on the day! Always lot's to do!

XOXO

Don't know why the spell check left some words highlighted in yellow? Oh, well:)

Dueba Candy Blue circle lens review

Hey there!

Here is a review for Dueba Candy Blue circle lens. ;D

I have been trying them out for about 8 weeks now, and I love them!

The lenses were sponsored by E-Circlelens.com for review purposes and I was not paid for this review. It is 100% totally and honestly my opinion based on my own personal experience with these lenses.

Dueba Candy Blue

Item details

Stock: Stock available

Brand: Dueba

Diameter: 14.5

Water Content: 38%

Base Curve: 8.6

Lifespan: 1 year

I spoke with Etsuko Mitsuoko from e-circlelens, who was extremely helpful. I always received a prompt response whenever I had a question. I believe it took about a week and a half to received them, which is pretty good considering how far they came from! Inside the package were my very well protected lenses, some pamphlets, and a cute little doggie lens case!

I was really impressed at everything that came with these lenses. I had ordered circle lenses before (from a different company) and they were sent wrapped in newspaper inside an envelope and that was it! No case, no protection, no invoice, nothing:( I know most people are pretty informed on how to put in and take out your lenses, but I like that they sent an instruction pamphlet showing you how to do it correctly and minimize the chances of damaging your lenses.

I LOVE the doggie lens case! I am a cat person at heart, but this guy is a cutie! When you open him up there is a mirror, tweezers, a case, and a bottle for extra solution! So much nicer that tossing my case in my bag and a big bottle of solution in my cooler. (I just put it in the cooler because there's room, not so I can have cold solution drops for my eyes) I like the tweezers because I have acrylic nails, and they make it easier to take out than using my hands.

The lenses themselves come in very well packaged glass bottle with aluminum lids. The lids weren't difficult to take off, but if you tear it wrong be careful not to hurt yourself on the edges. The instruction pamphlet tells you the easy way of doing it:)

First thing I noticed is how comfortable they were compared to other colored lenses I have worn in the past. I did not experience any blurring from the color like I have with other lenses before. It is not recommended to wear these lenses for more than 8 hours because since they are larger than regular lenses, they restrict more oxygen from your eyes. I kept mine in for roughly about that time. By then I could tell my eyes needed a break. I only needed to use wetting drops once.

Sorry about the blank creepiness of my stare here, but I was trying to do this myself and keep the camera steady;)

These were taken indoors with no flash. You can definitely see more contrast when the flash is on, but who has a light that bright shining in their face all day? I tried taking one in natural light, but they all came out a little fuzzy. Take a look.

Overall, I really like this product. I can't wait to wear these on stage! We all wear fake lashes to accentuate our eyes, think of what these will do! They're very comfortable, I wear them just about everyday. I would love to try out more colors and letcha know all about them!

I know it's a little late for Halloween, but they also have a lot of costume lenses! All of the lenses at E-Circlelens.com run about $40, and they last up to a year if taken care of properly. Most of the lenses also come available in your prescription! Fun and functional! They do recommend you have a recent eye exam so you get the right lenses for you. So check'em out! Do it! :D And let me know what you think.

Catching things up

It's almost 8am here, and while enjoying my sugar free caramel vanilla coffee, I thought I'd give pop in and say hi. I have so many blogs to catch up on and I also have a review that I've done on some Candy Blue circle lenses that I received from e-cirlclelens.com that I want to get up here. I wish I could clone myself. I would have one do all the work stuff, and the other me would get to do everything I wanted to do. Then, of course, to be fair to myself I each of me would switch responsibilities every other day. Isn't that a good idea?

Let me put a question out there that I've been thinking about lately. This is more directed to those of you who regularly hit the gym. Well, I guess this could apply just about anywhere, so all are welcome to fire out those opinions! I've seen so much gossip at my gym (duh! like it's not like that at every gym? I know it is.) I've seen it from competitors more so I think. Which is so strange to me. It's not like everyone wants to do what we do. You think we would stick together a bit more. But you have to be really careful about what you say and to whom. I know some who tell me about others, and I'm not dumb enough to think they're not talking about me when I'm not there. I've heard that people who are super friendly to my face, tell others that they're surprised I've placed where I have. Crappy, right?

I try to just be friendly to everyone and just make my way through my workout. I really like my gym, I just don't like how it's gotten recently. What would you do? Would you call out the gossipers on what they say, or just leave it be? I'm leaving it right now, because I just don't feel like fueling the fire.

