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Karly |
| This is the End |
| 04.18.2011 10:14:29 | |
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The end has come to my journey to the Emerald Cup. An amazing journey that was filled with lots of obstacles and challenges all the way up to the day that I left for the show. I made it though and I had the best time ever. I placed 3rd in my class. I am happy yet sad at the same time. All the preparations leading up to that point on the stage filled me with so many emotions and when I heard my name called for 3rd, that was it, it was all over and done. My time to shine and show off all my hard work was over and done, but it was worth every single moment! I am proud of my accomplishments. I came in the best I have come in so far and I keep reminding myself that this is only my 3rd NPC show and that I have come a long way in just one year that I have been competitng. The days after a show are always the hardest for me. Getting back to life and reality and looking for new goals and challenges to set and face. I can look back on this weekend and tell you that I learned a lot about myself, and the NPC Division and competing and what I need to keep working on to be the best I can be. I loved that I got to bond and meet my blog sisters aka Charlie's Angels. Ginny Gardea, Cara Lee and I had so much fun back stage and it was amazing to see all the other competitors, expeditors, and Onstage Image folks all hard at work. Elaine and Brad racing around and putting on the most amazing show that I have been apart of yet. What a fabulous opportunity this was. As for what lies ahead of me... Nationals. I know what I need to build and work on and my husband, Team Pitcher and I are already at the drawing board making our plans for this summer. I have so much to be thankful for and I have so much to look forward too! I want to personally congratulate Juliana Uluave Gould for her 1st place win and Overall Figure Champion Win. It was an honor to stand on stage with you. I wish you all the best. Thank you to Brad and Elaine Craig and all the Emerald Cup staff for all of your help back-stage. Without you all none of this would ever be possible. Thank you to OnStage Image for your tireless work and perfection to make every competitor look their best on stage. Thank you to all the Sponors of the Emerald Cup and thank you to all the competitors for coming out and making this show so amazing. Thank you to my husband Manuel and my boys, Felix and Fabian for your continuous love and support. Thank you to my parents for watching the boys while I was competing. Thank you to all my family, friends, and co-workers for all of your love and support and toleranace for all my weirdness through preparations :) Thank you Bethany and Kyle for coming to the show and yelling for me:) Red Robin aftewards was so much fun! I also want to thank Jacques and Kris Pitcher for all of your love and support through this journey. Thank you for coming all the way out from Spokane to support me. I am again so thankful for being apart of Team Pitcher and I look forward to our new journey to Nationals this summer. I am ready to get to work! Thank you to all those who read my blog as I made my way to the Emerald Cup Stage. I encourage everyone to do this show. It is truly amazing. And last but not least, I want to thank our heavenly father, for giving me the stength and faith in myself to make this journey. He has given me the path that has shown me I can do amazing things. Below is the link to the muscular Development site for pictures. I will warn you that some of my pictures I am making funny faces. One in particular.... I had my crown on and it began to slip off so I grabbed it and made a funny face at Paula when it happened and of course, a picture was taken. I guess it just wouldn't be the same without it! I told you I am not exactly graceful :) http://pics.musculardevelopment.com/index.php?mode=browse&id=24728&eventcode=1442 I hope that you will conitnue to follow my journey to nationals on my personal blog page- "Lives of the Fit & the Perfectly Imperfect." I cover lots of different things and write this blog with my best friend who is on her journey to running her first marathon. I hope that you will join us. http://andreakarly.wordpress.com/ Well, this is it. I am signing off. The Emerald Cup has come to a close and so has my journey. Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| I'm Here!! |
| 04.15.2011 20:44:07 | |
