New Release Tuesday

Y'all know my love for P!nk runs deep! She's my Idol of All Things Bada$$. Every time I hear this song, I turn it up as loud as it will go!

Get ready to enjoy the newest addition to your playlist...you're welcome ;)

Puttin' It Down In My Hometown - Part 1

Ohhhheeeemmmmggggeeeeeee!!! You guys, I have been so busy eating Birthday Cake Oreos, carne asada fries, ribs, marshmallows, and drinking liquor that I completely forgot about posting a recap of the NPC Terminator and AZ Open!! I'm putting down the snacks and booze just long enough to recap the first show!


Peak week #1 went smoothly. It is not uncommon for me to have difficulty sleeping during the week leading up to a show but not this week. Each night I was in bed and snoring by 9:00 pm (awesome!). I had workouts to complete on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and I was surprised that my strength had not decreased as much as I expected it to. Tom was able to get some video footage of one of my workouts so he wants to put together something to share with you.

Practicing my posing between sets

The only issue that presented itself - my muthaf'n period!!!!

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I swear that I get my period EVERY single time I have a show. It doesn't matter how much counting or planning I do, the damn thing makes an unpleasant appearance every time! I was stressed because I know my body and I hold water like a camel during that "special time of the month".

One day out!

I was softer and more squishy than I wanted to when I stepped on stage, I was still happy about the way I looked. I really felt like I was bringing one of my best packages ever!

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The city of Tucson is currently putting in a "modern streetcar" (I'm not even going to talk about how I feel about this whole pile of shit) and the street in front of the theatre where the show was being held is completely torn up. This presented a bit of a problem in terms of parking and accessing the theatre. The hotel that was the "host hotel" and the location where check-ins were to take place went out of business a little over a month before the show was to take place. Gotta love Tucson...lol!

The Princess resting on the drive into Tucson :)

Tom demonstrating his mad driving skills...like a boss!

Check-ins were moved to another downtown area hotel and it was a bit of a mess. Athlete check-in, purchasing of NPC cards, and height measurements were all being done in the lobby of the hotel. The space was not meant for all of the things that needed to take place and the number of people present but somehow I was able to check in, get measured, purchase my show pictures, and pee all in a reasonable amount of time.

After we left the hotel, my fam and I headed off to run a couple of small errands. I needed to find a bracelet, buy a set of press-on nails, and a couple of other things. I was also anxious to get to my last meal of the day which was....wait for it....A BURGER!!! While waiting for my burger to arrive, I was able to chat with The Boss #1. I just love her! She asked how I was feeling and gave me some last minute instructions on what I was to do the next day.

I was able to sleep pretty soundly and when the alarm went off bright & early Saturday morning,  I was ready to do the damn thang!! I ate my first meal, drank my coffee out of my Wonder Woman mug, and watched the "I Am A Champion" video to put me in the right mindset.

Channeling my inner WonderWoman

The athlete's meeting was nothing extraordinary. The promoter spoke about the rules (ex. you must wear long sleeves and pants while in the front part of the theatre), the head judge and other judges introduced themselves, and the show photographer spoke about purchasing stage pictures. After everyone said their piece, they began calling up divisions. I heard "Open Figure, class B, 5'4 3/8 and up" but sat in my chair because I usually compete in Class E not Class B. After waiting about 5 minutes and hearing no other figure classes called, I scurried onstage and received my competitor number, #39!

I remembered from competing in the NPC Terminator last year that the backstage area at the Fox Theatre is very small. I made the decision to grab the same corner I found last year if no one had claimed it yet. Guess what? Everyone walked right past "my spot" and so I put down my yoga mat and bag. One thing I like about Miles Productions is the fact that they post an itinerary with projected times that each class will go on. This can be very helpful in determining when you need to be finished with your makeup, when you need to eat your carbs, and when you need to pump up. However, this show the itinerary was just a waste of paper...lol!  

It was probably 45 minutes before the posted time on the itinerary, when one of the expeditors starting yelling "Figure girls....you're up in 10 minutes"...uhhh....excuse me...what the what?!? I started scrambling to get ready. Luckily, I had done most of my makeup at home but I still need to put on my foundation and lipstick. I had a mirror in my bag so I whipped that bad boy out & started putting on the finishing touches. Once I was done, I threw a Reese's cup into my mouth and sprinted  walked quickly to the pump up room. That was a bad idea...for several reasons! The room was HUMID! It was tiny! It was packed full of male physique competitors hogging the weights despite the fact that their division was not going on for at least another 45 minutes (this seriously pissed me off). My makeup started sliding off my face so I quickly left the room, ran over to my bag and pulled out my bands. As I tried to pump up while drying off my sweaty body while trying to save my foundation while trying to get some cool air under my heavy ass wig, I heard the words "Figure Class B, it's time". I threw down the bands, adjusted my wig, patted my face one last time and told myself to hit my poses like my life depended on it.

