Olympia {Sept 25, 2008} Recap:

Day 1: Thur Sept 25, 2008  

Up at a whoppin' 4:10 am... what 4:10 am, OMG I over slept!!! ACK! I was supposed to be on the road by now. This realization was followed by a mad scramble out of the bed and to throw some clothes and make-up on. Yes make-up! I knew there be pictures okay? geez!  

So I throw all my bags into the car, kiss the dog good-bye and hit the road. Damn! The car is on empty! Grrrr!  

So a quick fill-up and I'm back on the road, for the 1.5 hr drive to the airport. There may have been some speeding involved. And all I kept thinking was, I wonder which state Ronnie Coleman works as cop?  

I made it to the airport in about an hour. Shhhhh! I know, I was speeding! But missing the plane, would have been a disaster of epic proportion! As I walk to the terminal to wait to board, I look around an see some Olympia bound peeps (checking out their shirts is a big hint). Since I'm sporting my figure team warm-ups, its pretty clear where I'm going! Now seems like the perfect time to eat my protein muffins. Yummy!  

Onto the plan we go to take off at 7:00 am. As luck would have it, I got an isle seat with a nice older couple, on their way to do a few days of gambling. She was pretty curious about what I was doing in vegas and what my warm-up logo meant. Well, I gave her the whole spiel on figure (by now I pretty much have this down after being asked so many times). All this was followed by her fondling my bicep. ummmm... okay.  

So we settled in for a long flight. After an hour of listening to the drunk guys from Mansfield, sitting behind me I was not so amused. To appreciate their humor, you would have to be drunk with them at 7:30 am. Which I was not. Okay, I'm getting restless. Not to mention the grand idea of getting a tan for the Olympia, was not a good one. Which ended with me getting a burn in strategic places needed for sitting on a long flight! Just sayin'! And now I realize I didn't pack anything to read or do. DAMN! Okay, not to panic I'll read the airline mags. Again. And again. Holy cow! I'm going nuts! And the drunks are drunker! And I took my fat burner! *palm to forehead* And my a$$ is on fire. How much farther to Vegas!!!!!  

After landing at Vegas at 8:30 am (gotta love that time difference), and I'm starving! And making a shake on the plane is not fun. Using room temp water is NOT recommended for optimal shake taste! I start mad texting everyone, while waiting for my friend's plane to land. After she arrives, we are on our way. Sorta! She met a friend who is going to give us a ride to the hotel. Cool!  

Finally at the hotel! WOW! This place is BIG! From the minute we walk in the door I start seeing bodybuilders and figure chicks. This is my kind of place! We check in and decide to drag our luggage with us to have brunch. The cafe had a special menu, catering to our diets. Can I move in here, and stay for my whole comp prep? Mind you I'm really hungry. And ordered an egg white omelet and chicken breast with lots of veggies. Yummy! I'm in heaven... until the bill came. Ouch!$!$  

Dragging the luggage around is getting old, so off to the room we go. Toss down the luggage and were off to pick up our Platinum Olympia package. Then to meet Richard from bb.com to pick up my Olympia package. We have got to rush, the press conference is in an hour.  

I gave my trainer Julie a call, and off to her room we go, to hang out for awhile and chat. She look fabulous! She is getting ready to tan and I need to get to the press conference.  

Some how we were told to sit in a VIP box, and had great seats. The Olympia guys are hamming it up, and are too funny. On our way out of the press conference, we got talked into looking at the Olympia jackets for sale. The next thing I know were modeling the Fitness and Figure winning jackets. Holy Crap! There is something about sporting the Figure Olympia jacket that makes you wanna do quarter turns. Not that I did...okay I DID! But you would too!!!! Just sayin'! Talk about a rush! While still on that rush, I some how became the owner of my very own Olympia jacket. Ummm...okay.  

So while cheesing for the camera pretending I'm a Figure Olympian, Gina Aliotti walked by. And stops to talk to us about our jackets. We all have a good laugh. She is super sweet! I'm now a Gina fan!  

Next we meet the chicks from Southern Muscle Magazine. Super nice too. And we had a long conversation. Thanks for the encouragement gals!  

Crap, its getting late, and I rush up stairs to log onto bb.com to make a quick post. The internet here is super slow, so I keep it simple. Now off to the room to get ready for Meet the Olympians!  

After getting ready in record time, and making a mad dash to get in line with our fancy-smancy VIP passes. Holy Crap! The line wrapped around the darn building. Okay, time to amuse ourselves and wait. I got to meet some really nice peeps. Finally its our turn to go in.  

WOW! Thankfully the room is huge! Quickly I make a plan on who all I want to meet and get pics with. And off I go. I rush to hug Julie and say "hi", and see there is others waiting too, so I move on. I then meet up with Gina, and got a pic this time, and chatted some more.  

Now I'm off to meet Jen H. Now this chick is so personable. What a true champ should be. I told her how excited I am to see her routines and how I missed the "Hooter" one, and she said she would try and get it onto her site!  