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Well, we made it. Barely, I might add. With 2 sick children and not feeling so hot myself by the middle of the week, I was worried that I wasn't actually going to be able to make this show. Luckily, with lots of TLC and prayers, we are all feeling better and I am sitting in my hotel room bathroom at the Hilton typing away with my head full of thoughts, so I won't disturb my husband, who is slumbering away. It is 5 am right now. I pretty much slept most of yesterday because it was a travel day from Pullman, to Ephrata and then to Seattle. I was super tired! So, let me tell you how yesterday went. Thursday, was early check-in day for those of us who step on stage Friday. I also had my two spray tans scheduled so that I could have my "Something About Mary" transformation done. You know, that little old lady with the dog that is so dark from tanning she is almost orange? It was funny because as soon as you entered the door of the Holiday Inn, you could smell that tanning spray- You didn't need signs to show you the way, that's for sure! As always, it was freezing and always wierd because you are just standing there naked waiting to dry hoping for just a moment that you will feel warm again. It was great to see Roxanna and John of Onstage Image again and I got to meet Kim Haynes for the first time even though we talk on Facebook often. Onstage image does such a great job! Thank you again! After my first spray, I went to register and there while standing in line, I happen to meet my Craigproductions friend, Ginny Gardea. Ginny is just as lovely as I knew she would be. She introduced me to some other competitors who were of course absolutely great. That is one thing I love about competing, everyone is so friendly and happy to be there. Makes the whole experience so much better. There is no kattiness (no sure if I spelled that right). I love that. Everyone is so excited for everyone else who has made the journey. We all know what it takes, so I think that respect is there automatically for everyone. I got to catch up with Jessica Rundle, one of the first gals I met in my very first competiton a year ago at the Empire Classic. It was great to see her again, and always nice to see a familiar face as well. I didn't see Brad last night during check-in, but I did see Elaine, at let me tell you, she was absolutely glowing. Just watching her interact with all the competitiors, you can just tell she just loves what she does. I have to say, I have been looking forward to competing in the Emerald Cup ever since I stepped off the stage last fall from the Iron Man. Brad and Elaine and their staff do an AMAZING job at putting on such a great and organized show. I am so thankful to have been given such an amazing opportunity to blog my journey to the E-cup. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Brad and Elaine! I will always remember this. I haven't gotten to see Jacques and Kris Pitcher of Team Pitcher yet since I arrived from Pullman. They had a long drive just as Manuel and I did and I can't wait to see them today. I am always so proud to put on my Team Pitcher shirt. What an amazing opportunity to be apart of their team. If you haven't had a chance to check out my other blog that I write, please check out this post as it will tell you about Jacques and Kris in more depth and a second one to tell you why Team Pitcher is for me. I hope you enjoy! http://andreakarly.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/why-my-team-is-team-pitcher/; http://andreakarly.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/meet-the-pitchers/. I didn't get a chance to meet any other Craigproduction bloggers yesterday, but I am eager to get to today and, Cara Lee, I can't wait to meet you today! I am super excited for you being that this is your very first show ever. What a great show to chose. I hope that you love competing just as much as I do! Throughout the day, my phone buzzed with good luck text messages and well wishes from my facebook page from friends, family and fellow competitors. Thank you to you all! Your love and support is so amazing! Well, all that is left now is the beautifying part and the eating part. I am hungrier than a lion this morning! I will be curious to see if anyone recognizes me since I will be all done up! Much different from my comfy clothes, no make-up and baseball hat I was sporting yesterday!! I have to admit, this is my favorite part! Bling, make-up, big hair, sassy heels and all! Let's do this! It is Emerald Cup Time!!! Good luck to everyone competing this weekend! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| The Unexpected Knocked at my Door... |
| 04.13.2011 00:14:08 | |
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Well, I am at the home stretch. The last week before stepping on stage. 4 more days to go to be precise. Things have been going well as far as training and diet. I was mostly packed and ready for the trip until the unexpected came knocking at my door. The stomach bug has coome for an unwelcome visit in my house. First, it just started with my youngest son who came home early Friday because he was throwing up. Lasted through the weekend, but he was ready to go back to see his friends yesterday so off to daycare he went. Nope, it was to soon. I got the dreaded phone call in the afternoon at work from daycare that my son was sick again. Off I went to pick him up and take him home. Pj's, a bucket, fluids and comfort were in order for the little guy. The night wasn't great either, but we managed to get his tummy settled down enough for him to sleep. As I dozed off, I was then awoken to my oldest son calling me with that all to familiar whine with it. Yep, he threw up. So, I am at battle with the stomach bug who has taken my two loves as hostages. Did I mention that my husband has been working double shifts? Yeah, so I am at battle with this on my own. At least I won't have to worry about him getting