Friday Night

I had a very late night in the gym yesterday. The gym was empty, but I was slow to get my sets done. It ended up being a nice, relaxing workout.

I also spent 20 minutes in the sauna talking to these two ladies that do triathlons. A couple of months ago, I signed up for this:

They gave me lots of advice about bikes and even told me what size to get and how to haggle. They were really nice and helpful. It's an expensive sport, but then again...what sport doesn't cost an arm and a leg? 

I've been talking with Jenelle a lot lately (the former winner of the competition I'm doing) via Facebook. I am blown away by how kind and helpful she's been. She's giving me tips to help me backstage. One thing she told me was to write my name on my shoes in case someone takes them by accident. She also told me about bringing a clip for my hair because since my hair will be sitting on my oiled up skin, it starts to get greasy. She's sending me her peak week diet because I'm very confused at what I should be doing. There is a lot of conflicting ideas about what you should eat that week and even the day of the show. 

She makes me so excited about all of this and I can't wait to meet her!  

I bought these Quinoa Crackers that are actually really good and aren't too bad on the nutrition side. 

I'm getting new tires on my truck today which will be nice because Clint made them bald when he drove my truck for a period of time. I'm also going to spend part of the day with my grandpa, so I'm excited to do that. :)

I have chest to do today. It'll probably be a late afternoon session, but I'll get it done. 

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Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm Not A Fool...

I'm officially going back to school!  I just signed up for two classes at Parkland that start in August!  I signed up for chemistry and a food psychology course.  It was kind of pricy though!  $723.00 plus books.  I thought it would be more in the $500 range, but I guess since chemistry is 5 credit hours rather than the usual 3.

I'm so excited!  I'm totally going to feel like Billy Madison, but way more awesome.  AND, I get to go school supply shopping! I completely geek out when it comes to school supplies. I had all the Lisa Frank file folders back in grade school...and I was cool.

I've got shoulders to work on after stopping by Sheena's Mary Kay party. 

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Color Me Beautiful.

I am starting to worry about my hair and makeup. I looked into having someone come to my hotel room, but the nearest makeup artist is 30 minutes away and I just do not trust that they would get there on time. BAD experiences in the past!

I thought about maybe getting my makeup done at home the night before, but knowing my oily skin, it would all be ruined by the night show. Then, I found these:  

I don't know if anyone has used them before, but these eye shadow transfers got a good review. The foundation color is the only thing I'm worried about, but I could always buy some dark foundation at a Walgreens after I get spray tanned...OR just wear a shit ton of my bronzer all over my face. 

This weekend, I'm going to start blingin' out my suit.  I'm sure there will be glitter and crystals all over the kitchen table, and I may superglue my fingers together a couple of times. 

Last night, I read an article about peanut butter. I can't find it to quote it, but it suggested that I stay away from combining peanut butter with heavy carbs. It suggested using celery which is interesting because celery has a lot of sodium in it. Two medium stalks have 100mg of sodium. 

I tried it with almond butter and almonds on top and it was good. It would have been better if I could have put more peanut butter on it!  You can't go wrong with more peanut butter. 

While driving home from work, I pass a McDonald's and I was staring at it from the stop light. All I could think about was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut out into little shapes (which my mum never did growing up...feeling like I've missed some portion of my childhood). 

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Three Strange Encounters...

Encounter #1:  Last night, I decided to try to get my workout in without any headphones.  Sometimes I think I mess around with changing my song so much that it makes my session last longer than it should.  Well, I wished that I didn't try out my hypothesis last night because Sara's friend was at the gym.  Now, there has been plenty of time that has passed since Sara and I have spoken (a good 2.5 months), and the fact that this bitch is still fixed on the situation just made me so mad.  When I was close to the front desk doing calf raises, I heard her say to some coworker "So you know my friend Sara, right?  You remember Sara?"  The word "Sara" was so emphasized that it made me sick.  I didn't hear anything else she was saying other than those two lines.  I just focused on myself in the mirror.  She bothered me so much that I almost left the gym...but I thought to myself that she would win if I left, so I stayed. 

I wanted my headphones so bad in order to tune her out.  I don't understand why girls have to be so catty about anything.  I don't know you and you don't know me.  Leave it at that.  You're not going to bully me out of my own gym.  That's a fact!

