On with the Show

Hubby left this morning to participate in his second body-building show of the season. He's going to Idaho and I'm very excited for him. He's been in such great shape this season and his new regime has really done wonders for his overall appearance. Interestingly enough, he's getting more criticism about whether he truly is natural or not. I think it's quite the compliment! He's actually showing that you can have nice muscle mass without the need for steroids. Rather than criticising, they should take the hint.

The weekend will be somewhat lonely without him but I'll have plenty to keep me busy. The girls and I will spend tomorrow cleaning house (sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and giving the bathrooms a good scrubbing). I'll also go back over areas of my carpet that I recently shampooed, since the dog decided to vomit in various places. Ugh! He would do it two days after I'd shampooed all the carpets and rugs in the house. Nice.

Saturday, the eldest has to take dance pictures. One of the sittings involves "casual wear" this year. Casual for my tween is a little too casual for the everyday observer, so I'm going to take her shopping for casual that doesn't make her look like a ragamuffin. Even some of the Bermuda shorts that are out now should work nicely. The thing to stress with her is lotion; some pictures have her looking oh, so lovely but ashy, ashy, ashy!

Sunday we'll go to church and then await hubby's return. He wants to go somewhere nice for dinner that night and mentioned one of the local Brazilian restaurants in town. I love them, but they don't differentiate pricing with age too much. The youngest would be free, but we'd still be looking at around $70 for dinner. That's a little too rich for my penny-pinching blood.

I'm really starting to look forward to our vacation this summer. We're going to the location pictured on the right. The eldest keeps asking things like, "How long is the drive to our vacation," and "What will we do when we get there?" Can't kids just be happy with surprises?

The youngest doesn't care, just so long as we get to stay in a hotel. That's the best thing about traveling for her; the hotel stay. When I was little, I loved staying in hotels, too. Our kids have had the opportunity to, not only stay in hotels, but resort locations. They are truly spoiled and don't know how good they've got it. My hubby tries to tell them but I'm not sure they comprehend the totality of what they have just yet.

The sad thing is that with the way the gas prices are rising, the driving will be the most expensive aspect of our trip. Will we really have gas at nearly $4.00 per gallon by summer? It makes my heart drop just to think about it. I'm trying to remain positive and look forward to the happy times (and memories) we'll create when we go. I'm also hopeful that I won't look scary in my two piece when the time finally arrives.

New Job and Long Training Hours

I'm still here, but my new position has some crazy long training hours (well, crazy long for me). I am on information overload and I keep wondering if everything will come together. I hope so, I don't want to steer anyone in the wrong direction. That has been the hard part for me; I just don't know very much and the comfort of knowing exactly what to do has evaporated.

Hubby had his last competition of the spring, this weekend. He won! He is now an NGA pro-card holder which, in lay-men's terms; he is now a professional bodybuilder. Sweet! I was so proud of him and it was a very good show. We mixed his music, using the music from my daughter's competitions this year. She was so overwhelmed she cried back stage for him. Too precious. He's on cloud nine, as you can imagine and I'm floating right alongside him.

I'm going back on my diet tomorrow. It's weird to think that I'll be doing this again. I'm raring to go, but a bit nervous. People try a second time usually have troubles. I'm just hoping that I can prove that I'm above type and really accomplish great releases. I'm certainly not off to a good start, however. The whole family has been celebrating hubby's success this weekend with food...bad foods.

Next week is the last week of school and, along with being official in my new job, both girls will be home. Yikes! I've got to start planning what to do with them. She can't just sit around eating all summer. I think I'll pretty much force her to enjoy her summer outdoors being creative. Too bad there aren't the kind of camps here that I had as a child. Aside from one week of drama camp and one week of dance camp, that's all she'll get.

Finally, I've been reconsidering the whole "try the figure competition" idea. I dunno if I have "the stuff" hubby's got but it would definitely make me stand out, here. There are no black figure competitors in this state (well, that I've seen). Where are they? I've seen several fit black women around. Perhaps they're just not aware such a thing exists. If I decide that I'll try, there's a lot of investment involved (physically and financially). I think I'll keep considering and see if things fall into place.

My Hubby is Wearing Himself Out

He has signed up for another show. That will make six total, once he's all done. I think he's lost his mind, but he sees this as some sort of personal challenge/goal. Okay, so when he falls out, who's going to pick him up? He's too damn solid...and heavy.