sick! This morning has been busy. I am trying to get things taken care of at work by phone and computer. Between answering emails, texts and taking vendor phone calls, I am racing around filling water bottles with more water, racing one or the other to the bathroom, getting ginger ale for my oldest son, rubbing backs in attempts to comfort upset stomachs, scrubbing my hands with soap and water which are now dry and chapped beyond repair, and letting the dog in and out who seems to be extra needy this morning as well. I had to set my alarm on my phone to make sure I stopped to eat! So that is what I am doing at the moment. Multi-tasking with eating my food and typing like a mad woman at the same time. I also need to fit in some cardio (thank heavens we have a exercise bike in our house!) and I have to figure out when I am getting to the gym today which I am thinking is going to be around midnight when my husband gets home. Thank heavens my gym is open 24 hours a day!!! I am feeling overwhelmed, a little stressed and a bit terrified that everyone will not be well in time for Thursday morning when we head out. I am frantically trying to make arrangements and come up with plans A, B & C in case the boys are still sick. No matter what, I have got to stay healthy and make this show. I have put way to much work into this to miss it. I have been looking forward to this competition since I finished the Iron Man last fall. Luckily I have had a lot of support and encouraging words from my figure sisters and friends out there! Thank you! And, a HUGE THANK YOU... to Jacques Pitcher, my coach for your words of wisdom and reminders that I can do this. Lord knows I needed it after this morning!!!! See everyone soon!!! Can't beleive it this is it. Seems like this was months away and now, the Emerald Cup is at my door step! Until then, take care and stay well everybody!! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Thank You to My One & Only- Manuel |
| 04.06.2011 11:22:46 | |
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When I told my husband that I wanted to compete, he was excited and right by my side. Planning, planning and more planning. We are an excellent team. He gives me the plan and I execute it. Manuel is amazing. He is the man behind the scenes that does extraordinary things. He is my number one supporter. Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far. This is the man that keeps me going. He encourages me, challenges me, guides me, pushes me, makes sure I am eating as much as I need to and creating my weekly routines in the gym. He constantly checks on how I am feeling and making sure that I don't over train and he is always concerned about me getting sick. He has worked great with Jacques Pitcher and together they discuss how I am doing and what I need to bring up. The last time we met with Jacques, I could hardly get any words in :) It has been a great relationship for us and the Pitchers. It has allowed Manuel to do what he is naturally talented at and work with what he knows while having the guidance of a trained professional and competitor right at his finger tips. We are truly blessed to have Jacques and Kris Pitcher in our lives. So, Manuel, this post is for you. Thank you for EVERYTHING you do. From training me, guiding me, loving me, pushing me and for being the best friend I could ever ask for. You are an amazing father to our children and you always go above and beyond to make sure our family is happy. Thank you for also putting all those long hours in at work to help make competing for me come true. I love you. You truly are amazing. Karly Beth~ Tags: |
This week I have been reflecting on family traditions and how thankful I am to have such a loving support system. This evening, I wanted to give special thanks to my one and only, Manuel. Manuel is my husband. We have been together for a long-time (all the way back to high school). Manuel is the person responsible for getting me active in the weight room and introducing me to the wonderful world of bodybuilding. For as long as I have known him, he has always loved the gym, reading about health, fitness and bodybuilding every second he gets. He loves it and I am so thankful that I get to share something with him that is so special to the both of us.| The Count Down- My Family Tradition |
| 04.05.2011 13:56:03 | |
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The count down begins. 10 days to go! In my house, the count down means several things. For me, stepping on stage, for my kids, going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and for my husband and I, a weekend together. If you ask me, we all win. A tradition that has started in my house when I am 10 days out is the count down calendar. My kids sit down for an evening of coloring. They decorate numbers 1-10 and then we post them up on the fridge. As each day passes, they take turns pulling down a number. This also helps my kids keep track of how many days they have left until it's time to go play with Grandma and Grandpa :) Otherwise they would ask me 100 times a day :) I love this countdown calendar very much and mostly because my kids decorated it. I am so thankful that my family has been with me every step of the way.
