Where did January go??? This month has passed by so quickly. I often wish there were more hours in any given day, I can just never seem to get enough done. To those around me, if may seem that I do manage to get more than enough accomplished and truthfully I do, but my 'To Do' list is often very lengthy and it tends to get longer through out my pre-contest prep. Between my work/gym schedule, I usually find that I'm scrambling around in the evening trying to get last minute tasks completed before I go to bed. Getting to bed at a decent hour these days has been tough, but I'm dealing with it. I've been suffering from some mild insomnia. Typically, once I fall asleep, I'm out for the night however, getting to sleep and sleeping all night lately seems to be a problem. This has been going for a few weeks and come to think of it, it all started just after my car accident..perhaps it's related to stress or some form of anxiety. Either way, I'll eventually become so exhausted that I'll get a good night of sleep.

My car has been officially declared a write off. Although the process has been ultra inconvenient,I suppose it's a blessing. I can't even begin to imagine the possible problems I may have faced if the insurance company decided my car had been fixable.
A majority of the insurance paperwork has been taken care of and my new car has finally arrived at the dealership!!! It's only a matter of days now before I get it, I am so excited!

The last month has brought forth a pretty wild turn of events. Not only was I in a car accident, there was a fire in the building where I live this past week as well. We were all evacuated during the wee hours of the morning causing absolute chaos. Fortunately, everyone made it out ok. There was some damage to the building, but most of it has been taken care of. It seems there is never really a dull moment around here :)

Of course, I'm baking again already! I'm not sure what it is with me and the damn baked goods.... I thought I was over my phase of 'therapeutic baking', but apparently, I'm not. I guess it could be worse. Cooking/baking is something that I have always found enjoyable, in a sense it is therapeutic. I'm not even sure how I find the time to do it, but any chance I get, I'm in the kitchen.

My training has been going very well and so has my pre-contest prep. I'm pleased with my progress... I wasn't sure how my body would respond to dieting again so soon.....and considering my last diet ended roughly 4 months ago, my body is adapting to the change very nicely.

Well, that's all for now.
It's getting late, I should attempt to get some sleep!

Happy New Year!!!

I realize this greeting comes a little bit late, but hey, better late than never!

As you know, I skipped Christmas and rang in the new year on a warm, sunny holiday this year instead of staying home to celebrate with my family. My trip was fabulous. I enjoyed every minute in the sun! It seemed really strange to be sitting on a beach Christmas morning surrounded by hundreds of people...it didn't feel like Christmas at all :) The only indication of Christmas was a super tanned elderly gentleman wearing a santa hat and red shorts walking up and down the beach handing out candy canes to the kids. Sure, I missed celebrating with my family and missed out on turkey, but I certainly didn't miss facing the chaotic crowds in the mall nor did I miss the stress of searching for gifts.




Since I arrived home, I have been super busy. I also started my pre-contest prep for the New York Pro show in May. Yes, I'm dieting once again and so far so good! Getting back in the 'groove' so to speak seemed easier than ever. As much as I love 'flyin' by the seat of my pants'....it's easier to function when I have structure and with pre-contest prep comes a whole bunch of it :) 17 weeks and 3 days to go!!!

My new year had been off to a great start until yesterday....Unfortunately, I was in an accident that destroyed my brand new car. Thank goodness for seatbelts and airbags...without them, I'm not sure where I'd be today! The medics and fire crew who arrived on the scene were shocked to see me in decent shape considering the significant damage to my vehicle. The medics forced me in to an ambulance to assess any possible injuries. Thankfully, I walked away uninjured, but the damage to my vehicle was pretty severe. The windows blew out, airbags deployed and both sides of my car were completely caved in.....the impact from the initial vehicle that hit me destroyed the passenger side of my car, the impact from the first hit pushed me in to another vehicle which in turn resulted in the driver's side of my car being mashed in. Even the local news crew arrived on the scene to capture footage of the wreckage. As of now, I'm awaiting an estimate from the insurance adjuster which will determine whether they'll fix my car or write it off. We'll see what happens, I should know more by the end of the week.

That's all for now, it's time to eat again!