New Release Tuesday

I was watching one of my new favorite shows - VH1's "Love & Hip-Hop" - and Olivia is one of the women featured on the show.

The episode that I was watching showed Olivia working on a video for her song "December" and I couldn't wait to hear the whole song versus snippets of it.

The official video is out and I'm lovin' Olivia right now. She's gorgeous and can sing her butt off!

I hope you enjoy this week's new release!

Guest Post: From a Proud Husband!!!

Before I give a recap of the trip from my eyes, I will apologize in advance for my poor writing skills.  With that being said, I just want to thank everyone that encourages her and follows her journey through her blog. 

First off, I need to say I am not a huge fan of driving long distances...  AT ALL!  The max I have ever drove in a car at one time is 6 hrs.  I would much rather spend the money to fly, but Tenecia mentioned that some people tend to hold water from the flight.  I was dreading the drive, stocked up on energy drinks and snacks(felt bad every time I opened a doritos bag and the cheesy aroma filled the car).  I actually enjoyed the trip a lot, we laughed, a ton, and listened to some bomb ass diggity jams (inside joke).  Here is a few pics of the ride...

Driving by the Sand Dunes was hard!!!

Been riding quads with my family here for over 28 years!!!

Saw the ocean off of California for the first time, beautiful drive on I-5

Nana sent a pic in the morning of our daughter, put a smile on her face immediately!!!

On Friday we drove to the competition site to see exactly how far it was from the hotel, then we went to the mall.  Started getting hungry and Tenecia pointed out Shakey's.  It is kind of a legend in Tucson, 

our parents grew up going there and we went there as kids.

It is a pizza parlor with an all you can eat buffet, fried chicken, fried potato slices, and much more goodness.  I told Tenecia that I could drop her off  then find food, but she insisted in watching me eat 

three plates of deliciousness!!!

I have to make a shout out to my favorite part of this whole competition prep...  

But you are going to have to wait till part two.  Time to get our grown up clothes on for a wedding!

That's What's Up Thursday

source

One of my co-workers (hey Joni!) recommended that I feature this woman

as this week's motivation. She was on the cover of the

February issue of Runner's World magazine

and at first glance,

 I knew I hated loved her!

She's beautiful, fit, and looks like she could

whoop some ass if she needed to.

Runner, soccer, and lacrosse player Lauren Rudge- now that's what's up!!

New Release Tuesday

I am not a BeNasty...I mean Beyonce...fan. There are very few of her songs that I like and I'm saying it now, this is NOT one of them.

I feel like it's all over the place....I don't know....my ears are not in love with it...they vote "Hot Mess!!"

That's just my opinion....take a listen....you might feel differently!

Off To A Bumpy Start

I'm going to be completely honest...today did NOT feel like the first day of my new prep. I just wasn't feeling excited or motivated about the weeks ahead. I felt a bit of sadness and fear about the path I have chosen to take...part of it has to do with the changes to my workouts but that's another post for another day....

I know what things motivate me so off I went in search of blog posts, videos, and quotes to help me get me get in the right state of mind.

Here's what I found -

This video is incredible. That's all that needs to be said. Watch it and tell me that you don't want to go do something extraordinary when it's over!!



Kari of Figure World gives a simple answer when asked what pushes her to train during those times when she really doesn't want to. She simply says, "I want to win!" My definition of "winning" means improving each time I step on stage. I want to know that I did everything in my power to do better, be better.

The quote by Will Smith at the end of this blog post is the mindset I want  NEED to have.

Kelly drew a line in the sand and basically told her readers to put up or shut up. She challenged us to stop doubting our ability and just go for it. Stop saying "I hope" or "I wish" and start saying "I WILL".

I also re-read my own post from a couple of months ago....Invictus and Maino....still can't beat those two sources of motivation!

I know I can do this...I will do better....I will be better....can I get an "Amen!!"?? :)

This Is How It Went Down - Part 2!!

I was so excited when I saw the girls that made up Class E. They had muscles!!! In my last two shows, everyone was a stick (or at least looked like a stick when big o' beastly me stood next to them!). The class was stacked and that made me a very happy girl!! While there were only 4 of us in the class, I think it was a very competitive one.

Two of the girls, Whitney (pink suit) & Jill (blue suit), have competed at a national level and I'm proud to say that I felt like I gave them some great competition! After our turn on stage, I grabbed my stuff and we headed out to lunch. Once we had eaten, we went back to the hotel where I took off my hair (lol), did a quick blog post, and then laid down until it was time to go back to the auditorium.