Have to say that all the testosterone in the house has made me randier than usual. No complaints from hubby, of course. Also, with my new eating habits I've learned that I substitute food and alcohol for the "good stuff". Better to have the "good stuff" than to put those 30 pounds back on.

We're thinking of our vacation plans and reconsidering our trip to California. We were going to drive part way, stay in Vegas a day or so, then continue driving to Southern Cal. Now, we're thinking we should go ahead and put those passports to use. I'm totally game! Point me to the big boat with the swimming pool. If everything goes well with the second part of my eating plan, I may dive in and get a two piece. Wow! Never thought I'd say that.

I made a faux baked potato dish for lunch and it was divine! Who knew cauliflower could be so good. I suppose when anything's drowned in cheese, it's bound to be good. I've made new and unique dishes four times over the past two weeks. It's been quite the adventure.

I'm Married to Mister Utah 2010

I hate that I missed it! Hubby took his weight class and overall! I'm so proud of him! Thankfully, my sister and mother were there to cheer him on. Well, a slew of his friends were there to cheer. His sister came too, in fact, and brought along our niece and nephew. It's wonderful that he did so well, but haters prevail. He said he could hear people in the back talking about him, insisting that he must be on something. He was a light-weight contender and looked much heavier than he was because of his muscle mass. So what! Genetics rock! Besides, they make all the competitors take all sorts of tests before they can compete in a natural show to prove this very thing.

My daughters and I were down south in 80 degree weather just basking in all that gorgeous sunshine and red rock. I was so happy to be in shorts again. Unfortunately, the Babe became ill and I had to get creative with medications, so that she could compete in her show. She did so well, but the group after them (high schoolers, at least) were their competition. What the heck? Not again. You can't pit that kind of skill against 9 year-olds. No fair! We'll find out Wednesday how they ranked. This really makes me not want her to compete next year.

The snow has melted away and the rain is coming. When I drove home, yesterday, the sun disappeared and was replaced by overcasting clouds. The more north I drove, the cloudier it became. How sad. I was happy to see my hubby again. I missed him so much...even more so because I was without him during my anniversary. I really, really hated that. The plan is to get away together, once he's done with all this competing. It can't happen fast enough.

I'm very happy about reverting back to my old schedule, next week. Last month, I spent so much on gas and extra babysitting that I thought I would just break down and cry. Hubby insisted that I calm down about it because this is just what we had to do. Rational, my man. I calmed but I still wished for that money to magically reappear in my purse...especially with hospital bills arriving soon. Tax rebate? Do you hear me? Time to make an appearance.

My Hubby is Home!

He got in around 9:00pm last night and seemed really happy to be home. I'd made sure to have some of his favorites available; lasagna, cheesy bread and an experimental cake I made. He said he'd wished he'd had the cake for pre-performance (the sugar helps with vascularity). He said the cheesecake he bought had nothing on my cake. I'll have to remember that.

He ate while I finished up watching True Blood (I'm re-watching the first season in anticipation of season 2 coming to DVD). After dinner, we talked about his adventures in Washington and he asked me what I did here, although not nearly as exciting, he seemed intrigued nonetheless. Of course, the ravaging began shortly after that (always good in my book).

I hadn't cooked so much in a long time. From making breakfast for the girls, to making a big dinner and a desert to go along with it. Everyone (including the girls) seemed very happy with the meal. Of course, due to my plan, I've been cooking a lot for myself but this was entirely different. I sort of missed it. Oh, and the smells! Candles and oils have got nothing on home cooking. My house still held the aromas this morning. Incredibly nice to wake up to.

Indy has her surgery this week and I received a card in the mail last week for pre-surgery classes. I called to register and in the midst of the recorded message was told that anyone under 14 couldn't attend because of H1N1 risks. Seriously? Are people still worried about it? My pre-teen is the one who needs this most and she's not going to be able to attend? I left a message, asking if she could wear a surgical mask or something. No response. I'll be stalking them again today. Somebody is going to tell me something, dammit.

My hubby has put my sister on a plan and she is struggling. I explained that most people are sugar/carb addicts and don't even realize it. There's refined sugar in practically everything these days. I'm surprised she didn't know this, but she really seemed shocked. Like any other addiction, she is going through withdrawals. I told her that she should be feeling a lot better in a few days. I hope she sticks with this.