Karly Beth~
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| It's Raining, It's Pouring! |
| 04.02.2011 22:58:20 | |
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Spring in the Palouse is a trciky one. Yesterday, it was gorgeous out, a perfect day to work out in the yard, play outside with the kids, or go for a walk. This morning, when I woke up, it is stormy, windy and rainy. I'm kind of bummed because I was looking forward to working out in our yard. Oh well, Lord knows I have a ton of laundry still to get done and even better yet, another workout :) It is now 2 weeks out until the Emerald-Cup and I am feeling super excited still. I have packed and re-packed my competition bag which has been packed for several weeks already (you can imagine what I was like when I was pregnant- my bag was ready at the begging of my 3rd trimester :) ) I like to be prepared and ready to go! Workouts will continue strong this week and then next week will be all the fine tuning, waxing, pedicure and manicure, exfoliating, and re-packing my bag again :) I will also be making sure that my food for the weekend and trip over to Seattle is ready to go (I prepare my own food in my room at the hotel). I know this might seem nuts to some especially since we have such a great menu option to choose from at the hotel thanks to Brad and Elaine, but with a stomach like mine, I have to make sure I don't change what I have been eating much or I will end up sick or worse! The arrangements for my kids are all done. The boys are staying with Grandparents for the weekend and they are so excited, asking me multiple times a day how far we are from my competition date because they know they will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa. I always feel so bad that they can't be apart of this especially since they have walked the journey with me all the way up until the last week, but that is how it goes and I can at least feel good that they get to spend quality time with family. I am really excited for everyone today that are competing today at the Vancouver Natural. I can't wait to see how everyone does and to see how everyone looks. It is alwasy motivating and exciting to see people hit the stage! I want to wish everyone the best of luck! Have fun and shine on stage, this is the moment where you get to show all your hard work and dedication. Well, I have just been asked by my 3 year old if I can read a Spider Man book to him now and since his big brother is still snoring away, I will take advantage of the one-on-one time with my little boy :) Have a great weekend everyone! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Top Most Bizzare and Common Questions of the Season |
| 03.30.2011 10:14:02 | |
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Anyone who competes knows what I am talking about when it comes to bizzare and common questions we get asked from others around us during the preparation of a competiton. This season, these have been the questions I have been asked the most. 1) Do you have to starve yourself? 2) Why do you carry around a gallon of water, can't you just drink tap water? 3) When you are done with this competition will you go back to eating normal like the rest of us? (whatever that means) 4) Do you use furniture stain to get dark for a show (I'm not kidding people, I have heard this a few times) 5) Do you spend hours and hours doing cardio every day? 6) Why are you doing this? Do you like to torture yourself? 7) What food do you miss the most? 8) What is the first thing you are going to eat after you are done? 9) Do you drink raw eggs? 10) Do you want to arm wrestle? What are some of the questions you get asked during a competition? Well, that's it for now. I will share more questions as stage time gets closer- Trust me, the questions get weirder! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| 3 Weeks Out! |
| 03.30.2011 10:03:03 | |
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3 weeks out and I am feeling right on track. Still have lots of energy and I am able to push hard through my workouts. When dieting for a show, most of us start to feel tired, drained and they loose strength but I am finding that this is actually very opposite for me this time around. Instead of loosing strength, I am gaining stregnth. I am still tired from time to time, but that is because I had to cut out my beloved coffee :( (Sound of taps playing in the background please) Yes, I had to do it, not because of diet purposes but because I have been struggling with heartburn. I finally had enough and went through and cut out all the acidic things in my diet. It is very sad and downright hard sometimes not to give in to the temptation of a simple cup of coffee but then I think of dealing with heartburn all day and through the night and then it is "NO THANK YOU!" With that being said, I have done some off the wall things and yes, I know I do these things during a competition season but I actually thought I was going to make it through this prep without doing something stupid. I was wrong. Today, I managed to mistaken my mascara for my lip gloss while hurrying to get cleaned up after my gym time. You can imagine my shock when I streaked black across my bottom lip! And to make things worse, it is waterproof so it was a B@!$% to get off my lip! My next move (sorry honey, since you are just now reading about this one, but I know how much it drives you nuts with me and my driving :) so here goes) I was sitting at the light which was red waiting to turn and watching the cars go by and noticing that the other turning lane was going- then, I found an opening and turned... Oh Crap!!!! The light was still red! Where in the hell was my head? After that I seriously conteplated getting a cup of coffee, but I didn't. Well, that is it for now. I am getting excited for the Emerald Cup and what seemed like months away is now just a few short weeks away! Karly Beth~
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| I'm Back!! |
| 03.21.2011 09:27:55 | |
