CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

So it has been A LONG time since I've been on here! Let's just say that is has been a CRAZY last week or two and I realized that I can only do so much! I learned that I have a little too much on my plate and this led to a huge amount of stress and eventually a breakdown on Monday!! Whew! BUT! The good news is that I really buried myself in scripture and this really helped me get back on the wagon.  In the midst of my breakdown, my fiance suggested that I read Romans 5:3-5...

**We must also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.**

By really diving into these verses, I was able to gather myself, stand strong and get motivated for my day! I'm so thankful that God ALWAYS finds the perfect moments to present perfect scripture. The Lord put this verse into my fiance's heart in order to help me and I'm always utterly amazed by God's ability to come through during ALL occasions - Even when it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

So let me tell you about my last couple weeks..

First off - I started back and school and this is what really fired up my stress levels. I can honestly say that I have NEVER in my life had as much school work as I have now. I literally do not have enough time in my schedule to complete all of my assigned work unless I drop hours at work and limit my training - And let me tell you...There's no possible way that I'm cutting back on my training! Training is what keeps me "sane" and focused, so I'm definitely not cutting back on that...and work...Well, I don't really have an option to cut back my hours! So we'll just see how all of this goes! So overall, I've been beyond swamped with hours and hours of school work and little by little that started to drain me of my motivation and energy over the past couple weeks.

Second - I was given the amazing opportunity to fly to Optimum Nutrition's headquarters in IL this last weekend for a photo shoot! This was sooo exciting and I was so nervous and excited to make a great impression! While this was an amazing experience and I cannot thank the Lord enough for this blessed opportunity, it was a tad bit stressful and this heightened my stress levels even more! More than anything, I was stressed because I really wanted to make a great impression and I wanted to make sure I was in great enough shape for a shoot with such short notice! I ended up having an amazing time! Everyone is so nice from Optimum Nutrition/ABB and it was truly a great experience to meet the people behind the amazing products.  I've been a loyal user of ON/ABB products for a long time, so it was great to find out that the people BEHIND the business are just as great as the product itself! Friday was our day to shoot and it was a very fun day! I was shooting with a fellow ON/ABB Sponsored Athlete, Cristina Vujnich.  She is such an inspiring competitor and it was great to meet another team member who is so kind, strong and inspiring! Overall, the shoot went amazing and I'm happy to say that I came in a bit leaner than I was at the 2009 Ironman! It was great to see the progress that I've been making! Although it probably should have put me at ease knowing that I was leaner than ever before, it really pushed me to keep working hard to make the changes that I need to make for the Vancouver show and ECUP! I REALLY want that six-pack and I'm determined to get it! So overall, Optimum Nutrition/ABB is such an honorable and respectable company and I thank the Lord every single day for the opportunity that He has given me to work with them! I'm proud of who I represent and this photo shoot really proved to me God's amazing love and blessings that He has for all of us!

So with school being absolutely crazy and more than I could handle and with a very exciting (yet stressful) photo shoot, I came home this last weekend exhausted and still pretty stressed. Plus since I missed class last week, I had double the work to make up this week.  So let's just say that I completely lost it on Monday...I mean I literally broke down and I felt like I had lost ALL motivation. I ate cookies Monday night in the midst of my breakdown and I even woke up Tuesday morning and said "Screw my morning Cardio!" So in general...I hit my breaking point and learned that I can only handle so much. I can only respond to so many emails, read so many chapters, write so many papers, take so many notes etc...This was tough for me.  I am normally so focused and I can normally handle anything and everything, but this breakdown was a big lesson for me.  It reminded me that as much as I want to be, I'm no super hero :) I'm human and need to really lean into the Lord in order to accomplish all that I have to accomplish. I do have a lot on my plate and this experience taught me more than ever that God is the ONLY way that I'm going to handle my insane schedule. Through HIM I will find strength...and ONLY through Him!

So that's where I'm at. Bummed that I ate those yummy cookies and missed my cardio, but at the same time happy that I'm back on track and found the strength to climb out of that seemingly dark and endless hole! So that also explains why I have not been on here! In the midst of endless reading and writing, I've lost a lot of time to write on here!

But I'm going to make a huge effort to continue to write as much as possible because the weeks are winding down until show time.

More specifically... 66 Days Until Vancouver!! That's NOTHING! Well...It's enough time to make great progress, but it will definitely FLY by!

I'm ready to get rockin' and rollin' and take complete control of my prep - Even with my insane schedule, I will put forth 100% effort, time and focus into prepping for Vancouver and ECUP because I'm determined to take Overall!

So that's it for now!

Make sure you are making the most of every day...and if for some reason you fall off the wagon - No worries. It happens to all of us at some point in time.  The important thing is to stand back up strong and focused ready to move forward and make the most of the moments ahead of you!

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