On a different note. It's Fall time! Love it or hate it? I don't love it, because Winter is right around the corner and I hate cold weather. But I don't hate it either, because there's a lot of fun seasonal things to do and eat that you can't do all year round. I'm definitely venturing out today to get my pumpkin spice coffee to brew at home. I've already been to Starbucks to get a non-fat Pumpkin Spice Latte! A tall only has 200 cal. It's still kinda high for a tall, but for a fall treat it's not bad. I made some sugar free pumpkin butter yesterday which is so yummy! I've had some by itself, and also tried it on chicken and it was pretty darn good! I heard that Dairy Queen has a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard! Yikes! I will have to try and find a swap out for that, because it sounds just too tempting! Oh, and the last fall thing I've had is Chipotle Apple Raspberry Sauce from Yates Cider Mill (local cider mill). It's sweet and has a really good kick to it. You can use this stuff on crackers, chicken, burgers, whatever! Just be careful, 1 Tbs has 40 cals! That's more than BBQ sauce! But, like I said, you can't get this stuff year round.

Well, time to grab me another cup of coffee and get moving on the day!

Bye~

Well, I am not keeping up with my posting like I had hoped but things have been busy (what's new right?). This past weekend was the Olympia and I was really bummed that the webcast wasn't working for me:( I finally got a link that worked right as they were announcing the 202 winners. So it wasn't a total bust. I was really rooting for Nicole Wilkins-Lee to take the title again (gotta shout out for the MI girls!), but Erin Stern was just a tough package to beat. This year was the first Bikini Olympia and I think all the girls looked great! I'm not really sure of the exact look that the judges are looking for for bikini, but this should at least set the standard for next season. It took figure a while to really get into it's own, so I'm sure we still see some different physique's being rewarded in the bikini division for a little while more.

I have been doing more cardio lately. Which is a change from my other off season's when I didn't do any;) I'm not eating too badly, I just wish I could get down a few more lb's than I'm at now. We'll see how it works out!

I recently joined the team at Fitness 19 in Clinton Twp. as a personal trainer. So if you're in the area stop on by and come say hi! My schedule is pretty flexible, but I really hope to build enough clientele to get myself into something more structured. I'm prepping 1 client for the last local show of the season, which is 4 weeks from this Saturday. I'm really excited to see how she does. She's coming in great and as long as she sticks to the plan, I know she's gonna do very well!

The weather is getting colder out, and lately a lot wetter:( poo! I'm not really a fall person. Even though this summer was a scorcher, I prefer it over the cold. I only really like Spring because Summer is right after:) If we didn't have so much family here, I would seriously argue moving to a warmer climate state!

Well, off to go prep my food for tomorrow. Gotta be at the gym early tomorrow to train! Just wanted to pop in and say hi! And let you all know that I'm still breathing;)

Nighty night!

Did somebody say GIVEAWAY!?!?!?

That's right! I thought it was about time I do a little giveaway. This is my first time with this, so I kept it modest. I really hope to do these on a semi regular basis:) Giveaways are fun, and who doesn't like free stuff, huh? How do I enter this giveaway you ask? Simple:

- Be a follower and leave a comment on this post (with your email address) = 1 entry!

- Post a link to this giveaway on your blog (or twitter) and leave a comment with the link your email address = 2 entries!

This giveaway will close on September 30th. At that time I will pick a winner by random number generator. If the winner does not reply within 3 days to claim their prize, an alternate winner will be drawn.

What you will win:

♥6 pairs of natural soft false eyelashes

♥1 pair of sugar kiss eyelashes in bling from E.L.F.

♥1 8ml tube of eyelash glue

♥1 sequined mini clutch

♥1 tube of scented smarties lip balm

♥1 cute jelly jar style apple scented candle

Thanks to all of you who enter!

And while we're on the subject of giveaways, you should all check out these great blogs for more chances to win some cool stuff!

http://chouzuru.blogspot.com/2010/09/770-followers-giveaway.html

http://findingtokyo.blogspot.com/2010/08/giveaway.html

Grrrr!!!!

My blog looks a little different (which I'm not happy about!). Something is going on and I can't figure out what yet. I've had people tell me they can't post comments on my posts. I checked it myself and ya sure can't:( I have been trying to figure it out, but am giving up for now. I changed the settings to a pop up for comments in the meantime.

I'm really bummed too, coz I was excited for my next post! But I kinda need the comments working. I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Nighty, night!

Second Guess Thursdays

Wow! This summer has been a busy one! I don't have internet set up at my new house (that's right, I said new house!) yet, but hopefully one day soon we'll have it so I don't have to go a month without posting....Grrrr.... Sooooo, yes we did move! Yippee! It took about 8 long months to find our gem but we found it and we're all moved in. Not settled in, just moved in. There's still plenty of fun left for us to do:) It's roughly 10-12 miles from where we were before so it wasn't too bad getting things in and out or out and in I guess?? You would think with a whole month gone by I would have more to talk about, but I must lead a pretty boring life because I can't think of that much right now! :( Bummer

I did get a new phone. I finally got a smart phone! Woo Hoo!! Mobile web on my old phone sucked! I can access the web so much better now (and what better timing than when I don't have internet set up yet!). I'm actually thinking I may start video blogging here and there. Let me know if there's anything you want me to blog on when I do those. I'm talking like making a healthy recipe, exercise demonstrations, product reviews and such. Nothing weird and funky. You can always go to Youtube for that.