Figure was at the end of the schedule so I had a lot of time to hang out, talk with the other competitors, and watch the show (they provided a tv in the main hallway so we could watch what was taking place on stage - really cool!). The guest poser was Jay Cutler and I bumped into him, literally, while he was backstage. It was like bumping into a brick wall!!! Other folks that I recognized that were at the show include Sonia Gonzales (she's a tiny thing!), Felicia Romero (gorgeous!), and Gina Aliotti (shorter than I thought she would be but so frickin' built!!).

Since we had such a small class, we didn't leave the stage when we were done with our individual presentations. We lined up and they presented us with our trophies! Was I disappointed to get 4th? Let's be honest, I wanted that top spot but I was happy with who I competed against. You know your competition is good when the winner of your class wins overall!! My goal was to come home with a top 5 placing and technically, I did that :)

My post-show meal was New York Cheesecake pancakes from IHOP - so delicious! The next morning, we headed out to Los Angeles to visit my baby brother. On the way there, we stopped at a hamburger place called Goodfellas Hamburgers (thank you, Tom's Droid). The food was fan-fricking-tastic! We shared this dish called the D.U.I. It was french fries topped with chili, carne asada, pastrami, and cheese....yeah...tasty!!

I was so happy to see The Princess when we picked her up afterschool. She instantly grabbed my trophy and held onto it for the rest of the day. As we were driving home she said, "Mom, I crossed my fingers that you would come home with a trophy and you did!" - thank goodness I didn't let her down! :) I also came home to a care package from Genie containing some serious treats - cookies & peanut butter fudge - holla!!

I emailed the women's head judge for feedback and heard back from her within 24 hours. This was just another moment where Lindsay Productions & their staff proved they are serious about the business they're in. The feedback was all very positive. They loved my hair, suit, and presentation. I was told I had great poise and a stunning physique. HOWEVER, I'm too muscular for the direction that figure is going in right now so if I want to continue to compete in this division, I have to drop some overall size.

I took a couple of days to think about it and I've decided that I am willing to drop some of my muscle. Hear me out! I know that I'm blessed genetically with the ability to put on muscle easily (Tom hates me for it!) so I'm not worried about getting the muscle back. I want to be able to look back at this time in my life and say that I did everything I could (including sacrificing size & muscle) to be successful.

That's where I'm at right now. Monday marks the start of my prep for the July 16 NPC Terminator in Tucson. Chelsea and Ana will also be competing at this show. It's going to be a lot of fun but I know the weeks leading up to that day may not be so fun....but isn't that what prep is all about...lol....

I have more photos from the weekend on facebook. If we're not friends already, send me a request if you so desire!

Happy Saturday!

This Is How It Went Down!

I have to start this post off  by saying that the Orange County Muscle Classic was such a well-run and organized show! From the moment I arrived at the auditorium, it was obvious to me that Lindsay Productions does not play around when they put on a show!

Since Tom and I had "mapped out" a route from our hotel to the auditorium the day before, the morning of the show was pretty calm and low-key. I made sure to do the majority of my getting ready (hair, makeup, lashes, etc) at the hotel because a friend of mine let me know that there wasn't a large amount of space backstage.

The athlete's meeting started promptly at 8:00 (just as the schedule stated - loved that!) - it was informative, short, and straight to the point. I paid for my NPC card, got measured (I now possess an official NPC Height card), checked in & received my competitor number (#41 baby!!), and paid for pictures all within 35 minutes. The process was so smooth that I was sure I was doing something wrong...you ever get that feeling that something is too good to be true....well....in this case it wasn't! :)

Once I found a spot for my stuff in the dressing room, I decided to walk around. I was standing at the base of the stairs that lead backstage talking to one of the men working security (he told me that I was going to win...damn him for being wrong...lmao!) when this photographer stopped in front of me and said "Smile". Without thinking, I did and he took my picture. He also took a picture of me and the security guy. It turns out that the photographer was Ron "Yogi" Avidan from Hardbody.com and the pictures he took are online! I guess that's what happens when you let strangers take your picture! :)

After I did some "exploring" and chatted with Tom once he found his seat, I went backstage to put my feet up. Since the dressing room was so small, I found a spot in the hallway. I put down my yoga mat, pillow, and wrapped myself in my blanket that my mom crocheted for me. I listened to my ipod & read my book until it was time to pump up. When it was time to get ready, I took out the puppy and doll I had brought with me as good luck charms (they represent my kiddos!). It was time for carbs, glaze, Bikini Bite, and pumping up!! Next thing I know, the expeditor was calling for Class E and it was my time to rock the stage!!!

I'll stop here and finish up my recap in my next post. If you want to see more of my gallery of pictures that were taken by the show's photographer, you can find them here.

I'm off to enjoy a chocolate candy bar....don't worry, Melissa....I'm having an extra one just for you :)