We'll continue this in a couple of days :)

New Release Tuesday

They're back!!!! I'm so happy I don't know what the hell to do with myself!!

My Collection Grows!!

2012 NPC AZ Open

Class D, 5th place

The 2010 NPC AZ Open was my first figure competition.

I placed dead last.

I hadn't competed in Phoenix since then so 

I was nervous.

Can someone say "redemption"??? :)

Look What I Have!

Tom was able to capture trophy presentations from last week's

 NPC Terminator on video! 

How awesome is that??!

 I love the part in the video when I wave to my family! 

You can also see me talking to Jessie who won our class

 right before they call her name.

 I was telling her that she should run when we get off stage

 because I was going to steal her tiara! :)

P.S. If you don't recognize the emcee's voice,
that's IFBB Figure Pro Felicia Romero. 

Yep, Felicia Romero said my name! #donthate

So What Happened?!?!?

I placed!!!

The class was ridiculously tough and I feel very

honored to have walked away with 5th place!

I will have a proper recap for you soon but 

for now, I'm off to prep my food for the next few days!

It's time to start peak week #2!!

And Then It Was Time!

That's it.

The countdown to the NPC Terminator is over.

Today is the day. Prejudging will start in a few short hours.

I went to athlete's check-in last night and immediately began to lose my damn mind. All of the women looked incredible and while realistically you don't know who is doing what division (unless you ask them directly), I started to feel inadequate and unprepared.

Then I remembered this.....

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Ok...I'm lying...when I started hyperventilating freaking out having a moment of self-doubt, Tom gave me the "Stop actin' like a damn fool" look and reassured me that I was ready and I was going to prove to be tough competition. I texted The Boss #1 and she not only sent me words of encouragement but called just to chat and it really calmed me down. Plus, how can anyone feel stressed out after listening to someone with the cutest southern accent?? :)

In a few minutes, it will be time to get out of bed and officially start my day. I've been preparing for this day for 19 weeks and it's time to showcase all of my hard work.

I had a job to do and I did it. Let's hope the judges think it's enough for a top 5 placing.

Here are two of the motivational things I will be listening to today to help me to keep my eyes on the prize...

Thank you for your support & encouragement. It means the world to me. With that said, it's time to do the damn thang!

2...count 'em...2 days!!

I've almost made it to the end of the week!! Can I get a "holla" up in here?!? :) 

I've been fairly busy this week with work and home stuff that the days, honestly, have been flying by. This is definitely a good thing because it means there's little time for daydreaming about carne asada fries and cookies!

Yesterday I had my last lifting session and my last cardio took place this morning. It felt a bit strange today at lunch time to not do my usual which is to throw on my workout clothes and head to the gym. Instead, I had meal #3 and napped on the couch in our break room...it was AWESOME! I didn't realize how tired I was until I stopped moving :)

USPS attempted to deliver my suit yesterday but no one was home to sign for it so Tom, being the nice husband that he is, picked it this morning while I was at work. I can't wait to see it and prance around the house in it! I plan to get a pedicure after work and also start my tanner tonight. It's going to be busy busy busy right up until the moment I hit the stage.

The pictures below are from yesterday and I'm pleased to say that things have significantly changed since we took them! 

2 days out, folks!! Excuse me while I go cry in a dark corner!

Let Us Break It Down For You!

This video doesn't really need an introduction...

it's The Boss #2 and I...

on our couch....talking about peak week...laughing at each other...

listening to our neighbors attempt to be mariachis...

cuz that's how we do...you're welcome :)

How In The..??! Who in the..??!

What the frack, you guys?!?!? (yes, I love Howard Wolowitz & Big Bang Theory...#nerdgirlproblems)

It's here!! Peak week!!!

How in the...??! Who in the..?!?! What in the...?!?!?

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I'm 6...count them...6 days out from the NPC Terminator!!! I won't lie...it makes me a little queasy to say that! :)

No turning back!!

