Show week!

Man, oh man! It's so hard to believe that the NPC Elite is in a matter of days! Unlike a marathon or distance race, I don't have to put in hours of hours of physical exertion this weekend. The work has been done and now I'm trying my best to sit back and savor the experience. Although my diet has tightened up a tad, my workouts have been tapered and the end is in sight!!

The last several days are filled with pampering and fun appointments. Saturday morning Jess and I got our nails done (french tip Shellac = my absolute favorite). It was nice to hang out in a setting other than the stadium or studio. I also got a spray tan and had my eyebrows threaded (--> ouch!!). Sunday I had a photo shoot with the brilliant Ariel Perez, which made the experience seem that much more real! We have one more posing practice before we take the stage and I could not be more excited!!

I wanted to give a big shout out to my top supporters, who have been my cheerleaders throughout my 8 weeks of competition prep. Thank you Jarrett for your endless support, for helping me cook, and for letting me hog the refrigerator with my assortment of tupperware! Thank you mom and Andrea for cheering me on and for being genuinely interested in the whole process. Thank you Emily and Jill for being my trainers, you have helped me transform from a runner to a well-rounded athlete! Thank you for your endless motivation and inspiration. Thank you Jess, Meredith, and Tre for the best training partners a girl could ask for. We have been through so much together and I enjoyed it all the way! Thank you Sara and Whitney for letting me vent when I'm carb-deprived and for being my sounding board throughout the journey! You have all been amazing and I could NOT have done this without each and every one of you!!!

Time to work that stage!!

Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween! I'm so excited to pass out candy tonight! Last year we had so many trick-or-treaters that we had to make 2 mad dashes to the grocery store to restock! We are plenty prepared this year with bags upon bags of Milky Ways and Snicker bars, my two favorites. I absolutely love the spirit of the holiday, as it brings back so many wonderful childhood memories. Did anyone else watch "Double Double Toil and Trouble" or "Hocus Pocus" like it was their job? Who wore homemade costumes? Over the years my mom sewed everything from Rainbow Bright and a Carebear to Ariel from the Little Mermaid. There's nothing like Halloween when your a child.

That being said, I must admit that the holiday is just as fun once your an adult. I still love dressing up, baking yummy festive treats, and getting in the spirit with friends and family. This weekend we kicked off the festivities with the Evans for dinner and pumpkin carving. Although the pumpkins didn't get carved (--> rain and chilly weather), we certainly enjoyed spending time together! The twins showed us their princess costumes (Belle and Rapunzel!) and Bennett was running all over the place making cute noises and being Mr. Personality.

Saturday night we went to Whitney and Geoff's "Eat, Drink, and Be Scary" party. It was so fun to see everyone dressed up. It's hard to believe that this is our 4th Halloween together! I dressed up as a "narcissist" with props to include a photo album of myself, a locket with my pictures inside, and a mirror that said "All About Me." I have to admit that I felt so uncomfortable all night, defensive that I might really come across as narcissistic! Jarrett looked dapper in his Indiana Jones getup. We brought spooky fingers for dessert, which paired nicely with the spider web dip, mummy dogs, and other creepy finger foods! The party was a huge hit and a heck of alot of fun!

Hope your Halloween was spooktacular ;)

Next up... Thanksgiving and CHRISTMAS!!!

Behind the Scenes

The world of interior design is like none other! I had a rare opportunity to go to the High Point Furniture market this week with one of the most talented interior designers, Reanza Murray. Whitney and I met Re at her shop Wednesday morning and got our coveted badges, which granted us access to the event. I didn't have any idea what to expect, but its safe to say that I was left in awe at the talent, beauty, and creativity out there!!

I knew that High Point was known as "The Furniture Capital of the World," but I never really understand the depth of that statement. From all across the United States, vendors convene with their finest selection in hand. They set up shop for the week, showcasing their products and doing justice to their name. Store owners from across the country carefully peruse the beautiful displays and place orders with much anticipation for a speedy delivery. Imagine walking into a ginormous 4 story mall, weaving in and out of stores like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware... it's pretty remarkable!! Apparently, these particular stores are invited to a pre-show event where they place their orders. They purchase the items, put their brand on it, and mark it up roughly 3.5 times the purchase price. It was incredibly interesting to learn more about the industry.