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Yes, that's right, I'm BACK!!! I am feeling much better and to top of this weekend with whip cream and a cherry on top, I also managed to have two amazing workouts. So amazing, that I was actually impressed with how strong I felt. AMAZING!!! My set range 5-6 and my rep range 6-8 and with every exercise I did, I broke my personal best on maximum weight and not by just a litte, but by a land slide! I am already feeling pretty sore from yesterday's workout and tomorrow that will be combined with today's workout which was legs. If there were other people in the gym while I was there today, I would have been running around giving everyone high fives! I kid you not! I am feeling much more on schedule again as well. Thank you very much from the Big Guy in the Sky :) I just finished cooking my meals for the week, laundry is just about done and all that is left is bath time for the boys and the usual getting bags ready for tomorrow morning. I might even have time to paint my toes!!! Yippee!!! It feels good to be back and though I didn't care much for getting sick, the resting was probably the absolute best thing ever! Have a great week everyone! I know I will. I can't wait to see what my workouts and my body have in store for me this week!!!! STRONG!!!! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| An Interesting Week.. |
| 03.18.2011 22:19:06 | |
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This week has been an interesting week but nonetheless I still have managed to have a productive week with checking things off of my Emerald Cup List. Everything is taken care of and all appointments for hair, waxing and tanning have been scheduled. Everything in that regards is coming together nicely. My gym time has been challenging being sick but taking it slow and resting has been my motto for the week. My first day back in the gym was on Wednesday evening for a leg workout. I felt pretty week and my chest was so tight making it difficult to breath throughout the workout but I just simply ajdusted my tempo and kept with it. My quads and cheeks (and not the one's on my face) are pretty sore today so I hit my workout just right. Thursday, was chest and arms and I did the tempo dance again to make sure I didn't pass out or cough to death. I am happy to report success. Cardio is out of the plan for now at least and I don't have much time left until stage time so diet has been very important during this time. I haven't been able to taste anything which has been a bit weird but I made sure on the days I was home sick that i set my alarm so I would wake up long enough to eat some more protein and drink water and then off to bed again. This week I would say has been a huge test on my patience (which I admit I am not very patient at ALL!) so I have done very well considering I stuck to doctor's and trainer's orders. I will tell you that this week was the very first time I have ever blown my nose so hard that I actually blew my nose ring right out and onto the floor. I was at work of course and I didn't have an option of putting another one in, so down on the floor I went to search. My co-worker of course came out and looked at me worried and I of course told her what I did. She was very sweet, said, "Well for Heaven's sake" and down on her knees she went to help me. We found it :) I am also happy to report that yesterday and this morning I am able to breath out of one nostril. Yesterday, it was my right side but the goo has decided to pack up their things and move to the left side for today. I at least feel like I am doing better with each day which is much better than I can say for all the others around me who are also sick. I have heard that it takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks to fully get over the yucky crud that is going around this little town. If you ask me, I feel very fortunate (another sign of proof that eating well, exercising and resting are so beneficial to a person every day!) Have a great weekend everyone. I look forward to the weeks ahead of me as they can only get better. Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Sick Happens |
| 03.13.2011 06:45:01 | |
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Yep, you guessed it, I am sick. I thought I was going to actually make it through like a champ and not get sick for once in my life even though everyone else around me is sick with a nasty cold, but, it happened. I am sick. Everyone in my family is now sick and even my dog has been sneezing (I'm not lying! She just did it again!) I have a bad cough and even worse, I sound like a man when I talk and no, I am not turning into Vera De Milo! Last competition season, I had strep throat 3 times which made things really challenging and took me out of the gym for more than 2 weeks while recovering. This is not ideal when a person is trying to train and even more challenging with strep when you are trying to eat with a horrible sore throat and no appetite! So, what does this mean for me? I have to take care of myself and rest but I also can't slack off and not hit the weights. Lots and lots of fluids, viitamin C, more water, keep eating, rest some more and on and on. Along with taking care of myself, I have to take care of the rest of the Gomez Family too. I hate that we are all sick. To make sure that everyone was able to sleep in and rest this morning, I got up at 4:45 am to go to the gym so I could get my back and shoulder workout done and out of the way. Not really ideal for the weekend when I haven't had much sleep all week, but I figure I will get to take a nap sometime today or go to bed early tonight. This morning's workout took all I had. I felt so weak and I kept coughing! Luckily, I was the only one there so I didn't have to worry about offending anyone that was there. Don't worry, I wiped everything down! Now, it is just me and my two boys trying to get some rest. Hopefully by my next post, being sick will be a thing of the past! Until then, Stay healty and wash your hands! Trust me, you don't want this bug! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Time...Keeps on Ticking! |
| 03.08.2011 01:36:27 | |
