Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

It looks like I'm going to finally do it.

I'm going to put my suit up for sale.

Insert major sad face here.

It has to be done for several reasons but I don't wanna do it! I know I'm not going to wear it to another competition but ugh....

I have no choice but to man up and do it....so here it goes....

This vibrant blue lycra Tamee Marie suit will fit a height range of 5'4" - 5'8" (possibly taller), weight 135-155ish. Cups are sized to fit A to a full C. Bottoms are small/medium. Suit is in great condition and ready to be worn at your next competition! I'm asking $625 obo - shipping is on me :)

Please email me if you're interested or if you have any additional questions.

I want this beauty to go to a good home so if you or another competitor you know is interested in purchasing it, contact me.

Now excuse me while I go look at the suit and cry silently about our impending separation ;)

New Release Tuesday

This song isn't a new release, in fact, I believe I've already featured it on my blog. But it just makes me happy every time I hear it so I'm reintroducing it to you :)

Enjoy!!!

The Crazy Fam Bam Grows!!

Hello...hello....hello....is anybody out there?? *taps the mic*

I know! It's been forever and a day since I've updated this thing but I promise I have a good reason for being absent.

Yes, that's me. Yes, I'm crying.

My baby sister had her baby! Jaxon Liam joined our crazy fam bam on Friday, November 23 at 7:30 pm. My sister was a trooper, let me tell you! She had been in labor for most of the day and had pushed like champion for 2 hours before Jaxon decided to grace us with his presence.

The Princess and her new cousin

Other really awesome things that have happened while I've been away include....

Gelson's!!!

From this guy -->

My baby bro!

That's right! My brother came home for short visit and he came bearing gifts....gifts from Gelson's!! It is a really good thing there isn't a Gelson's here because I would be there err day and would be as big as a house!

One last awesome thing I have to share before I go is the pictures from my photo shoot with Ana from Urban Chick Foto. I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot with Ana the weekend I was in Mesa for my competition. I don't have a lot of experience doing photo shoots so I'm always nervous and awkward but Ana is so calming & reassuring. I tell her and everyone else that her camera has magical powers! If you're interested in seeing some of the images she captured during our time together, you can see them in her blog post "Tenecia - NPC Figure Competitor".

I haven't forgotten that I owe you guys a show recap...plus I need to update you on my training and goals for 2013...I promise to do that soon...I need more hours in my day! :)

New Release Tuesday

So I'm pretty certain this Conor Maynard is like...12...and a half...but hey...if ladies my age (lol!) can like Justin Beiber's music, I think I'm allowed to like this song! :)

No Stank in My Game!

I'm alive!!!

No, there was no death by chocolate or carne asada fries! I have been settling into a regular routine that doesn't involve a looming figure competition. It's a bit strange since I have spent most of this year preparing for competitions but I am NOT complaining! :)

Y'all know that I am a woman on the move. I am constantly juggling my mom, wife, librarian, and figure competitor duties. I only have a certain number of hours to get a ridiculous amount of things done as you might recall from my "A Day in the Life" post. A significant number of my workouts take place during my lunch hour or in between running errands on a Saturday or Sunday. Now, I'm going to share something with you that may cause you to wrinkle up your nose and whisper vehemently "You Nasty!!"

I don't always shower after my lunchtime 

or "in between" workouts.

Stop judging me and let me explain. There isn't always time especially after my lunchtime workouts. I try to use every possible minute allowable for lifting and/or cardio which doesn't always leave time for showering post-workout. Now, that doesn't mean I don't clean up after my workouts. I take, what I and a few others,  call a "whore's bath" ;) I know..I know...you're disgusted with me but guess what? I think I've found the solution to my issue.

The Athletic Body Wipe by ShowerPill!!! 

I received a delivery of this product last week and I couldn't wait to try it out!! It turned out that I would have to wait longer than I originally anticipated due to the fact that I injured myself and had to stay out of the gym for a few days.

I had full schedule planned for my Saturday which included a return to the gym so I made it a point to add one of the wipes to my bag. I love that each wipe is individually packaged and it is not big & bulky. The wipe fit perfectly in the front pocket of my Nike bag - perfection!

It was leg day and you can tell my Wonder Woman socks, it was not going to be a light & easy workout. In addition to weight training, there was a 20 minute cardio date with the Arc Trainer that was scheduled.

Workout complete!

At the end of my workout, I wasn't dripping with sweat but I was definitely glistening. I want to assure you that I did NOT go lighter or easier on my workout because I knew I was going to be trying out this product when I was done. You guys know me, it's go big or go home and that's exactly what I did!

If you're worried about the wipe not being big enough or strong enough to handle a dirty sweaty job, don't be!! The wipe is 9 x 8 and while it is not as thick as a washcloth, it is not thin like a baby wipe. The ShowerPill website describes the wipe as "thick and durable" and I have to agree. At no point while I was using it did I worry about it tearing or falling apart.

After using Athletic Body Wipe. Yep, it's wet :)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wipe has a significant amount of liquid in it. I was expecting my skin to still be slightly dry after using the Athletic Wipe on it but that was definitely not the case. I'm not saying my skin was wet like it would be if I had been in a shower but it was not bone dry. It was wet enough that I had to wait a couple of minutes before putting on my clothes and moisturizing. #score

As I got dressed, I realized that I did not feel slimy or sticky. Again, I did not feel like I had just taken a hot shower where I scrubbed my body with St. Ives Mineral Therapy Body Wash (my favorite!) and a loofah but I felt fresher and less grimy. Now who doesn't want that??