Oooh, I also got some new contact lenses. I really like'em! They're circle lenses. They're a bit larger than regular contacts and they have a dark circle around the edge. It makes your eyes look bigger (which I need cuz I gots little peepers). I ordered 2 colored pair: Dreamy.i Hazel and Ace Black. The opening (for your pupil) in the middle is larger than regular colored contacts so I figured the black wouldn't be too dramatic, but the feedback from friends is that I look like an anime character. I don't think it looks that bad, but everyones a critic, eh? I'll have to try to post some pics of them later. Everyone seems to like the hazel. I have one friend who says I look like a vampire (wtf?) with them in. For the most part the feedback has been good, and they're fun so why not, right?

Well, I gotta run my errands so I'll check back in soon (promise! (I say that a lot though don't I?))

Bye~

xoxo

Team Universe

Sooooooo, sorry everyone that I haven't posted in so long:( I was so busy between Jr. Nationals and trying to tweak things in 3 weeks for Team Universe that my online life was put on hold. Where to start first??? Well, I'll start with Chicago. It was a blast! A top 5 placing helped make it more exciting I think:) Other than the power going out and the show starting and hour and a half late it was so much fun! It was more fun that any local show I've ever done. Let me tell you, the physique's that showed up were sick! When you go to a local show, you can pretty much pick out the great physique's from the okay ones. At Jr. Nat's everyone looked awesome! So to be in first call out's......the second number called out was amazing! It was a little disheartening when they left me out there for second call out's, but I was still so pumped up! The hubs didn't make it out for that one, but I had 2 of my girlfriends with me (A-town and Nikki - thanks again for a great weekend!). My friend Adriana is AMAZING at makeup and really made me look beautiful for that show. I see some of the girls who pay over $100 bucks to get their makeup done and I just think about how lucky I am to have such talented friends to help me out;-) I didn't get my cheesecake, and almost didn't get my pizza but a friend who lives in the area made sure I got my Chicago style pizza fix (thanks Justin!). The nest 24 hours I was on a food bender! I ate just about everything I came in contact with! I never in my life thought I would actually get sick off food until that day. I was actually standing over the toilet hoping that I would get sick to feel better:( Thank God I went back on the diet and within the next 24 hours felt soooo much better!

Now onto Team Universe.....

The drive was about 11 hours or so. We had a bikini competitor, a bodybuilder, a figure competitor, and one spectator (the hubs). Let me just say....we took a lot of bathroom breaks! I was really looking forward to Team U. If it was anything like Jr.'s it was going to be great! Unfortunately that wasn't the case. It was held at a new venue this year and I'm not sure how much field work was done before they picked the location they did. It was big enough, but there was no air conditioning backstage at all! It was soooooo frickin' hot! They had some big fans going, but they were just blowing around hot air. The dressing rooms were not very accommodating for all the competitors either. I had a huge bag of goodies to munch on with everyone, but the way the rooms were set up it was hard to really even find a spot where a group of people could sit and nosh together. There were 38 (I think) girls in my class! 12 more than Chicago! So, we're backstage and just as we're about to go out an expeditor comes over and tells us to go quickly with our quarter turns. I must have been the only ding dong who listened! My hubs told me later that I went too fast through them. He said everyone else took their time. Boo! I haven't got my feedback yet, but I just know that'll be something they comment on. Now we're all in line, and I'm waiting for my number to be called......1st round....nada.....second.....no dice.....(awe crap what the hell happened!?) I didn't get called out until like 4th or 5th round! It wouldn't have been so bad, but just coming off a top 5 placing I was wondering WTF??? So as soon as I got back to our hotel I was like bust out the sub buns and the lunch meat I wants me a sammich!!!! Oh, and a pop-tart too! hehe! I knew I wasn't placing well so as long as I didn't get all bloated it was all good:D I hung out backstage with Josie Zamora (Figure overall at Jr. Nat's) and Chelsey Morgenstern (Class C winner at Jr. Nat's IFBB Pro). They were super nice! They both hopped right into their first pro show (I would've too!) and did pretty well (Josie placed 4th! and Chelsey placed 13th!)....not bad for a debut 3 weeks after going pro! After I didn't get a trophy (lol!) I sat in the audience to watch a little while I attacked at piece of Godiva cheesecake from the Cheese Cake Factory! I killed it! Then we went with two other couples to Houston's for food! I was so bummed they were all out of ribs! I ended up getting a cheeseburger. I also had grilled artichoke's on my friend Trisha's recommendation....yum! They were amazing! When we got back to the hotel, the hubs and I had some champagne (half a glass, I just wanted water!). He fell asleep and I had another pop-tart and some ho-ho's! I emailed Sandy, the head judge, for feedback and went to bed. The drive home was looooong! But Becca and I passed the time with great conversation! I'm so glad we drove together:) I still feel bad that she had to drink water from the "Jug Filler" though. I have to get me a 6 cup food processor so I can make the yummy chocolate peanut butter she was telling me about. I'm kinda afraid to now that I'm off-season! Let me tell you, that girl is a wealth of food and diet knowledge. You wanna make your diet not a diet, give her a call (Team Staggs shoutout! :D)

Jr. Nationals Figure Class C.....5th place!

