New Release Tuesday

What chased away the rain cloud that's been hovering above my head the past couple of days??? Answer - this song!!!!

I saw this video yesterday morning on VH1 and no exaggeration, it made me smile & perk up a little bit!

Hope it brings a smile to your face today!

Overwhelming Unhappiness

I'm so unhappy right now. This prep has really done something to my psyche....or at least that's how it's feeling today. I want to go to the gym with Tom and have the kind of workouts that leave me queasy, shaky, and feelin' like She-Hulk. However, that's not allowed (I'm pouting as I type that). It's hard to feel like you're in prep with you don't get to see the inside of a gym very often and you feel like your muscles are withering away.


BUT.....

This was the decision I made after the April show - I agreed to give this route a shot - and so I am - but don't get it twisted (you like the ghetto fab I inserted there...lol) - that doesn't mean I'm not going to whine about it now & then!

*I started this post this morning and then stepped away*

Post-breakdown!

 For some reason after I started typing this blog post this morning, I fell apart. By fell apart, I mean I took two steps away from the computer, collapsed on the couch, and started bawling my eyes out. I sent an emotional video message to The Boss explaining why I was so distraught. Tom, who is not freaked out by many things, does freak out when I start to cry (that's how rare it is that I do it!) so he decided that we needed to get out of the house & I could take out my frustration out on the weights. I walked in the gym slightly exhausted and empty but left feeling renewed & like I had re-entered "Beast Mode".

I'm human....this prepping/competing stuff is not for the weak...but that's not to say those of us who do it don't have moments of weakness.

The crying is over and I'm focused on finishing what I started. 

I'll leave you with some progress pictures from yesterday - there's still work to be done but anything can happen in 7 weeks. Like 8 time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman said in The Cost of Redemption, "Ain't nuttin' but a peanut!"

Would it have killed me to fix the bottom of my suit?!?! :)

Damn AZ sun causing me to squint ;)

 

Marriage Is..The Figure Competitor Edition!

I stumbled across this great blog post  entitled "Marriage Is.." by Faith of Life.Love&Marriage. I love her sense of humor and I think I said "true" to almost every bullet point!

After reading her list, I decide to make my own but with a twist!

So, I present to you....

Marriage Is...The Figure Competitor Edition!

• High-fiving each other when your freezer is stocked with chicken breast that was on sale for $.79/lb
• Your husband looking lovingly into your eyes on show day and saying "I love you....but you smell like ass!"
• The first thing out of his mouth on a Saturday morning is "Go pee...weigh in...don't forget to put lotion on your legs so you're not ashy...and I'll meet you out front for pictures."
• Finding pizza and beer in the refrigerator in the garage because he doesn't want to rub it in your face that he can eat food that you can't!
• Looking at pictures of half-naked women (competitors) and talking about their muscularity, glutes, or symmetry
• Having a husband who will grill 10 lbs of chicken, weigh it, and put it in individual Ziploc containers just so you don't have to!
• Having a husband who will add stones to your competition suit because it still needs more bling!
• Standing naked in your garage while your husband applies your tanner and discussing your daughter's report card like it's no big deal to be naked in your garage :)
• Not taking it personal when your husband says you could stand to lean out a bit more
• Sensing that you are physically and emotionally drained, he will walk up to you - put his arms around you - kiss you gently - and say, "Go to bed. I'll take care of the dishes and getting The Princess to bed." 
• Cherishing the look of pride when you step off of stage and giggling when he gives you a bear hug (despite the fact that you smell like ass!) while proclaiming "You killed it up there!!"

That's What's Up Thursday

Source

There are no words to describe
how much I love this woman's body!

Her muscularity +
femininity +
"I'm a bad ass" vibe =
 my new girl crush!

IFBB Physique Pro Dana Linn Bailey - now that's what's up!!!

New Release Tuesday

Here's what I love about this video....the eye candy (don't act like you didn't notice the hot men in the video...lol), the Doc Martens (I'm on the lookout for an orange pair!), and the chorus ("can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom bass?").

Here's what I don't love about this song....everything else that I didn't list above!

I have this love/hate relationship with Nicki Minaj....and I'm just not feelin' this song...#yeahIsaidit

Ocho!!