My learning didn't stop there. Just by window shopping (and a little real shopping too!), I learned so much about design in just a single day. Not only did Whitney teach me a lot (she is my go-to design expert), but I also absorbed things simply by picking up on trends and patterns. Perhaps the best lesson gleaned from this experience is that when it comes to decorating, I need to bid farewell to my type-A tendencies. Design is about being playful, trial and error, and doing what you like. Naturally I used to think I needed to pick a style, create a blueprint for everything, and then carefully execute it like a well planned mission. Now I realize that I can slowly build my collection of pieces and items I love to create my very own customized version of the place that I call home.

An Evening Stroll on Campus

For two people who live in Winston, Jarrett and I sure do spend a lot of time in High Point. I work at High Point Regional Hospital and Jarrett is a graduate student at High Point University. I love to meet up with Jarrett when he is on campus and enjoy going on both walks and runs around campus. I've even written a few blog entries from the Slane Center.

Monday evening we met on campus for a casual stroll. The cool fall air was refreshing and the sights of students playing sports and relaxing on the quad brought back so many memories. I thought I would share some pictures of the beautiful campus, starting with a snapshot of my favorite history student!

Go Panthers :)

Mail Order Annie

One of my fondest memories of being a child is the bedtime rituals that my sister and I shared. Like most other kids, we would put on our pajamas, brush our teeth, climb in bed, and listen attentively as our parents would read a bedtime story. Before we prayed, we also got to choose two songs for our parents to sing. I always loved to listen to them sing (we are a very musical family), and naturally chose the longest songs I could think of.

Although it's hard to believe, we actually grew up listening to my parent's old records. There was a certain tune I would hear my dad sing called "Mail Order Annie." The song was catchy and I loved the way my dad's rich voice sounded with the melody. I soon started to request this song at bedtime, mostly because it was so long that it prolonged the reality of having to actually go to sleep. Looking back, it was perhaps the most random song to sing before bed, now that I'm old enough to understand the lyrics. It didn't matter then, that was the song I always chose. So night after night I would hear the story unfold about a mail ordered bride and the couple's eventual journey into falling in love. "You know you're not as pretty as I dreamed you'd be, but then I'm not some handsome fancy man... so I'm sittin' here not sure of what to say to you, except for mail order Annie, let's you and me go home..." Fortunately poor Annie eventually turned out to be the best thing in the story teller's life. Oh good memories! Thanks daddy for singing that song on repeat despite its randomness.

Speaking of randomness, you may be wondering what brought this memory to mind. This story stems from a conversation I had with a few physicians in my culturally diverse group. One of the physicians was recently married to his very own arranged bride. I am utterly fascinated by the cultural differences that I learn more about every day. It's so incredibly interesting to hear stories of tradition and to imagine what life would be like if raised in somewhere else. Although I must say that I'm certainly glad not to be a mail ordered Miriam :) !

2 weeks out

In exactly two weeks, I will have made my debut into the bikini competitor world!! So hard to believe!! The training has been surprisingly enjoyable, thanks to the support of my trainer and fellow competitors. There have been surprises along the way- I have come to love my 5:3o am workouts, giving up dessert wasn't as difficult as I once feared, and I can lift heavier weights than I would have ever imagined! I appreciate my body for what it can do and savor the high that comes from the lifestyle.

So how am I feeling 2 weeks out? Excited, sure. Nervous, yes. Eager, entirely! My trainer made some tweaks to my diet that will take effect on Monday. The most difficult change will be eliminating gum and stevia, both of which I use daily. I am very curious as to how my body will respond! Luckily the next two weeks will be packed with fun activities to include filming a posing video with Jillfit (in 5 inch heels!), getting dolled up (fake eyelashes, tanning, waxing, nails!), doing a photo shoot, and remembering to enjoy each moment.

Have you stepped outside of your comfort zone lately? When was the last time you scared yourself? Take it from me, it's exhilarating!