If you're interested in trying this product, ShowerPill is hosting a Black Friday sale on Amazon.com!

photo credit

Just place 3 boxes of the Athletic Body Wipes in your shopping cart and enter the code "SPFRIDAY" to receive the 3rd box free. Keep in mind that this offer is valid 11/23/12-11/25/12.


If you're not convinced that this is the product for you, find out what other athletes have to say about the ShowerPill wipes:

PavementRunner --> Fresh + Clean, Post Workout

Plant Based Runner --> ShowerPill Review

Running Rachel --> Fresh and Clean with ShowerPill #stayfresh

Life's Run --> ShowerPill Review

Marcia's Healthy Slice --> Stuff I Love: November Edition

From Couch to Ironwoman --> ShowerPill Review

Fiterature --> ShowerPill Review and a Trip to Halls

Monica Nelson Fitness --> Product Review - "Shower Pill"

The Purple Giraffe --> Mid-day Workouts and WIAW

It's A HarleyyyLife --> ShowerPill. So Fresh So Clean.

Disclaimer:
This product was provided to me for review purposes.
All opinions expressed are my own.

New Release Tuesday

I've missed Luda's music but I'm going to admit that I'm not a huge fan of this song...maybe I need to walk away and then come back to it in a few days....??

Thoughts?

Trophy in My Hand & a Grin On My Face!

I made it to the finish line, y'all!! At the end of this journey, I'm walking away with a 4th place finish. Not too shabby...especially when you think about the fact that I wasn't sure if I would be ready for this show just 2-3 weeks ago!

I'm in the midst of celebrating and relaxing. There are cream puffs (made with love from my mother-in-law), pancakes, candy, and even some sips of my favorite booze! I will provide a proper update in a bit but right now, I hear some type of carb calling my name! :)

Here We Ggggooooo!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time again. It's time for me to hit the stage for my last competition of the year, the NPC Western Regional!

This is what I looked like yesterday afternoon. I am happy to say that I continue to tighten up and I'm crossing my fingers the physique I'm presenting to the judges is sufficient enough for a top 3 placing.

I've got my blinders on, my motivational music on my ipod, and I'm going to put the video below on repeat until the moment I leave the hotel to go to the venue.

Less than 3 hours until show time. Everything I've done is for this moment.

Let's do the damn thang.

Easily Distracted

The time is winding down. The day I've been working so hard for is not longer multiple months or even weeks away. Nope, it's DAYS....as in TWO...days away....ahhh!!!

There is a problem that I am experiencing that I need to remedy - like yesterday! I'm starting to be consumed by thoughts of who my competition is, what I will look like standing next them, am I good enough, you get the idea.

When I was trying to fall asleep last night but couldn't because all of these thoughts were filling my head, I remembered a really great post I read last year by the oh so wise Kellie Davis of MotherFitness.  The post was entitled "Go In Wearing Blinders" and I knew I needed to read it again. I got out of bed, turned on the computer, and took in the words that Kellie wrote. I kept re-reading one particular line and I've decided to repeat it to myself each time I am distracted by thoughts of my competition.  The line is simple and it states,

"You are not HER.

No matter who she is…

… you will never be her.

And that rocks because you are amazing!"

With those words running on repeat in my mind, I am putting my blinders on and focusing on fine-tuning ME!

Two days folks....then it's time to show 'em what I got....beast mode, baby!!!

Horns, Big Foreheads, and Progress Pics!

Wearing my horns proudly ;)

Hey y'all!! How are you?? It's been a busy time for me but I'm not complaining! Last Wednesday was Halloween and while I didn't get to partake in any of the candies and baked goods, I did get to "dress up". You know you're the resident troublemaker when you walk into the building, your supervisor looks at you and says, "You know that it's Halloween and you were allowed to dress you today". All I could do was laugh :)


I decided to start peak week off in style. Want to know what I did???

Yep! I...well...technically Tom (lol)....cut off all of my hair! I've been itching to do something different and I think I've settled on a new 'do for 2013 (I'm not saying what it is yet) but I have to start "from scratch". I love wearing my hair short for so many reasons including spending less time in the mirror in the morning!

So, peak week is finally here and I feel sorta like a pro at it now. Ok, that's a complete lie! I never know what my body is going to do the days leading up to a show! This time around, I decided to take more time off from work so I can rest, relax, and just feel less rushed so that will be a change. I'm a little nervous about going out of town at the end of the week. My sister is pregnant and is thisclose to her due date so I'm sending mental messages to my nephew to stay put until at least Sunday afternoon. Let's hope he's not stubborn like his mother and decides to do his own thing :)

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from this morning's check-in. I would be a total liar if I said I wasn't excited about the second picture. I think I might be able to kill it from the back come Friday - there's still work to do but I think I'm closer than I've ever been - cross your fingers!!!

5 days, 3 hours, and 59 minutes until pre-judging. 

If ever there was time to go big or go home, this is it!