I'm ready!!!...I think...

Guess what? This will be my last blog before the Europa Supershow Dallas!!! **I got my nails done yesterday and the sound of them click click clicking on the keyboard is quasi-annoying, so this may not be a long one.**

The past few days have been a bit of a blur. A fun blur, but a blur. Mixed in with trips to the store for more fish, chicken, or sweet potatoes, was a facial, hair appointment, and mani/pedi. I have my bag pretty much packed and purchased a fun new cooler today for all my food for Friday and Saturday. Tomorrow is when the fun stops, however. I'll be cleaning house for most of the day along with drinking a gallon of water. No seasonings, condiments, or anything to drink other than water is allowed. No biggie. The chicken Shane grilled for me tonight smelled yummy, I don't anticipate it being too bad. Despite my penchant for tex-mex, I'm ok with a pretty bland diet. I don't really add salt or pepper to things and can do without ketchup on my SPF.

What I am looking forward to is how my body responds. We shall all see the results on Friday!! Many pictures to come. My heart pounds just thinking about it. It's a mixture of emotions...nervous, excited, scared, determined... I'm looking forward to the whole weekend, actually. I'll have friends and family joining me at Europa as well as afterwards for a yummy dinner that Shane put together. On Sunday, Zoe is being baptized and we'll have family there for that as well! It will definitely be a weekend to remember, a weekend of celebration. If I happen to also have a trophy to show for it, that would rock! If not, I'll be ok, but will have something to work towards in the near future.

Time to get some rest. Stay tuned for a show recap on Monday! :)

It's tiiiiime!!

Well, here I am, 5 days out from my FIRST EVER NPC bikini competition!!!

I had been waiting on pins and needles all day today for my email from Jef
f detailing what this week would look like. Every time my phone would go off, I'd excitedly check to see if it was him.Finally, when the email did come, I quickly opened it to read, read, and reread it. I couldn't be more excited about the next 5 days.

I'll make my last official run to the grocery store to grab a few things that are on my menu for the week...PEANUT BUTTER!!! My workouts are going to be fun for me, I'll be hitting up upper body, lower body, then total body. Cardio

every morning when I wake up and then *BAM!* it will be Friday!!!

I can still recall what I felt when I first mentally committed to this show...then how it felt to vocalize it. Now, I'm days away. It's crazy how fast time goes. I know it will be such a good feeling to step on that stage for the very first time. My stomach will be doing flips, just like it did when I practiced my walk on Saturday for Jeff and Greg. I'm really good at picturing things in my mind. This time is a little different because I'm doing something entirely new. I try to picture it bigger than I think it will be, scarier than I expect it to be, and of course me kicking butt.

The email from Jeff included a list of "tips" for the show. It listed a few things I needed to make sure to pack like sheets, a pillowcase, and pedialyte. Three things I would not have thought to bring. I'm guessing the hotel I'll be staying at won't appreciate a body-size spray tan stain and the pedialyte will quickly rehydrate me once I step off that stage.

Time to eat my egg whites and hit the sheets. I have cardio to do when I wake up! Let's do this!!

I'm just a poser.

Today was Saturday, which means only one thing....posing class with Jeff!

When I think back to that first posing class, I remember feeling super nervous and super intimidated. The girls were all so fit and made it look so easy. Thankfully, I had scheduled a one-on-one session with Jeff earlier in the week so I could get a feel for what I would be doing. I wouldn't think I'd need to be taught how to walk, stand, and smile...but I did. I had to learn how to exaggerate my hips without looking akward and make it, as Jeff said, "look like you have booty coming from every direction". Sounds funny doesn't it? But, I guess there isn't anything much girlier that a perky, round booty.

Two of my four workouts revolve around my butt. You know how I said that a cute outfit makes all the difference? Well, on booty days, that's especially true! If you were to be a fly on the wall next to me at the gym, you'd laugh as you watched me try to nonchalantly catch glances of my backside. Hey, if I'm going to spend hours working on it, I want to make sure I'm seeing my hard work pay off!! Lunges, squats, jump squats, jump lunges, smith machine squats, smith machine lunges, leg press, and repeat. On any given leg days, I'll do about 500 reps of leg/butt exercises. Most of which are with weight anywhere from 10lb dumbbells for my plyos (anything jumping) to 85lbs for smith machine squats and 130lbs (+ or -) for leg press.