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This morning after I survived the mad rush of getting my family ready for work, daycare and school, I found my parking spot on campus, gathered my things and leisurely walked to work. Usually, I dash out of the truck and race up to work as fast as I can just to make sure I can make every minute count and get 1 or 2 extra things done before everyone else gets to the office, but not today. Today, I decided to take my time, enjoy the fresh air and unwind while walking to work. As I was walking I was thinking about time. Time, how I wish I had more in a day. Time, how I wish I didn’t have to sacrifice some things in my life in order to accomplish others. Time is a tricky thing. I don’t ever want to waste it as you can never rewind or get it back. I want to make each minute count, but sometimes, I find it hard to do everything that I want to accomplish for the day. I have heard the expression, “ I will sleep when I die,” but the reality for me is if I don’t rest, I will get sick and then, I will miss out on a whole lot more. Besides, I love my sleep when I can get it. A nap lately is an extra treat if I can squeeze it in. I am a multi-tasker at best, and get crazy looks from those around me when they hear what I accomplish throughout my day, but, truthfully, I don’t think I would want it any other way. Having a day full of activities and goals makes a tough week go by quickly and before I know it, it is the weekend time which is my favorite because I have my little family altogether. That is time that I will never sacrifice. That is why I do everything I can possibly do during the week so that I can enjoy the time with my husband and kids. For some odd reason, I find my true strength when I have to battle against time. I find out what is most important to me and what I can put aside until later. Character is built when you have to battle against time. How you chose to deal with lack of time and how you rise above can tell a lot about you. I know my list of things that I will never put aside, do you know yours? Until next time, take one day at a time, make each day count, and remember, everything will eventually get done and accomplished. 6 week and counting folks! It’s getting closer to Emerald Cup Time!!! Tags: |
| When You Can't Get To The Gym, SHOVEL! |
| 03.04.2011 13:32:22 | |
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On Monday night, Pullman, WA, was slammed with almost 21 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. What this meant for the Gomez family. One: a snow day with school cancelled and me home with the boys (my youngest was also home sick again) and Two: It meant that I wasn't getting to the gym with the kids being home, power outages, and oh yeah, hazordous driving conditions! Since I couldn't get to the gym, my workout for the day was shoveling snow, lots and lots of snow, off our roofs as we have two flat roofs and a garage that needed to get cleared off so that the heavy snow didn't cause any problems!! The joys of owning your own home. Let me tell ya, after 3 hours of shoveling this knee high snow that was a combination of snow, ice and slush, my entire body was on fire! It was like doing deadlifts with twisting and throwing all at once. A TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! I have no idea how many calories I burned or how many pounds of snow I shoveled, but I can tell you I was hungrier than a lion when I was done! The picture above is me at the beginning of my "shoveling workout." I was still smiling which is good because if my husband would have taken the picture when I was finishing the second level of the roof, it would have been me giving the finger! I don't know about you all, but I am so looking forward to the Emerald Cup! That means with 6 weeks to go, Spring is right around the corner!!! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Dear Cancer....You SUCK! |
| 03.04.2011 13:10:36 | |
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So I have been missing in action but it was out of my control. My WiFi went down last week and today is my first day back on-line! Thank Heavens!! Training has been going well, making progress at a steady pace and with 6 weeks to go, I am right on schedule. Life however, has thrown a curve ball that I was not sure how to deal with until just now. Now, getting to why the title of my post is... "Dear Cancer, YOU SUCK!" I recently found out that one of the most dearest people to me in my entire life has been diagnosed with breast cancer. For her privacy, I am not going to tell you who she is, but I will tell you that we have a special bond, a bond that started all the way back to when I was born. We all have that special someone apart from our parents that we bond with in our families. This extraordinary woman has been my rock, my friend and advisor in life, my inspiration, an example of how to be a mom, she has helped teach me the importance of family and she along with my parents has taught me that I can do anything. She loves me no matter what and she is always so proud of me even with my smallest achievements. The very thought of her being sick makes my heart ache with pain that I can hardly begin to express. I hate that she has to battle this type of battle. I hate that she has to go through surgery and radiation. I hate to see anyone in my family have to experience anything bad. If cancer was a person, I would be kicking their BUTT right NOW! I am not a violent person, but this really does make me angry. Angry because I can't make it go away. Angry, because I can't fight this one for her. I know she can fight this one, she is one of the strongest people I know, I just wish she didn't have to. It just doesn't seem fair. I have done a lot of thinking recently because of this recent news and I have decided to use this as another reason to push myself even harder. All lof the emotions that go through me when I think of her going through this is feeding an energy inside me that I have never experienced before. I have always been a person who takes anything sad, bad, negative and I turn it into positive energy to drive me to do the best that I can do and this is no exception. If anyone knows me, they know that when I get frustrated or angry, I get stuff done! I am going to give all that I have and more than I have to make as much progress possible so that when I step on that stage the weekend of April 15th, that I will make her so proud. As she has always told me, "Go Get Em' Karly Beth." And I am going to just do that. This 2011 season, I am giving it all I've got in honor of this most amazing woman who has helped make me who I am today. My Family is Where I find My Strength.... Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Repeat After Me... My Life Does Not Revolve Around Food...NOT! |