The Pacific Northwest and Major Bodybuilding Beefcake Pt.2

As the judging progressed, I paid close attention to the look of the competitors. Not their physiques so much as their faces. I can only assume that the "supplements" they use make them look like they look. Some of the women appeared so gaunt and angular, I had to do double-takes for some, just to be sure they were women. Here is the difference between the natural shows; women are sure to look like women in the natural world.

Hubby's class was huge, but he did well. We left after the judging and journeyed to the outskirts of Bellevue to take in the sights. First, we headed over to the Factoria outlet stores which weren't all that exciting. Then, across the street to a local cantina for lunch. It was wonderful! Their strawberry margarita was as big as my plate and my afternoon was quite mellow after that. A discount store was next and their weren't a lot of discounts to be had, although hubby found a nice bottle of cologne for not too expensive.

The snow and rain began to fall (again) so, it was back to town for us. We rested a bit before the show then set out to the events center again. The displays were in full swing and hundreds of people were walking around the booths. Hubby decided he needed to buy more stuff and hung out with me in the audience until show time.

I was pleased with how organized everything was. The host kept the pace and contestants were held to their 60 second routines. I wasn't happy with all the breaks, though. We heard the same announcements about twenty times (this or that show being held in this or that state). I was getting a bit bored about mid-way through. People need to remember to bring their personalities to those performances. Some of them were so dull. I can count on one hand how many actually got some excitement out of people. Maybe it's just that the show is made up of so many out-of-towners that the crowds just don't know who the athletes are.

By the end, I was happy to see hubby and then get out of there. We tried to find a restaurant that was open, but Bellevue is apparently a sleepy town and only the Jack in the Box and the Denny's had bright lights. We ended up at the pre-planned, after party restaurant which turned out to be very good. Hubby and I shared a 25oz. Sangria that made us all warm and toasty. We didn't get back to the hotel till close to 1:00pm (another late night for me).

Up at 5:00am, we finished packing up and headed back to Seattle to return the car (a brand-new Dodge, Caliber) and catch our flights. I was looking forward to getting back and seeing my girls, but also sad that I didn't have more time to spend with hubby alone. We pretty much decided during this trip that separate flights would be something to avoid in the future. It's certainly nice to meet new people on flights (and I did on the flight there - Jo) but it's nice to have the time for bonding with loved ones, too.

The next show? End of May. This one is natural and I'm looking forward to it.

The Pacific Northwest and Major Bodybuilding Beefcake Pt. 1

My trip was lovely...for the most part. Hubby and I awoke at 3:30am Friday morning, got ready and finished packing the car with our luggage. We traveled 30 minutes to the airport and got through security almost flawlessly. If "yours truly" had remembered her Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter was in her carry on, it would have been flawless. So, $16.00 into the trash. I was hot! That stuff ain't cheap and I was so getting used to the way it made my hair feel. I'm not ready to order another jar again. I need to save some allowance, first.

Once we made it through security, we headed to the United terminal to wait for hubby's flight to leave. The attendant came on the loud-speaker to announce that the flight was overbooked (now, we know airlines do this but it always kills me how surprised they sound when they announce it) and would anyone take the next flight in exchange for one, round-trip ticket to anywhere in the continental U.S. Hubby was all about it. It would shorten his layover in San Francisco, and he would get to Seattle at the same time. No one counted on weather issues in San Fran. Ugh!

My flight with Southwest was gone and in the air by 10:00...hubby was still in the airport in Salt Lake. I arrived in Seattle at 11:40 am. Hubby didn't get to San Fran until close to 1:00pm. Ultimately, I was hanging out at the airport for hours waiting for him. When he finally deplaned, he looked like he'd been through the ringer, poor guy. We got our car and left for Bellevue with only an hour to get to the event center for his registration. Talk about hectic! I'm trying to navigate with the rental car map while hubby is steering a car he's not used to through mad, Seattle traffic in the rain. Despite the craziness, we made it to the hotel and then to the event center with minutes to spare.