I feel terrible that I haven't been back to post since getting back from Chicago:( This is not going to be very long either because I have soooo much going on (does it ever stop!?!) today. I just wanted to let you all know, if you didn't already, that I took 5th in my class! Some people who asked were like awweee, that's still good though. Still good,wha? That's freaking AWESOME!!! First national show and I get top 5? Yeah, amazing:) So here's a teaser pic for now and I'll try to get back soon to give you the full low down.

T.G.I.F!!!

XOXO

I'm ready!

It's less than 1 week until I leave for Chicago! I'm sooooo excited......a little nervous, and just ready to do this! I finally hit my wall the other day. I want to thank my friend Mike Wilseck for reassuring me, setting me straight, and just letting me whine:) He has helped me with every prep so far and I am glad to have him on my side. He has helped other competitors with their contest prep's and just average individuals looking to improve body composition. If you ever need any help with your diet, or are contemplating competing, I highly recommend you get in contact with him:)

I still have to do my cardio today and train. Then I'm off to get my nails done and a pedicure and start packing my bags! I haven't mentioned it before, but I have also been super busy with our new house!!! We really got lucky finding this house. It is beautiful! It doesn't really need a lot of work, just cosmetic stuff. So that part is almost done and we need to get in there and start cleaning it up so we move our stuff in! It's about 10 miles away from where we're at now, so it's not too far. That is partly why I think this prep has been so difficult for me. There has been so many things going on and things to stress about. It can be done though....I'm proof! Just wish I didn't have to prove it! lol That's okay, once Jr. Nat's is done (and hopefully pro card earned!) then it's Fourth of July weekend, which is busy for us. Then after that New Jersey! Then, I think we're done for the summer! Whew!!! Isn't it always feast or famine? Ooohhhh, feasting....yummy! Okay, back on track!

So that's a quick little update. I will be posting a link to Siouxcountry.com that will have coverage (not video, just real time posting updates) of Jr. Nationals so you can all see how I do (or anyone else you know who may be competing)! I will also try to post updates via Twitter (there's a link to the right!). Don't know if I'll be back posting here until after I get back, but I will give you all the juicy details! Also, I have a shoot set up with Dan Ray so hopefully he'll leave me with a sneaky peek photo I can share with you!

Wish me luck!!!

XOXO

Some questions

I have neglected my formspring inbox and decided it was time to answer a few questions! I will be more on top of it going forward:-) Here are a few in no particular order. And please keep in mind that these are my questions, so it's my opinions/views on the topics. If you feel differently, that's cool, but use your own place to talk about it;-)

1. Do you use a trainer?

Nope. I have in the past and think they're worth every penny (any investment in yourself is worth it!). I reached a point where I wanted to have the know how for myself and received my certificates as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. I think trainers are a great tool to help anyone reach their fitness goals though!

2. What is your diet like?

Well, it has changed a bit during this contest prep. I have needed different things at different points, hence the change up's. I am eating moderate/lower carbs right now, when I feel I am getting too depleted I will add some extra carb kcals for the day. Contest dieting and everyday dieting are two very different things. I believe any diet that restricts you from one or more certain types of foods is not good. You usually end up craving those things, cave in, then binge and later feel guilty. I know that when I am getting ready for a show I only have to stick to what I'm doing for X amount of weeks. Off-season I allow myself everything.......in moderation. I try to keep it as clean as possible too.

3. How much cardio do you do?

Right now I am up to an hour a day 6 days a week. Some people do more, and if it works for them then I think that's great. I believe during contest prep, however, that more should be done through diet. You still need to do your cardio, just not hours upon hours a day. I break it up as well. I get too bored on just one machine. I like using the stair stepper, elliptical, and treadmill (inclined). I usually do 20 min on each. Sometimes I'll throw some plyo's and sprints in there too. I go out back behind my gym to do the sprints. I don't do long distance running. I feel that it spends too much muscle, and I need to hang on to all I have in the leg department!

4. How do you get your shoulders?

I think a big part of that one is genetics. Even when I was younger you could see the roundness to my shoulders. I was a sprinter in high school so my focus during workouts was not so much upper body but it was just there. I do like to do lateral raises though. I sit during them to cut down on the amount of momentum used. Try it some time, I'll bet you use a lighter weight than usual! Also, I tell everyone who asks me about my shoulders, work your rear delts! That's what rounds them out! You can work the medial (side) delts all you want, but if you really want that roundness put some focus on the back. I hardly ever see women training their rear delts in the gym. There's 3 muscle's there that all need to be worked there!