| 02.22.2011 13:46:36 | |
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I am 8 weeks out now and I can definitely tell I am in full swing! Things are going excellent and my diet is going great. Every Sunday, rain or shine, tired or not, I begin preparing my weekly meals. I have found that by doing so, has really helped me in so many categories. I stay organized, I know exactly what I am eating and what my macro-nutrients are coming in as each day, I don’t fear sabotaging myself because I have food ready to go when I am ready to eat, and it takes the stress off my shoulders during the week with an already chaotic schedule. I can also tell that I am getting closer to a show because my coworkers begin to tell me that I sure eat a lot for being on a diet. All I can do is smile and agree. As Kris Pitcher recently told me, “You have to eat to be lean!” It is funny how much a competitor’s life can revolve around their food and in different forms (positive & negative). This weekend I was reminded just how much my life revolves around food. My oldest son asks me on Saturday, “Mom, what are we eating for the day?” Yep, that’s right, for the entire day! Good grief!! My response….. “Felix, really, our lives do not revolve around food,” and of course my husband heard these very words pour out of my mouth and he began to laugh and then responded with, “Yes, it does.” Ok, Ok, he is right. We plan our meals, we grocery shop with a mission, we stick to a schedule and we get very hungry and needy if there isn’t something ready to eat! What can I say; my entire family eats like I do and as much if not more than I do! I have to admit though, that I really do enjoy the meal prepping time especially because it is one on one time I get to have with my oldest son who is becoming quite the cooker and helper in the kitchen. This weekend he helped me measure the food, scoop the food into containers, snap on the lids, and stack the containers in categories on the counter depending on what food it was. Let me tell you parents, this is an excellent and fun way to teach your kids math!! Until competition time, happy dieting!! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Trying to Stay Focused |
| 02.18.2011 01:53:19 | |
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This week has been challenging. If you have read my previous posts, you have learned that my number 1 passion and priority is my family. When my family is not balanced and happy, I have to take a step back and do whatever I can to make things better. Lately, my kids have been getting sick left and right which has made sleep, work, and staying healthy for all of us in the house very challenging. I still have to stay focused, eat when I am supposed to and continue to drink plenty of water. I still have to get as much sleep as I can even when lying awake next to a child who has the stomach flu or is hacking their brains out with a horrible cough. And, even more challenging, is for me to stay healthy while taking care of them. I also have to still manage to get to the gym and get my workouts in and miraculously stay caught up at work even when I have to be out with a sick child. The stress builds up high on my shoulders when this happens and all I can do is pray and take care of my family in hopes that they will be better soon. I will never be that person who sacrifices everything around them in their life for a competition, and that is ok to me. I remind myself that I was a wife and a mother first and that competing and staying healthy are my passions that I strive for on a personal basis. I have gotten pretty good at the juggling act of keeping everything balanced and I have also gotten pretty good about, stepping back, taking a deep breath and being flexible with the schedule. Everything will eventually get done and achieved, I might just have to get there on a different path. Until my world is back in perfect harmony, I just have to stay postitive and believe, oh yeah, and stay healty too! Karly Beth~
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| Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall.. Wait a Minute! Is That My BUTT?! |
| 02.12.2011 13:03:42 | |
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This evening was posing practice in my basement. I have a mirror up which I use for the 1st month of posing and then I take it away and rely on my body to know how it is supposed to feel during each pose. Tonight, as I was doing a series of quarter turns, something caught my eye. Holy cow! Is that my butt? Is it possible that it got bigger? Good grief! I pull out the measuring tape… Yep, the damn thing has gotten bigger. Keep in mind, I said bigger, not fatter. Big difference! But Still!! If you ask me where my power house is to my body, it is my booty for sure. It has taken awhile for me to get used to the fact that I have a butt, no matter what I do for dieting or cardio. It is there and it isn’t going anywhere. Unfortunately, I was not “gifted” in the chest area and now after one week of carb cycling, my chest has gone from an A to an A-. My butt however, is still going on strong. There have been many times where I wish I didn’t have a butt and would trade it in a heartbeat for boobs but then I realize and have come to accept that this is how my body is. I have finally made peace with my butt. I’m not saying we are friends all the time, but, we get along, most of the time. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that the closer the Emerald Cup comes, that my butt will go down, or my new sparkly suit is not going to stay in place with glue, no matter what! Perhaps a staple gun? Let ‘s hope I won’t have to find out! Until next time, accept and love your body for what it is. You are special and unique just the way God made you! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| Do You Ever Want to Quit? |