Makeup is pretty

I am in love with this new eyeshadow palette from Sephora! I am such an Ivory Bisque/Bronze Satin kind of girl and wanted to branch out while staying in my comfort zone. I have to admit that doing my own eye makeup isn't my forte. I usually put my Clinique shades on with the same shadowing every single day. I've always admired girls who can play with shadows and colors and am now inspired to become one of them!

Did you know that there are hundreds of YouTube makeup tutorials (a handful demonstrating ways to use this exact product)? I didn't either! I'm secretly excited to watch them :). Sometimes a girl just needs to be a girl, and this new toy is there to prove it!

Fun. Festive. Fall.

Fall.

Sunny skies.

Falling leaves.

Great company.

College campus. love...

Tailgates and football, go Tribe!

Strolling down Duke of Gloucester for the Saturday morning market.

Pumpkins and guords. The funkier, the better.

Hello charming colonial home. Williamsburg, I love you.

Sometimes, you just need your mom. She makes everything better.

It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Busch Gardens.... Howl-o-Scream!!

Speaking of scream...

Best weekend.

Best company.

Best weather.

Best life.

Getting excited!!

A couple of months ago, I was forced to shift gears with my normal fitness routine. As you know, I have been really into long distance running for almost ten years. I can't tell you how many times I brushed off the comments and warnings that this sport would eventually wreak havoc on my body. Unfortunately, I didn't get the point until I experienced the pain for myself. I quit long distance running cold turkey several months back and am happy to say that my injury has entirely resolved!!

In order to rest my puppies while still enjoying the endorphins that a workout brings, I decided to take up lifting. I certainly knew the basics, but decided to hire a personal trainer to really push myself into gaining some noticeable strength. I hired my friend, Emily, who was my former boss when I taught aerobics at Peak Fitness. Emily trains for Jill C0leman, founder of Jillfit Physiques. Jill is married to Jade Teta, who co-founded Metabolic Effect. I really couldn't think of a better group to get involved with!

Since becoming a Jillfit girl, I have met so many amazing people and have made some great friends in the process. Two of the girls I train with decided to compete in a fitness competition in November and I even decided to jump on the bandwagon! We have had so much fun training together, and its hard to believe that we'll be taking the stage in the bikini division in 3 1/2 weeks!! Who would have guessed that a running injury would turn out to be a good thing?!

Couples Weekend

My lovely sister Andrea has visited me 6 times since I moved into my house one year ago! It's always so fun to spend weekends together, especially in my neck of the woods. Andrea loves Winston-Salem and would move here in a heartbeat if her husband's job would allow. Alas, we will make do with out sister weekends as often as possible.

Last weekend, Andrea and Mike came down for a fun couples weekend. Not only was it a beautiful fall weekend, but also the kickoff of the Dixie Classic Fair. It was jeans and sweater weather and even still a bit brisk. Nothing a little hot apple cider couldn't fix.

We strolled the fairgrounds with its non-stop stimulation of loud noises, bright lights, and whirring objects. And the smells, oh the smells of fried anything and everything were not to be missed. Andrea got the Krispy Kreme burger for dinner and was the only one to partake in the fair games. She hasn't changed on me one bit :). The rest of us stayed in our safety zone of Greek pitas and fried oreos!

Saturday morning the guys played golf at Tanglewood and the girls went shopping. I must say that if you have to cruise around in a van, a 2012 white Honda Odyssey Touring Elite isn't a bad way to go ;). The afternoon and evening were football predominant with an unfortunate loss for my Hokie-loving brother-in-law (but totally ok by me!). We smoked up some bison burgers for dinner and got fro-yo for dessert. It was so great to just hang out and enjoy our time together!

Fortunately, we get to see Mike and Andrea again this weekend for an impromptu trip to Williamsburg. Jarrett and I really want to go to Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens and get the colonial take on fall. Family is the greatest and I can't wait to see mine again!

Resting Peacefully

In the same hour that I wrote my last blog, Kerry peacefully passed away. She will be deeply missed. She has touched so many with her courageous story and was a walking testimony of courage and faith. Rest in peace sweet girl... breathe easy.