We spent Friday night taking in the sights of the city. Washington is gorgeous! The green was so spectacular (you forget about green when you live in a desert). Lake Washington?Absolutely beautiful and the skylines? Exquisite. My only gripe was that I could certainly feel the humidity. The wind had a bite to it that I hadn't felt since leaving Nashville. Frigid! Other than that, wine to be purchased at grocery stores (what a novel idea? Get a clue, Utah) and the people were very friendly. We ate dinner at an amazing Thai place (Thai Grille)...a hole in the wall where I could swear I saw some one's grandmother in the kitchen cooking. I had the Samara Noodles (Vermicelli noodles with spinach, tofu and peanut sauce). I ate half and then felt like I needed to be rolled outta there.

Being without the kids was hard, at first, but hubby kept reminding me that it was just us. We could do whatever we wanted and not have to worry about car seats, juice, runny noses, crying and people being tired at 8:00pm. We had a glass of wine at 10:30 and didn't go to sleep till after one (we weren't out anywhere, we just weren't sleeping...draw your own conclusions).

After our night of passion, we arose to go to the prejudging session. The venue was quite large with several vendors stationed in the back selling all kinds of stuff. Supplements, replacement meals, sports wear, posing attire you name it. We spent quite a bit of money and I got an up close and personal look at the items these athletes have to purchase and wear. The judging began and the over 70 category was quite the surprise! How about being a 79 year old bodybuilder? If that's what I've got to look forward to, I will be one happy wife in my old age.

Running with the Big Boys

What a weekend! It's hard to believe that it's really Tuesday, since we packed so much into two days. Friday evening, hubby began putting away the carbs; chocolate moose cake and juice. Not much, but enough to make him a bit more coherent than he had been during the week. Saturday morning, he stuffed four or five slices of lemon cake down his gullet on the way to the high school. We dropped the kids off at my mother's and made it to the school with around ten minutes to spare. The backstage was already littered with lawn chairs and towels, men and women eating and talking, figure competitors gluing themselves into their bathing suits. It's a somewhat familiar scene for me, but I was really surprised at the number for figure competitors for the show. Three categories (short, medium and tall) with at least ten per category.

After hubby found out his categories (three total), and his athlete number, we chatted and waited for his turn. I was his oil lackey, so I greased him up good for the judges. Unlike the natural shows, we weren't sure how they moved the athletes for placing. It was hard to tell if he was even placing at all. He wasn't doing the best of poses at first, and then I saw something click within him and the "star" came out. He was doing much better.

Between categories, he would "pump up" and try to bring out his size and vascularity. He definitely had the goods because many a guy would say to him, "Man, you're ripped!" or "Looking good!" They were also surprised that he wasn't a heavy weight. At the weigh-in, he only weighed 167...his size just makes him appear so much bigger. There were guys who weighed much more and weren't as big as he was.

After the morning votes, we went back to get our girls then left for the hotel (we didn't want to make the long drive home, only to turn around again for the evening show, so we set up a room at a hotel in town). The room was nice, with a mini-fridge and a closet with magnetic doors (which made my girls very happy). We rested and hubby went down to the hotel exercise room to pump up some more. When he returned, we showered and dressed for the evening show, then left for the school.

My hubby looked amazing in the evening and all the eating and working out truly made a difference. It was too bad the votes were already in, because he looked so different by night fall. (I hoped they had some wavering results that tipped his way.) I got my kiddlings squared away in the audience seating, then went backstage to help with the oiling process again. There was an energy at night that wasn't present during the daytime (as was expected...the pressure was off and now the athletes could have fun). My hubby's pose-down routine was wonderful (set to a Kirk Franklin song) and I was so proud of his performance. I was also excited to see how many of his friends came to support him. He came out to prove that he could compete with the "big boys" (most of whom are on questionable supplements) and he did just that. He placed second in all of his categories!!

At the close of the evening, I was happy and exhausted (I can only imagine how hubby felt). He was too ready to eat and we ended up driving all over town, until we settled on our favorite Mexican restaurant. We ordered out and took our two, too sleepy kids back to the hotel. They awakened (at 11:30pm) and watched t.v. while we ate (they had already eaten) and we all passed out around midnight.

Sunday morning, we awakened to a snow storm. I don't think anyone was really prepared for cold temps and snow, but we were well rested and happy. Hubby took us all to breakfast, then home for a nap (it was bliss!). We spent the day resting, laughing and talking about the previous day's events. Hubby's mind was no longer roaming and wandering, which made his previously frustrated wife very happy.