Apparently, this is what figure competitors do for fun on a Sunday night....they prep their food for the week...well...technically they prep their food for Monday thru Wednesday....at least I have a cute bag to put all of the food in! :)

Last Saturday marked 8 weeks out and I feel like I could be doing better! Weight loss has stalled but I feel "skinny"....if that makes any sense. No diet changes (thank you prep gods for allowing me to keep my carbs) but additional cardio has been added to the mix. Prep = the never ending science experiment! :)

I spent almost all of Saturday glued to siouxcountry.com - the coverage of Jr USAs was incredible! Of course, I began to compare myself against the competitors that showed up and in crept the self-doubt. Luckily, while taking a break from this particular website I found a great blog post from Kellie of MotherFitness. The post is entitled Go In Wearing Blinders and I highly recommend it - especially for those of you who compete.  From here on out - I'm going to focus on the race in front of me - not the physiques of the Class E winners across the country - not the number on the scale - not my perceived competition. I'm going to focus on ME and how I'm running this particular race.

I always love when I'm doing cardio and a song comes on that I forgot I had on my playlist but takes my motivation to level 4 billion! This morning it was this song -

Busta Rhymes + Linkin Park = undeniable music!!

I've got my blinders on....I'm focused...I'm running MY race, not anyone else's. If you need a pair of blinders,  I may have an extra pair or two that you can borrow :)

Posing...Posing...And More Posing!

Posing attempt this morning....I'm so easily distracted...as you can tell...lol! I also need to work on not swinging my arms so much! But as they say, "practice makes perfect!" :)

Here's a video that Tom shot of my class at the Orange County Muscle Classic finals. I blame lack of carbs for the fact that I stumbled and lost my concentration :)

Big Girl Run!

On Sunday I introduced you to my sister Reecie, the newest member of the team and told you that we would be running on Monday. There was a change in plans and we moved our run to last night. Can I just tell you that I was really really nervous?? My sister has been running for awhile now and she likes to run looooooong distances. She told me that we would be running a one mile "path" around a lake in this development near our homes. I thought to myself, "Ok...1 mile...I can do that without passing out". Then she said that there was no set distance for the run and we would just see how we felt..."umm....no...I already feel like we should stop after one mile!"  :)

Ready to run!

I brought my ipod & headphones with me but Reecie told me that she found the time and distance seem to go by faster if you don't listen to music and just talk with the person you're running with. I have to admit, it wasn't as difficult running without music as I thought it would be. We did the first mile at a 10:00 min pace and when we were almost done she looked over at me and asked if I felt like I could do another mile. I said yes and off we went. Our pace for the second mile was a bit slower (Reecie figured about 11:00 min since neither one of us had a watch) and it was dark by the time we finished the second mile so we decided not to do a 3rd.

As we were stretching, I asked Reecie about breathing while running. I've found that I breathe through my mouth while running so at times it sounds like I'm gasping for air when I'm perfectly fine. She gave me some tips for breathing and we talked about the possibility of running the 3 mile loop at Reid Park in Tucson.

All in all, I feel like I did well for my first big girl run and it was a great way to spend time with my sister. We're going again on Friday night and our mom is joining us - should be fun!

New Release Tuesday

One of my friends on facebook posted this video last week. I like the song despite feeling that someone like Rihanna should be signing it....?? I'm lovin' the dancing in the video especially the hula...I need my hips to figure out how to shake it like Nicole's :)

If I had to give this song a grade, it would be a "C".....take a listen and grade it for yourself!

I Waz Scurred!!

Yesterday, something scary happened! Chelsea, a fellow TFD wife and friend, decided that she wasn't going to do the NPC Terminator show in July. You can read more about what happened in her The Cookie That Made Me Cry post. I know how much she wants to step on stage so I quickly shot off a series of texts basically telling her that this is a hard road but not to quit on me.

I also sent her a pic msg after my workout that said, "I'm read to kick some butt! R u with me?!?!" Here's the pic I sent her....yes....I'm a complete dork!

Her response was, "I'll see you backstage on July 16th!" YES!!! She's ready to take on the bikini girls - someone should probably warn them :)

You know who else is ready to kick the crap outta the competition on July 16th - Ana over at Fit, Fun, & Delish! Check out the photo her boyfriend took of her at the gym post-workout! It's completely unfair that she looks stage ready and we're still 8 plus weeks out!!! I'm just hoping we aren't in the same class (please hear my prayers, gods of NPC shows!).

Stay tuned....the three of us are gunnin' for a win!!

New Team Member

I don't run. Period.

I have never felt that "runner's high" after running miles on end.

I do not enjoy putting on a pair of sneakers and hitting the road (or treadmill for that matter!).

Now, I don't want you to be confused. It's not that I can't run...because I can and I have...it's just that I don't want to.

My sister is a runner and I have enlisted her help in learning to love running.

2010 Kentucky Derby party

Yes, I know. My sister's ridiculously gorgeous. I've heard it my whole life :)

Who runs while on vacation in Puerto Rico?!?!?

 Meet the newest member of "Let's Get Tenecia Lean & Mean"....my sister Reecie (aka Smalls!)

