December is almost here....

My 31st B'day has come and gone...let me tell ya, I certainly do not feel any older :) I hope this next year of my life is just as eventful as the last. Through out 2007, at 30 years old, I saw and did more than I had ever expected to...it has been awesome! With the end of the month approaching and the Christmas countdown beginning, I have now shifted my focus. An announcement was made to add women's bodybuilding to the New York Pro show and guess what....I have chosen to compete at this show! So, as I count down the days until Christmas, I'll be counting down the days until the start of my pre-contest diet also. I'm pretty excited about competing in NYC....I'll be taking my girl Bon-bon with me this time. More on that later....

Last weekend, I celebrated my birthday with some friends, it was an absolute blast! I haven't pulled an 'all nighter' in years! Yes, we were out 'rippin' it up' quite late and due to the ungawdly hour when we decided we should head home, we stopped for breakfast along the way..LOL! I managed to catch up on sleep and felt 'back to normal' within a day. What has left me feeling 'weathered' is this darn head cold I picked up somewhere along the way. I'm congested as all hell, I can barely sleep because I can't breathe and I don't have much of an appetite either. Regardless, I have still managed to drag my ass in to the gym and train...and my workouts have been pretty darn productive.

The UFC get-together at my place was great. I ended up with a house full of people and tons of food.....we did a pot-luck which evolved into a smorg of foods from around the world....many different ethnic flavors that were so darn tasty! I look forward to doing it all again someday soon :) Unfortunately, the next UFC isn't scheduled to take place until after my diet starts which means...no treats for me. I'm ok with it though....I'll just have to start my therapeutic baking again!

well,that's all for now....

my sis & me before we went out for a family dinner to celebrate my birthday

overdue update once again!

Jeez, it's been almost a month since my last update.....I'm way overdue this time around!!!! Sometimes 'life' just gets in the way of my regular activites such as updating my journal. I had every intention of updating this thing three weeks ago and somehow I managed to let it slide until now.....time to bring you up to speed.

So far so good...my back seems completely healed.....the numbness in my arm has completely subsided and I'm training like a mad woman once again. My first few weeks back were a bit rough, my strength was down and I found it difficult to make it through a full week of training, but now, I feel awesome. At this point, my strength is just off of where it was last winter so I'm planning to meet my training plateaus of my last off-season and exceed them. I could very well set myself some new PR's as my strength continues to increase.....I'll keep you posted and hopefully catch it on video for ya. Speaking of training, I have every intention of making some significant gains this winter.

The 2008 IFBB schedule is out....thankfully they have added another pro show for the women now that the Sacramento pro and Jan Tana have been cancelled. Unfortunately, they have merged the two women's classes into one for the Atlantic City show which means I certainly will not be making the trek to AC to compete (not that I planned to) unless I just go to watch the show. The schedule indicates that the added show in Tampa may be held the first or second weekend of August followed by the Europa on the third weekend...I may very well compete at both of these events. Considering the events are so closely scheduled, I will more than likely spend at least three weeks in the USA....there really is no point in flying home between shows. Now that would be a blast! Remaining in the USA would enable me to train at various different gyms etc. The thought is exciting!

For now, I have roughly four months left of off-season training.....before I know it, I'll be dieting again!

My grandma used to say to me "the older you get, the faster time passes" and I swear it's the truth. With my 31st B'day approaching quickly I find myself reflecting on the last few years. Turning 30 marked the beginning of the most eventful year of my life. At 30 years old, I have accomplished almost everything I had set out to do. I still have other goals and endeavours I'd like to pursue and I will as time permits me to do so...however, I'm quite content with where I'm at now. I'm pretty ambitious and a bit of an over-acheiver often 'biting off more than I can chew' which in turn results in my own organized chaos and me running myself ragged, but I do not regret any of the choices I have made. Hell, we only live once, right? I try and do as much as humanly possible on any given day...LOL! Referring to my little Italian 'nonna' (grandma) once again, her motto has always been "why leave for tomorrow what you can do today"..I suppose I have adopted it as well. I'm an extremist to a degree and very much a do-er.....going non-stop from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I keep a tight schedule every day of the week. I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way. I won't be able to keep this pace forever, but I'll maintain it as long as I can :)

Last weekend I was away to judge our final competition of the local bodybuilding season...what a show! The event boasted a record number of competitors exceeding any given event in BC over the last 10 years. Let me tell ya, women's bodybuilding is very much alive and well here! There is some amazing new talent who'll be climbing the competitive ranks. In other news....the host Province for the 2009 Nationals was announced on the weekend.....it's Vancouver!!! BC hasn't hosted a National bodybuilding event since 1986! I'm really looking forward to it!

This upcoming weekend my friends and I are getting together once again to watch the UFC, but this time the party is at my house..it should be fun. I'll post some pics after the weekend. For now, I'll leave you with a pic of Melody, me & Kim having some fun posing for the camera :)