Thanks for the questions.......and keep'em coming! I promise to answer them quickly (even if it's one question it will get it's own little post!). 2 weeks until Jr. Nationals! Woo hoo! I am so super excited for it to be here! I can honestly say that I'm not too nervous at this point. I don't know if that's good or bad? I'm sure I will get nervous/anxious when I get there, but right now I'm just pumped up about it! I didn't finish my suit yet. Yikes! But there really isn't much left to do. I was supposed to go through a make-up dress rehearsal, but my make up artist is sick:( I never texted her back to reschedule.....I will do it right after this. Other than that everything is on track!

Happy Friday!!!

Last set of pics

It's hard to see much of a difference in these pics, but it's there. I am still on track at this point which is better than behind. I've come to terms with the fact that I will not be ready early. As long as I'm ready when it's show time I'll be happy:) So check'em out....pics at 3 weeks out! The time has really flown by (yes 13 weeks actually flew by me). I always want to hurry up the time, and when it gets to this point I always wish I had a few more weeks. Weird, huh?

I've had so much going on these past couple of weeks! Which is a big reason I haven't posted that much. When things slow down a bit (who knows when that will ever be!) I will let ya'll know the low down on what's been happening. But for now it will have to wait.

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend! Eat some yummy BBQ food for me!

Good morning everyone! I have been M.I.A. a little bit between this, fb, twitter and such. I'm just getting so tired that by the end of the day when I have some free time I'm usually too tired:( I catch up on what everyone else is doing, then just don't feel like sitting in front of the computer after that. This one's gonna be a quicky too, I just want to make sure you all know I still think of you;)

I am having my coffee right now, then off to get ready for the day. BTW, if you want the best coffee EVER, you need to get yourself to a TJ Maxx right away! They have so many yummy flavors I can never decide which one to try. Today I'm drinking Black Forest Cake. Who doesn't like the sound of that!? I also picked up Cookie Dough:D I almost bought Coconut Creme Pie, but decided to hold off on that until I go through the others (which won't take long!). Today is my anniversary! Yay! Don't know what we're doing yet (if anything) but it should be a nice day. Honestly, I would be good with renting a movie from the Red Box and chillaxin' tonight. It's harder to go out when you're dieting. It can still be done, but it's just not as fun. I think, for myself anyway, I am the one who focuses too much on what I can't have while I'm out. Not to mention I am always so tired I don't feel like doing so much.

I am going to the 2010 NPC Grand Rapids BB, Fitness, Figure, & Bikini Championships today! This is the show I won last year! I will be nice to be sitting in the audience this time. Someone asked me the other day if I was competing in it. They hadn't realized I won it (even though they were there last year). I think it would be weird to compete in a show you won the previous year. I am the only one? If I won my class, or took a lower placing of course I would think about coming back and trying for the win. But I think I would feel pretty bad if I won it last year, came back again and don't do so well.

Well this is longer than I intended and I have to get ready. I'll let you all know how the show goes! And how my anniversary is!

Bye!

Me~

P.S. I'm going to try to post progress pics one last time before Jr. Nationals. Hopefully I can get my butt in gear on those!

5 weeks out!

I have such a busy day today, but I wanted to pop in and post my current progress pics. They don't look a whole lot different to me from the last ones, but I know I've made improvements? Maybe the lighting is just different? Yeah, I'll go with that;-)

Happy Saturday!!!

So I just noticed that my last entry said less than 8 weeks till Jr. Nat's......well that should have said 7. I'm sure none of you who compete are very surprised at that. Brain function is not always 100% while dieting:) I've seen it written somewhere before, but so true.....you ever notice how diet has the word DIE in it? lol Dieting isn't too bad, but I don't get any cheats so that makes it a little tougher. But whenever my stomach is growling and I've already eaten my food for the day I try to think that I've already made it over 10 weeks and now it's the home stretch. Most of the time that helps. The times it doesn't, I just try to chew some more gum or something.

I know I haven't posted anymore progress pics, but hopefully (where have you heard that before, right?) I will get some up in the next couple days. I don't plan on taking too many more after this though. You'll just have to wait and see the final product!

I am up again earlier than usual today. It must be the stress of dieting that is messing up my sleep. I have a couple other things going on too, but I'll talk about that in another post. I've been taking melatonin which helps but I forget to take it sometimes, like last night. I can't take my ZMA anymore during this prep because it's making my restless leg syndrome act up. It's sooooo irritating to have your leg twitch right before you're about to fall asleep! Then I can't sleep because I'm irritated and I'm up all night! Ugh! It usually doesn't bother me unless I'm stressed or depleted, which means right now it pretty much bothers me a lot:(

I have been stoning my suit, but not yet finished. I can get a lot done in a short amount of time, but that's usually the problem. I only have a short amount of time here and there. Thank goodness I started early! I'll have to post some pics once I'm all done! It's my same suit from last year, just more blinged out now. I wanted to keep my suit for 1. save some $$, and 2. I like the suit just want to bring something a little more to the national stage.

