CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

I'm a very social person, but I think I'm more inclined to be introverted by nature than I am extroverted. I can turn it on when I want to or need to, but I'm very content with solitude and I have a high need for alone time on a frequent basis. So, that said, I have never been the kind of girl who preferred being with a group of girls. I do like the camaraderie, however, I like to feel like I can escape to solitude when I want and need to. Every time I compete I make a new playlist for my ipod the night before the competition and fill it with songs that inspire me or somehow get me motivated for that particular show that way I can put my headphones in, sneak off to a quiet place and get some alone time.

The Snoqualmie Casino was a perfect venue for someone like me. I used to trek up Mt Si four days a week before I was married. I much prefer to workout outside than in the gym and I always find peace and clarity at the summit of a hike. There was a perfect place for me to step outside the buzz and excitement going on in the casino and be alone with an amazing view of Mt Si and the surrounding mountains. It was the perfect place for me to get inside my own head for awhile. (The excitement is so much fun, but sometimes a bit overwhelming and overstimulating to me)

Over the last several months I've worked really hard to train my lats and add some width. Elaine and I always refer to my new and wider lats as my "wings" and it's kind of fitting that "I grew wings so I could fly" with the changes that have occurred in my life in the last year. So, as I was sitting outside, overlooking the Cascades and getting into my head, I saw a bald eagle. Way cool! I'm watching the eagle circling and I KNOW that whatever prey he's watching down below was put there just for ME so I could have my moment to watch this eagle. And how appropriate that I just happen to have Ziggy Marley's "Wings of an Eagle" on my ipod! The eagle was the perfect vision for me as I was able to get my head on straight before stepping on stage.

Having that time outside was so necessary for me. I needed to go over in my head WHY I was there and what I had accomplished in the last year. I realize that my view of "winning" is not the same as most people's and that's okay. For me, with what I've been through this last year, it's a minor miracle that I was still able to step on stage 3 times, in 3 different competitions. It was important for me to have some time to remind myself that winning ISN'T everything and that sometimes, it's okay to step on stage for entirely different reasons and still feel like you've won.

I can't think of a better symbol that could have been sent my way on that day...

"Eagle teaches us that it is okay to combine wisdom and courage - it is okay to be wise enough to know that a change needs to be made in one's life and then finding the courage to execute the change. It is okay to gather our courage, for the universe presents us with opportunities to soar above the mundane levels of life; the test is the power to recognize opportunities. Do not, in other words, be afraid of opportunities."

~Julie~

Fearless, with cape in hand

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