She has no idea what she's gotten herself into!

Our first run is tomorrow night.

Ohhhemmmmmgggggggeeee!!! :)

My Inspiration

Me: “She’s very excited about the Spiderman jumping castle. I told her to be extra careful if she goes in it.”

Mr. H: “I’ll keep an eye out for her…the best I can. The kid is fearless.”

Mr. H is my daughter’s fourth grade teacher and this conversation took place earlier in the week when I dropped her off at school. Now let me give you a bit of background…The Princess was born with hemi-hydrocephaly. In plain English this means she was born missing the left side of her brain. Due to this, The Princess has had physical limitations including not being able to walk on her own until the age of 7 and limited use of her right arm, hand, and leg.

While my daughter is limited in some of her physical abilities, she is quick to try things on her own and she does this with no fear. On this particular day, the school was having a party for all of the students who met their reading goal and The Princess was eager to get into the jumping castle. As her mom, I know that jumping castles are not the safest place for any child especially one with physical limitations so I cringed inside when she proclaimed that she was going to try out the Spiderman jumping castle. My first thought was “you’re going to get hurt!” and the fear crept in. I jokingly told her, “Make sure you don’t hurt your pretty face”. She giggled and said, “Mom! Don’t be silly! I’m not going to get hurt!”

I think of the times when she was learning to walk. She tumbled, fell, and hit walls so many times I was sure that people thought I beat my child because of the bruises and scrapes she had. Every time, she would cry a bit, get back up, and try again. She has done this her entire life.

 There was the time she wanted to walk down the driveway to Tom’s truck on her own. I told her that the driveway was steep and she could trip but she insisted that she wanted to do it. She proudly walked out of the door, through the garage, and down the driveway. Halfway to the truck, I saw her feet start to drag and I just knew that she was going to fall. Sure enough, she fell to her knees and I rushed to her side. She let me help her up but pulled her hand away as I tried to walk with her the rest of the way. Stubbornly she proclaimed, “I can do it on my own, Mom” and off she went.

The Princess refuses to be told that she can’t do something and when she accomplishes her “goal”, the look of pride on her face is PRICELESS. Fear has no place in her life.

 As I sit here thinking about some of the goals I have set for myself, I have decided that I want to be exactly like my daughter.

I want to be confident.

I want to be strong-willed.

I want to be determined.

I want to be willing to keep getting up no matter how many times I fall.

I want to be fearless.

That's What's Up Thur...Friday!

There were some issues with Blogger yesterday (as I'm sure many of you know) so that's why this post is a bit late!


source

Do you ever look at someone and think, "your body makes my body cry in shame"??

That's what happens to my shoulders when they look at the shoulders on this body.

They cry because they know they are sad, pitiful, and don't measure up ;)

I'm tempted to start carrying weights in my purse just so I can bust out

a shoulder workout whenever I have a free moment!

IFBB Pro Candice Keene - now that's what's up!!

A Prayer

Dear Prep Gods,

Please convince The Boss that the food item found here is prep-friendly and a necessity.

If you do this for me, I promise to do my cardio faithfully, eat my chicken without wishing it was fried instead of grilled, and not complain about the fish burpies I have after taking my fish oil capsules.

Amen.

New Release Tuesday

Ok....so I've resisted jumping on the Adele bandwagon for some time now....I just thought her voice was "good" and have only liked one of the songs I've heard from her.

That has all changed!! One of the local radio stations played this song yesterday and I thought "Who is this??? I love her voice!!" Yep...at the precise moment I found out it was Adele, I climbed onto the bandwagon and made myself comfortable :)

Take a listen!

Word 2 Your Mother

I thought I would share some pictures in honor of Mother's Day. I have been blessed, not only to have the World's Greatest Mother, but to be a mother as well. I have also been blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law who welcomed me into her family and let me become the woman in her son's life. I cannot forget the sweetest grandmother that has ever walked this Earth, my grandma Jean!

I honor those of you who are mothers and wish you a wonderful day!

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but
whose place no one else can take."

*Cardinal Mermillod*

 

What I've Learned In The Past 2 Weeks

I will be the first to say it.....I have been a shitty lackluster blogger recently!! I've been in a bit of funk with the new adjustments to prep but that was no reason why I couldn't get on here & do some bloggin' :) So, lo siento (I apologize!).

I want to share with you some of the lessons I've learned over the past 2 weeks. Please feel free to take notes ;)

The Princess is growing up WAY too fast!! I miss the days of hearing her yell "Mom" in her squeaky voice whenever she needed something. Now, she doesn't need me for anything...well...except giving her money to buy books at the book fair and taking her to the movies :)

There's nothing like a 'gar and Big Kids' Juice (aka BOOZE!!)...someone needs to figure

out how to fit these into a figure competitor's prep plan...stat!