Well, I'm off to get my day started. Pack food, cardio, clean house, back to gym to lift, coffee break with some family, bed.

Less than 8 weeks till Jr. Nationals!

Here I am sitting at home with a day to myself and I spent most of it on the computer! Not doing anything important or educational, just floating around different sites. I was up too early again for a Sunday, but today it was for a good cause. I was walking for MS. Well, we were supposed to walk, but the weather was bad so we all kind of hung out in the gymnasium of a high school. It was still a good time. I'm actually a little relieved that we weren't walking around everywhere because I was wondering where (with all the water I'm drinking these days) I was going to find a restroom when I needed one!

I can't believe it's less than 7 weeks until Jr. Nationals already! I hate this part of my prep. I have been going steady, but now is when the doubt starts to creep in. It's getting down to the point where there's not much time to change things. I just have to trust in it (the diet), I've felt this way every time and every time it all works out. My training is going well and I feel my cardio is on point. I just need the next 2 weeks to fly by, then I'll feel better:) I don't think I'll post any progress pics this week (big surprise, huh?). I'm going to wait until 6 weeks out. The changes stand out much better with a little longer time gap. I still have to do a test run on make-up with my friend Adriana. She is super great at doing make-up! I'm so glad she's coming with me to Chicago! Yay! I started making myself a little check list of all the things I need to get finished within the next oh 7 weeks and that one is on it! I still need to get back to putting those extra stones on my suit. I meant to do that today before the computer sucked me in and put me under it's hypnotic spell! Poo! I did manage to cook some bulk food for the week, so I'll let the suit slide:D

Well, I'm going to catch up on my DVR and clear some room for tonight's Desperate Housewives.

Me~

Do not adjust your computer......I DID post progress pics finally!

I don't have too much time for a post now, but didn't want to put these off any longer! Here we are......8 weeks out!

I'll try to get back later to post a bit more on these. Bye!

I'm kinda stealing this idea here, but hey I think it looks fun so I thought I'd try it out too! If you check out the side bar you can see a little box where you can ask me questions:-) You can ask anonymously if you want or not. I will answer them to the best of my ability and as truthfully as I can.......as long as they're tasteful questions. If your question doesn't get answered, it's prolly coz it didn't deserve a response! All that being said.....ask away!

8 Weeks Out!

I keep saying that I'm going to stay on top of posting to this blog, and I always get so easily side tracked. I do lurk around blogger-land and keep up with what everyone's up to, just take too long doing it. I agree with Abby, that it has been a little quiet though (which also motivated me to post something!).

So, I'm 8 weeks out at this point. Have way mark! THANK GOD!!! I'm really starting to have a hard time with my prep this time. I don't know why my cravings are so intense:-( I think it's maybe because usually I prep for 12 weeks and at this point I only have 4 more to go which is easier for my brain to take than 8! I haven't really got that creative with my recipes yet. I think I should start, I need to mix things up a bit. I'm not loving my protein powder right now and that is usually a saving grace for me. I've tried to nuke it a couple times but that was a big FAIL! I've also tried cooking it up like pancakes, but the texture was just too weird and bland to repeat. Oh, and I just started adding fish to my diet.......yum my favorite (not so much). I picked up some tilapia because it's the only one I can take the taste of. I know some people are all about the philosophy of you don't have to eat what you don't like on your diet, but I just don't want to take a chance. If I am ready early I can cut it out. If I was gagging on it I wouldn't be eating it, I just don't care for it is all. If anyone knows some really good (make it not taste like fish good) recipes feel free to share'em!

I have started stoning my suit a little while back. I pretty much did one side of the top and then put it away and haven't touched it since. Maybe I'll pull it out after I'm done with this post??? I went to the bead store to get more of one of the stone types I needed (I had the wrong size for one and needed more of the other). Do you know they wouldn't exchange the stones I had (size issue) even though I was going to be purchasing more? I thought that was strange. They said since I didn't have my receipt and they didn't see it in their system that the purchase must have been too old (I did buy them quite a while back). I didn't think it would be a problem though since it was just exchange......and they're stones not clothing that goes out of style or season? Oh well it's not like they're the only bead place.

Okay, I just re-read that part and realized that I spent more time on that than I should have. It bugged me, but not THAT bad.

I don't think I have too much going on this week other than the usual everyday stuff. I'm helping a friend out with her hair extensions tomorrow. We're cutting, gluing, and sewing the clips in them. She has a show in a few weeks, then on to Jr. Nat's as well. I have used extensions before for going out but not for a show. I think they look great on the right people. I just wonder if all that hair would be too hot, especially on stage with those lights. I have seen some people who went overboard with them and it looked terrible! As of now, I don't think I will use mine but who knows. I change my mind 50 times in one day. Anything is possible!