As I start to make my way back to say bye to Rick & Julie, I see Kim Lyons. She was so warm and friendly, and really takes an interest when people are chatting with her. She is working on a TV show pilot which will focus on the concept Fitness 911, and helping people make changes! I can't wait to see that on TV! Way to go Kim!  

I meet some not so nice Olympians too. Which I no longer will be rooting for. WORD!  

By this time, its time to eat again. So off to the buffet we go. And yes, you can eat healthy on the buffet. The chief making the stir-fries was so nice and offered to make me something using lemon juice. I almost jumped the counter and gave him a big hug!  

Now that my belly is full, its off to bed. Tomorrow will be a long exciting day!

Olympia pics...

Here I sit, looking through all my Olympia pics.  WOW!  Talk about some highs and lows.  But none-the-less, I am super motivated to rock these 4 weeks leading up to my first show.  I really want to win this for Julie!  And well, for myself too.  

I need to sit and gather my thoughts before I post about the Olympia.  So much of my dreams have had reality kick them in the face.  But I will continue on until I hit the wall, of all my body can do.  I know what I've given so far, and there is room to improve and grow.

So here are a few pics of my trip:

Heading to Sin City!!!!!!

In the morning, I'll be catching an early morning flight to Vegas to watch the Olympia!  Holy Crap!  Its the Super Bowl of our sport!  And I'll be working with bb.com to bring everyone at home, up-to-the-minute coverage!  You can watch the shows live from bb.com!

I do have to confess, that I may have been dared to see how many bodybuilder's laps I can sit on to get pictures.  Not saying that I fill!  But if the opportunity come up, heck yeah!  It would be so memorable!  lol!

Holy Crap!

Last Sat was Julie Comp Prep camp.  And let me tell ya, it was awesome!  I meet a ton of really cool gals!  I think it was one of the first times I actually thought "hey, I can do this!"  Boy was I surprised to find a pic from our camp and little ole' me doing some squats, on Hardbody News .  Here is a copy of the pic!  

Geez I need a tan!  I look like an albino!  lol!

the light...

I see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Finally, yesterday I had to collect myself and THINK rationally.  If I feel bloated and the scale is showing it, but can I DO about it?!?  Simple science really... DRINK MORE WATER!  

I felt better having a plan of action, I watched my salt yesterday (not limit, just was conservative), and slammed the water (kool-aid made with splenda) down.  Last night I started feeling more slim.  This morning the scale confirmed.  I had lost over 4 lbs of water!  I'm now down to my lowest weight yet... 160.9!  My goal is to be 158 lbs by the Mock Comp & team meeting on Sat!  Yippie!  PROGRESS!

Here is my fitness horoscope for kicks and giggles:

Monthly Fitness: September PISCES 

If you keep having the exact same problem (a bad back, a pulled muscle, headaches) it's time to examine what you keep doing wrong. If your routine of sitting at the computer for 12 uninterrupted hours a day is leading to all kinds of aches and pains, more of the same is certainly not going to bring any relief. This month, starting the 1st, it's time to face these problems head-on. If you want to feel differently, you have to live differently. It's just that simple. The 5th and 6th, you may be finding it hard to stick to your healthy changes, but you have to keep trying and be prepared to fail several times along the way. Keep at it and you'll see real results. The 9th, your own better self is looking out for you and the 13th and 14th are days full of transformation and self-discovery. This stuff only happens after all the hard work you've put in, so be proud of yourself. The 16th, the puzzle that is your own psyche intrigues you. Examine it and don't back away. If anybody can solve this riddle, it's you. The 21st, step back and observe. Take it easy, and take it easy on yourself. The 25th, keep working towards those changes. Around the 30th, you might have to watch out for your own worst enemy -- you! Counter it by becoming your own best friend!

7 weeks out... (again)

I'm officially 7 weeks out as of yesterday, for the NPC Monster Mash.

I'm bloated like a puffer fish (thanks to TOM), and I pray that is why my weight is up a couple lbs and not moving.  To be honest, the doubts are creeping back in, and I worry, will I be ready?!?  

I don't think I could stay strong, if I miss why shot at the stage again.  At this point, even though I adore my oats (and carbs in general), I love the progress more.  And if carb cycling again will get me there, than so be it.  I'll rock it again!  

I know we all go through times of weight loss plateau, but mine picked a BAD time.  Emotionally I was a little broken, by missing the stage in Indy, but I hung onto my progress and the fact that I was delaying show time, so I could look my best!  But this "soft" look I got going right now SUCKS!

Just sayin' !

Just a thought...

"The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends, red lights called enemies, caution lights called family, and you will have flats called jobs. But if you have a spare called determination, an engine called perserverance, insurance called faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called success."

April posted this quote on our Co-Diva thread this morning.  This one really spoke to me.  As I'm nearing what would have been the day of my first show, I keep thinking "what ifs".  I need to let it go and focus on what I can do for Oct & Nov. (and beyond).

So on that note, I leave ya with a cutie pic of my pup!