How awesome it feels to put something on other than gym clothes and "work" clothes.

 Tommy & I were invited to his cousin's wedding last Sunday and I was able throw on a sassy LBD & my new Steve Madden shoes. Also, it was a definite plus to see my handsome hubby in a suit & tie...LOVE LOVE LOVE a good-looking man in a suit!

This song still requires the volume to be at the highest level possible and a dance around the living room (even if you're only wearing a pair of boy shorts and a sports bra!). I miss Shania Twain's music...#yesI'mabrownskinnedgirlwholikesShaniaTwain...#don'tjudgeme

How angry I would feel when someone (who knows my family pretty well so I can't give her a pass for being a "stranger") called my Dad "my step-dad"...the man has raised me since I was 2 years old. He was the man who instilled in me a love of books. He was the first man to take me on a date and buy me flowers. He was the man who walked me down the aisle. He is the man who has told me, throughout my life, when I'm doing something stupid as well as when I'm doing something right. He has loved me without limitations and I have loved him with my whole heart. Yes, he may be White but he's still my DAD and never in my life have I called him my "step-dad". Sorry if that's not something you can understand...wait in the words of the wise Rachel Wilkerson....sorry I'm not sorry!

*whew...I got a lil deep there... ;)

How utterly ridiculous it is that I am now in my 4th prep and I just bought a membership to Costco!

Why didn't someone tell me about how wonderful it is to buy egg whites, ground turkey, protein powder, glucosamine, and dark chocolate pomegranate bites sugar-free gum in bulk??!?!

Seriously, I am in love with Costco and I don't care who knows it! Donloree feels the same way...check out her love sonnet to Costco.

And the last lesson I learned, how wise Tom was to insist that I purchase photos from the show photographer at the Orange County Muscle Classic. Yes, Tom had great seats and was able to take some really good photos but...let's be honest....nothing beats photos from a professional photographer that was thisclose to the stage. I may sound cocky when I say this but I love the pictures I received. I will definitely buy my photos at my next CA show!

Any lessons you've learned that you care to share?

Guest Post: From a Proud Husband!!! Part 2

Back from the wedding...took a Gangsta pic, cuz we were being silly!

 So the last blog post was Thursday and Friday...  I will now post Competition day analysis, from a proud husband!!!  You have probably been bombarded with pics that I took and musclecontest.com.  So most of this summary will be in writing...

And I promised you all I would tell my favorite part of the show!!!  If you guessed tanner, you were right!  I first laughed when Tenecia told me that she needed three coats of tanner, but she was serious.  I was a little skeptical but it really makes a different with separation on stage making things "pop."  My favorite part however is applying it, buck-ass naked, in the garage with some good music, and maybe some alcohol.  It takes about an hour to apply it, probably could go faster but this part is for my enjoyment, lol.

Ok enough of that.  Saturday started out like most Saturdays at home...  The list needs to be done, in the right order, and right on time.  No time to talk, flirt, or smart comments.  It's go time.  Her list must be followed to the capital T!!!  Meals, everything packed, double check backstage bag, iron her after show clothes, and mine (won't let me interrupt her when she is on a roll), makeup, hair, suit, make bed, clean room, blah blah blah...  She is an animal to say the least!!! 

A little makeup pic early Sat.

While she was getting ready, I could not believe how vascular she had become overnight, with striated quads and great separation.  I could not wait for her to hit that front pose and the quads chiseled with full muscle bellies!  She was definitely leaner by far than past shows and I was very excited to see the competition.

The show placement was perfectly done. If your class was early at pre-judging, you would be last for the night show, only fair.  So Figure was first and we left right after prejudging to rest up for the night.  I took pictures of all the figure first callouts and the classes were pretty big.  I was so busy taking pics I did not analyze what the judges were looking for.  Her class only had four competitors, but great competition.  As far as stage presence and posing, I really thought Tenecia looked confident, graceful, feminine, and all around complete package. 

I define her class as cut and lean, not striated and ripped, muscular and shapely without looking blocky or big.  Her class looked to be the toughest but you never know what the judges are looking for.  And at this contest I was WAY off!  Figure obviously needs to make a new definition, because I frankly do not understand it.  She brought the best package we had to offer, and I would not change anything.  However for the next show prep is totally different!

I will leave you with my favorite pic from the show

Again thank you all for encouraging her and pushing her, and can I ask to keep it up, she is not real excited to do weights a mere once a week!  But that is what the doc has ordered!

From a proud husband,

Tommy

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!