Happy Monday!!!

xoxo

Wow, I haven't been here in a while! I log on to check the other blogs I follow, then I just get lazy:( boo! I found out I was off by a week with my prep. I am 10 weeks out from Jr. Nats, not 11 like I was thinking. I don't know how I mixed that up, I not that low on carbs:D So, it has been 6 weeks of dieting and my weight hasn't gone down as much as I would like it to. We did add a little more cardio in and dropped my calories a bit. Hopefully that will do the trick! I'm not making any promises anymore on the progress pics. Who knows if/when that will happen. I'll still keep telling myself I'll do it though. I did start putting extra stones on my suit. I need to get some more though because I'm running low. I'm thinking I might check eBay for them. I hear the prices are better. I saw someone on divaexchange.com selling their suit (which is the EXACT same one I have) for $50 bucks more than they paid for it! They say they've never worn it, but come on! I think that's terrible. But, I see that it's not sold yet so maybe other people realize that this person is trying to squeeze out some extra buckage.

I've been trying different recipes to spice up the dieting and some are not working out so good. I wish I hadn't wasted my ON blueberry sample. Funny thing is, the more I nuked it, the more liquidy (is that a word) it got...

This, however, did turn out good. It's just an protein, oatmeal pancake with pb on it but it was yummy!

I don't really know what I'm calling this dish yet, but it's cooked coleslaw with chicken (or turkey), brown rice, and garlic olive oil! This one is really good!! I think I should lay off the coleslaw a bit though, too much makes me bloated = not fun.

Okay, enough food I'm hungry now! It's Sunday morning and I have been up since about 5:30am! I just couldn't sleep anymore. I think it's time to finally eat breakfast. I didn't want to start my meals too early and be starving later today. I'm still fighting a sinus thing, maybe that's why sleeping wasn't going so well. I think I'm going to go to the doctor tomorrow and see what drugs they can give me:-)

XOXO!

Breakfast of Champions!

Ok, so on some of the other blogs I follow there have been some posts on the food they're currently eating so I decided to do one myself;-) I picked breakfast because, well, it was just convenient for me. I have been having an egg white protein shake lately instead of cooked eggs just for something different. Egg Whites Int'l has pretty good egg whites (for cooking too if you want). They're heat pasteurized so you can safely eat them raw. They don't taste like raw eggs (not that I eat raw eggs), it really doesn't have a taste. They stay good for up to 4 months so we invested in two 1gallon jugs. I mix 1/2 cup egg whites with 1/2 scoop Optimum Nutrition protein powder and shake it up! I cut my fats out of this meal, but I would usually put a tablespoon of pb in my oatmeal. It's so yummy! Today I just had oats with cinnamon and stevia. If you look closely you can kind of see the stevia packet leaning on the egg whites container. My body does not like Splenda so I use stevia for all of my artificial sweetening needs. That's 1/2 grapefruit sitting up front. As you can also see, I like my Tupperware. It's convenient, portable, and light. It's so much easier weighing my food in a Tupperware container than a regular bowl or plate and it doesn't get scorching hot in the microwave. Ziploc bags are another fave, but I ate breakfast at home so there was no need to break'em out. I do keep my supplements in a Ziploc bag (not shown in the pic). Pill cases just aren't big enough to carry all my pills in. Anywho, rounding out my breakfast this morning was espresso. I usually brew up some Starbucks, but I need to clean out my coffee pot. Not the pot, but the insides of the machine. It's all yucky in there and I ain't using it until the gunk is gone! Espresso is a nice change though. Talk about perking up in the morning! So that was my breakfast today. I'm not too creative with my food yet, as I get closer to the contest and I'm starving is when my interesting dishes show up!

I'm off to the dentist! I actually like going, my dentist is pretty cool. I'm shooting for his commercial tomorrow afternoon! They didn't really give me any instructions/directions for it. Just to not wear white or red. So I'm gonna hit them up at the office when I get there to see what they want me to talk about! hehe! I'll have to find out when it's going to be aired. Or maybe I can post it here so you can all check it out!

Happy Monday!!

Ok, so it's been a week since I've posted and I still haven't put up any progress pics yet. We did get a new camera, I've just been slacking on getting around to taking the pics. I'll trying shooting for today.....maybe;-) I feel like I've gotten leaner, at least leaner than before, but my weight hasn't gone down a whole lot. I'm down roughly still one pound. I am almost done with the second week of dieting. I guess I was just hoping to be down a few pounds by now. You know how it is, usually the first couple weeks you drop a little faster (water weight....whatever). My carbs have been higher so that probably explains some of it.