Now that I have my suit, I have that much more of a reminder that my booty is going to be on display for all to see in 3 WEEKS! Eek! On that note, I need to eat my egg whites, swallow down some glutamine, and hit the sheets.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Europa Dallas is exactly 21 days away. Three weeks. The sound of that is crazy. I still remember the feeling I had when I told Shane I wanted to compete. Saying those words out loud was scary. Now, here I am, getting ready to put on a teeny bikini, clear heels, and full-on glam to strut my stuff on a stage in front of hundreds... I had to remind myself to breathe there.

I'm ready. I've been saying daily affirmations and envisioning myself rockin' it on stage. Hitting my poses perfectly and of course hearing my name called in the first call-out. Top five. I WILL be in the top 5.

I am a visual person, so I've started making little notes to post everywhere. "Top 5", "3 weeks", "make every day count". Just little reminders when my mind tries to take-over and bring me down. I feel like I could eat my weight in sweet potatoes right now. Some days are easy and others (like today) all I can think about is food.

To distract myself, I'm going to get some retail therapy in and just keep drinking my water. Lots and lots of water. Maybe I'll even make my low-cal sugarfree Passion Tea Lemonade. Passion Tea mixed with Crystal Light lemonade. Mmm...yes, I will make some of that.

Tomorrow is posing class and since my suit is here, I'll really get a good feel for what it will be like. Pictures to come soon! Thank you to everyone for your continued support, it has really helped keep me motivated!!

Egg Whites, Egg Whites, and more Egg Whites...

I officially have 25 days to go until the BIG day. Europa. I have my countdown up on the fridge with my bikini fabric swatch next to it. The fridge isn't the demon that it once was. Before it was where I would find myself if I was bored. Now, it's where I keep my "fuel" and my goals.

I've been going through phases of loving my diet and loathing my diet. Loving it when I see results and feel great with lots of energy. Loathing it when it's someone's birthday and that mean cake taunts me. You know that commercial where the woman is at the supermarket and telling off the cake with the bear sheriff? That's me at a birthday party, baby shower, etc. Both times I've given in. Why? Because I know I can have just a taste...and also, at the time, wasn't 3 weeks from competition. Ha!

This morning while I was trying to choke down my 4 egg whites, I decided to find a way to enjoy them. Before deciding to compete, I would read other girls' blogs about their diet and how boring it was or how sick they were of the food. Well, the only thing I wouldn't care if I ever ate again is egg whites. I have 4 with breakfast and 3 or 4 before bed. Everyday. I'm a little tired of them and so is my mouth. At least at night, I have them hard-boiled with a little bit of mustard added. If I close my eyes, I can convince myself that it's deviled eggs. Breakfast, however, is totally different.

I remembered reading about "protein pancakes" in my Oxygen mag and decided to research to see what exactly was in them. Guess what? Almost exactly what I'm supposed to eat for breakfast! So, my happy little butt went to Central Market today and got some sugar-free maple syrup (which is surprisingly good, even Shane liked it!) and will be experimenting with my own version of protein pancakes in the morning. Fingers crossed that they are as good as I'm picturing them to be. Heck, anything will be better than what I'm trying to eat right now!

Now, I need to go eat my fish and salad. That I actually look forward to! :)

30 days and counting...

See those pictures? The first one is from a few days ago (black top), the second was back in April (teal top).

The countdown to my first NPC show has started. I'm now 30 days out from the Europa Supershow Dallas where I'll be competing in the bikini division.

I've been working with Jeff Dwelle of Dwelle Athletics and am a "Bikini Rockstar". Jeff is awesome, he knows his stuff and has been tweaking my program for few months. It's getting closer and more intense as I continue to try and drop body fat. Gotta love tilapia! ;)

My goal is to not just walk on that stage, but own it and hear my name in the first call-out...putting me in the top 5!! I've wanted to do a show for over 5 years and have just now set my mind to do it. Why not? I'm practically a stay-at-home mom with a 1 year old and turn 30 this year. Yikes!

I ordered my bikini from www.crystallinibikini.com, Ellen was awesome and answered alllll of my millions of questions. Hey, the bikini was expensive for how teeny it is, I wanted to make sure I got it right! Jessie Hamilton will be doing my make-up and I'll be getting my hair done at Salon 2222...extensions and all! I must say, I'm pretty excited to have long flowing locks!

So now, all that's left to keep working my booty off and pose pose pose! I'll be keeping you all posted on my progress over the next month, wish me luck!

Want to come support me? Please?! Check out www.visionstarinc.com for info on the Dallas Europa Supershow. August 12th is prelims, 13th is finals. Hope to see you there!