About a week ago, I officially registered for the show. I have a tendency of dragging my feet when it comes to sending in my registration forms. I think it's my way of making sure I feel ready as show day gets closer. I figure that if my physique isn't where it should be, at least I don't have to worry about losing the money I paid to register for the show. Truth is, I never really feel 100% about my physique but I still send my registration forms in and show up when it's time :)

I'm unbeweaveable with new 'do & lippies!

I decided to change a few things for this show including getting a new wig and changing up my makeup by wearing fire engine red lipstick! What do you guys think?? My suit is going to be so incredible! I got a sneak peek of it on Friday and I did my "drop it like it's hot" dance (that means I was really really excited!). I can't wait to rock the f$%k outta it   #yeahisaidit

This is what I looked like a week out! I'm still tweaking my posing and have been scrutinizing the pictures of the national and pros shows to get an idea of what looks best. Practice makes perfect so I will be practicing every chance I get!

Before I go, I would like to thank you all for your awesome comments on my How I Get It Done post!! I always feel strange recording & posting my workouts but Tom is always reminding me that it's a great way to share my life with you guys! I know some of you posted questions in response to the video and Tom & I will be doing a video segment in the next week or two to answer them for you so hang tight!

Tom's favorite peak week saying is, "It's Crunch Time" so I'll close with that...wait...isn't Crunch a type of candy bar....mmmm.....candy....

How I Get It Done!!

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that my hubby Tom does the majority of my training. This is just one of the reasons I call him The Boss #2! 

Tom relishes in torturing me during our workout sessions...I think it's payback for me making him pick up his dirty laundry and grill ridiculous amounts of chicken for me while I'm in prep...just kidding! :)

We wanted to put together a quick video of one of my 

arm workouts so you could get an idea of what I do when I'm in the gym.

This video was shot about 2 weeks ago at my home gym Desert Sports and Fitness!

If you have any questions for Tom or myself, please feel free to ask them!

You can leave them in the comments section or email them to me!

Enjoy!

Sweat to Street Sundays #16

Welcome to Sweat to Street Sundays!

Each week my fabulously fit co-hosts and I will link up with one everyday outfit AND one fitness outfit that we love!

Meet Your Hosts! 

Family and Life in Las Vegas (Emily) 

Wild Things RUN Free (Charlotte)

Running and Cupcakes (Samantha) 

MCM Mama (Erika) 

Boobs, Barbells, and Broccoli (Tenecia)

***IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW SWEAT TO STREET ON TWITTER OR PLAN ON TWEETING YOUR POST, PLEASE USE THE HASHTAG #SweatToStreet***

Sweat to Street has been created as a place to link up your favorite outfits of the week as a new Sunday blog feature. The idea is to have some fun and change it up! Each week we encourage you to post one workout outfit and one outfit you wore that isn’t fitness related.

Every week we spotlight one awesome blogger who links up with us in the previous week! Our way of thanking you for sharing your fabulous/fun/fitness style!

We NEED you to link up so we can feature your incredible blog 

and your kick ass fashion sense!

SWEAT!!!

Time has been moving so fast! I didn't

realize I hadn't taken a picture of

one of my sweat outfits until it was the 

end of the week and I was throwing my

stinky sweaty gym clothes into the washer!

The pic below is not from this past week but

I did wear the outfit...for what might be the

1 millionth time :)

Shirt: Forever 21

Bra: Fruit of the Loom

Shorts: Nike

Shoes: Vibrams - Bikilas

Accessories: Livestrong bracelet, ipod, water jug (#jugnation)

STREET!!!

One of the great things about living in AZ is

you get to wear cute sleeveless dresses pretty

much year round!! I was so excited when I

found this dress on the rack because I knew

I would be able to dress it up or down depending

on my mood & the occasion!

Dress: H & M

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Accessories: earrings from Target, Livestrong & Coach bracelets,

Fossil watch

Link-up Suggestions:

• follow the hosts on twitter: @FamilyNLifeLV, @Char__Latte, @MrsFitLibrarian, @MCMmama, @RunCupcake
• Feel free to follow us all via RSS as well so you never miss a Sweat to Street post!
• Snag a button and share the fun!!
• Sharing is caring! Be sure to visit pages participating in the link up!
• Feel free to share this link up on your own blog by grabbing the code here! get the InLinkz code
• HAVE FUN!

Remember if you don't link up, we can't choose you to be next week's featured blogger!

We are so excited to see all the fashions that are shared each week!