I think it's funny when people say I can have a "little" cheat. Isn't a cheat a cheat? I even had a competitor tell me that before! I don't think I need to tell you how they placed? I haven't really been tempted to cheat. Right now I'm getting enough food and I'm not really too hungry. When we start taking away my food and I'm starving is probably when I think about food the most. But even then I don't really think about cheating. You put too much time, effort, and work into the whole process cheating isn't even a thought. I guess not everybody looks at it that way. Good thing most of us do! :-)

I got up earlier than I normally do today so I'm pretty happy that I can get some extra things done today! Hopefully I don't crash mid-day for a nap! Nothing a red bull can't fix (sugar free of course)! I still have to go to gym to lift, I HAVE to get my nails done. A couple broke and they're catching on everything in the house! I'll probably leave the house with enough fuzzy's on them to spool my own thread! Have to pick up some more chicken (yum chicken!) and grapefruit, and cook said chicken. Maybe I'll actually take those progress pics and post'em (don't get too excited). And I really want to try to start putting the extra stones on my suit. I'm sure I'll do some other odds and ends too, but I don't want to strain myself, hehe!

Have a great day!

Me~

I think I am finally recovered from the weekend! We left a little later than we planned (big surprise). But we still got down the expo with plenty of time to check things out. It was so frickin' busy on Saturday! You could barely walk down an isle! It took us about ten minutes to move 4 feet! I couldn't take it so we didn't stay a long time. I did make it for the Siouxcountry.com group photo this year:D Last year I missed both the Sat. pics. I got to meet some really great people, and I think they're going to post it up on the weekly banner. So you'll have to stop by the site and check it out (www.siouxcountry.com)! Saturday night we went to Jason Dhir's party. Every year just gets better! It was crazy! I really like people watching at party's like that. There is a huge array of people who come, and the dress code is pretty much anything goes. Sunday we went back to the expo to buy some product. It was much better on Sunday! There were a lot of pro's at the booth's and better deals on things. I think next year (if I'm not competing in it), we'll just go down Saturday night go to dinner, then out and just go to the expo on Sunday. It's a year away, so I'm not worried about it yet.

I want to say thanks for taking some great pics to Bill Scanlon (Bodybuilding & Fitness Services), Cal Isselhardt (CSI Photo http://www.myspace.com/csiphoto), and Jeff at Nightwing Photo (www.nightwingphoto.com). They all got some great shots of this whole past weekend, and it was really nice talking with all of them!

I'm bummed that I didn't run into any of my MI peeps that were also headed down.......but I see you people all the time so it's okay! XOXO! I know they had a great time too!

Bye!

T.G.I.F.!

This is going to be a super quick post. Got lot's of stuff to do before we leave tomorrow! I didn't post any progress pics because my camera is a piece of crap. We just bought a new one yesterday, so I'm really going to try to get the pics up soon. I'm so happy because we have a house sitter coming while we're gone! Yay! I know I'm a dork, but I always get weird about leaving my house all alone. I think I watch too many true crime shows! (I love them though!) But now I have to make sure everything is cleaned up for them to stay. I like to leave the house clean when I leave anyway (it's always nice coming home to a clean house), but I want it to be house guest ready.

I have most of my things ready, just have to pack'em. I think I want to go get a new pair of jeans today though. I just feel I need them:) I've been magic tanning, and got my business cards ready to hand out! Getting those cards was such a pain in the butt! I'll have to post later about that, there is just no time! Well, gotta get going on the rest of the day here. Oh, forgot, we're going to see a house today. I'm not really too excited anymore. Isn't that sad? I'm just tired of getting my hopes up, then getting let down. Boo! I'll be back to let ya'll know how it goes!

If you're gonna be at the Expo this weekend, stop and say hi if you see me!

Bye!

Me

XOXO

16 Weeks Out!

So I'm just under 16 weeks out and my diet started today. It really hasn't been bad. It never is in the beginning. I think the first 2 weeks are probably the toughest though (for me anyway). I think it's the whole transitioning to pre-contest from being able to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. But after those 2 weeks have past, I'm usually a bit better. At least the amount of food I get to eat is still pretty filling. Towards the end when you are starving and you start thinking the funkiest stuff tastes good "if you make it this way"......that part stinks. I'm actually glad that the diet has started. I was getting to 'fluffy' in my opinion and needed it to start! I will try to post some pics tomorrow. My camera has been on the fritz so I can't promise anything, but I'll try. I'm still debating if I want to post my weight. Right now I'm thinking not, but we'll see.

In other news.....the Arnold is this weekend finally!!! Even though we're only staying over one night, it's still a blast! I can't believe I have not started picking out my clothes yet! I don't always pack too early, but by now I usually have an idea of what I'm going to take. I heard Macy's is having a pretty good sale so I might go check it out and see if I need something new:) We have quite a few friends going down this year so it's gonna be a lot of fun! I'm not sure who's all going to Jason Dhir's party with us, but if they don't come it's gonna be their loss! hehe!

Other than that stuff going on, I am also getting ready for my close up! My dentist is filming a commercial and he wants me to be in it! I called the production studio a few weeks ago and they said they want to film in March and will call me closer to the date with all the info. And I was just asked to come and join Jermichael Pratt and Dan McCaw on their on-line radio show Jay's Infinity Fitness Hour on www.svmixradio.com! So you will have to tune in next Sunday (03/14) and check it out!

Well, I'm off to bed.

Nighty night y'all!