| 02.11.2011 13:06:22 | |
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It is very easy to get caught up in the negativity of the sport and how tired and sore and hungry you feel all the time but instead of focusing on that negative energy, why not turn it into positive energy? For instance, I deal with a lot of pain when I am working on my legs, but instead of getting frustrated and giving up, I use my frustration to push harder. It’s never easy for the ego when I try to increase my max weight on squats only to have to roll the weight off over my head because the pain gets to me, but I just get pissed, re-adjust the weight, and try again. I may not get passed that max weight right now, but, if I keep at it, I just might surprise myself one day. When that day comes, all the sacrifices and frustration that I experience now will be completely worth it. Remaining flexible has also helped me because I have realized that things might not go exactly how I planned but really, it’s not the end of the world and as long as I know that I can always go to plan B or C to get to where I need to be, that’s okay. Organization has helped me stay sane during the preparation season as well. Planned meals in advance all packed and ready to go has made my food tracking very simple and I don’t have to think about what I am going to eat today because it is already done! I also keep a pretty tight schedule on the home front. We do the same things each week and wait to splurge on our time to relax and play for the weekends. My gym time is also very organized and since I only have about 45 minutes to train, I get in and get done! No time for messing around! Giving up is simply an option in my opinion, that people give themselves. For me, quitting is not on my list of options. Quitting is not in my personality and really, the only things I can find that are good to quit are things like smoking, drugs, eating food that is bad for you, & being mean to others (animals included) and being mean to yourself. As far as quitting because something is hard, again is not an option. Instead, I put my big girl panties on, and dig in! This chick will never give up! Can I just say one more thing that has nothing to do with quitting???? I am soooo glad tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great weekend everyone!! Karly Beth~ Tags: |
| It's Here!!!!! |
| 02.07.2011 03:28:30 | |
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I am so excited!! My new suit has officially arrived and it is B-E-A-Utiful!!! I have tried it on, practiced some posing, matched my jewlery to it, and then carefully wrapped it up and put it in a safe place until my next test run fitting in a month. I would have it haning out for motivation, but when you live in a house full of boys, and things seem to get broken or damaged on a daily basis, I am not about to take chances with tihs one! There is nothing like getting a new suit! And sparkles!!!! You can never go wrong there!! It is like that perfect little black dress. The second you put it on, you feel amazing and confident! Silivia from Saylela Designs did a beautiful job on my suit yet again! Thank you Silvia!! Karly Beth~
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| Friendships~ The Greatness That Happens Beyond the Stage |
| 02.01.2011 13:51:25 | |
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There are so many things that are racing through my head right now, but one thought that is sticking out in my mind the most is how lucky I am to be a part of such an amazing group of people. I am bonding with others who are very much like me in the sense that they want to challenge themselves and achieve great things. I am surrounded by people who are supportive, caring, funny, strong in their faith, and know what I am going through. There is nothing like being back stage during a competition. Yes, it is chaotic and yes, it is nerve wrecking, but the most comforting feeling of all, is knowing, that the person standing next to me is feeling almost the same thing that I am. Yes, we are nervous. Yes, we are thirsty. Yes, we are hungry and yes, we can't wait to take a shower :) As we all wait behind the scenes, we bond, talk about our journeys, where we got our suits, how many shows we have done, talk about our families and where we are from. Joke and laugh about the crazy things we went through during our journeys to the stage, re-assure each other that we will all do great. The hugs, congratulations and tears and the end of the day. How lucky we are to be in such a supportive environment. I have been blessed to meet so many amazing people through this journey thus far. People who all inspire me. People who make it possible for us to come together to compete in this great sport. Where would we be without people like Brad and Elaine? I also feel so fortunate to have met Jacques and Kris Pitcher and I am so grateful to be a part of Team Pitcher. These are all friendships that I will treasure forever. It is truly amazing to be surrounded by people who want you to feel strong and confident in who you are and what you are doing. I am so happy to have this opportunity to share my journey with you all and I love that in the process, I am making friends with others who are also blogging for the Emerald Cup. I love reading their journey’s love to hear what they are up to and love their support and positive words that continue to inspire me to work harder and harder than I could ever have imagined. I look forward to meeting so many more competitors and hearing your stories as well. Everyone's journey is unique, amazing and truly inspiring. Karly Beth~
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