Encounter #2:  When I was heading to the mat to do my ab sets, one of the workers came up to me and introduced himself.  He is an older black guy who is very sweet and very genuine.  He told me that he wanted to introduce himself to me since he's sees me in the gym all the time.  He said his name was Phillip.  I shook his hand and introduced myself.  He then said that he's been watching me in the gym the past few weeks and he hopes that I am competing in something because I've been making drastic changes in my body.  He said I should be proud of what I've done.  I thanked him, and walked towards the mat.  NOW, at first, I thought that bitch had something to do with him saying something to me, but looking at him, he's a really nice, old man.  What he said felt completely genuine to me, and I didn't think he was involved in that situation at all. 

Encounter #3:  Laying on the mat, a guy next to me said, "Are you a bodybuilder or do you just like to lift?"  Come again?  LOL.  I told him I was training for something.  He then introduced himself as Archie.  His next question (almost like clockwork) was "So, are you seeing anyone outside of the gym?"  I give him props for trying, but seriously?  You're going to hit on someone while they are laying on the ground with probably triple chins struggling to do some crunches?  Props!  He was nice, but no thank you. :)

Don't go to the gym without headphones...

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Here To Kick Ass And Chew Bubble Gum, Sir!

OMG....THIS GUM IS AMAZING!

I went to the grocery store to find the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream kind, and found this.  It satisfies my cravings for warm lemon cookies that I have on my list of food to eat after this competition.  I got this tip on chewing sugar-free gum from a figure competitor's blog.  I thought it might help with my dessert cravings and help tie me over until my appropriate eating times. 

I ate lunch outside with a co-worker today.  I always enjoy our eating lunch with her.  She always makes me laugh!  :)

I need to spend more time tonight looking up my next steps for Parkland.  I think I need to send my transcripts there to ensure that I don't have to take their crappy assessment tests.  I'm also wondering if I can move to California or go to school in another state...Hmm.

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Channing is Overrated...

Sunday night, I did something strange. I took advantage of living across from an IMAX/movie theatre. It's probably been close to 4 years since I went to go see a movie. I am more of a wait-until-it-comes-out-on-DVD kind of girl. I'd much rather watch movies at home than at the theatre. So, I decided to go see a Channing Tatum movie--White House Down. It wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't anything spectacular either. I don't get why people think Channing is so hot. I really don't see it. He wasn't even all buffed out in the movie--very disappointing!! 

I bought popcorn for Clint to eat and for me to smell. The cashier asked us if we wanted butter. Clint said yes and then the guy asked us if we wanted regular or extra. EXTRA?  REALLY?  It's already loaded with butter as it is. Who would need extra butter? There were also stations to "flavorize" your popcorn.  

We walked back from the movie theatre to the house an took the dogs for a walk. I actually didn't mind going to the theatre and will probably go again soon. There's a new movie coming out this weekend with the guy from Sons of Anarchy that looks good. 

I may have some exciting news to share at the end of this week. STAY TUNED!!  Oh, also, I "got in" to Parkland. NOT like it's hard (in my Elle Woods voice), but I got the letter of acceptance in the mail. So, I need to work on getting that all set to take some classes in the Fall. 

Tonight was arms. I maxed out my triceps on dips. The gym was really busy tonight, but somehow I didn't have to mean mug anyone for a bench. I did 20 minutes of cardio at the end of my workout/abs. A large black lady asked me how often I come to the gym. I pulled my headphones out and told her "everyday." Then she asked me if I thought if she came everyday if she would look like me. I was so flattered, but it's hard to know what to say. I told her, "You're on your way. Showing up to the gym is half the battle."  She smiled and thanked me for the inspiration. 

This interaction left me with a smile on my face all the way home. I love driving home from the gym with the windows down at night. There's something calming about country cruising. 

 

I need to get my eating under control. Sunday, I felt like I just ate a lot. Nothing bad or off-the-plan. I just felt hungry all day, so I would find myself eating my 3 PM meal at 2 instead. I also brought almonds and a protein bar into the movie theatre and started eating it 30 minutes into the movie. That might have been a product of the environment, but still...I feel soft this week. I need to really crack the whip on these macros. 

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