CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

As you all know, this has been a tremendous time of emotional growth, stretching and pushing the 'limits' in my life. All I know is that I have never been so pressed and stretched by God in my entire life and it has been a remarkable journey. My journey to the USAs started out as my journey to my first national show - Hard work and dedication would be involved of course - But I simply wanted to step on stage in Vegas in my best shape yet. Little did I know, God had His own plan and it involved a journey between me and Him that sculpted my life and brought it to a whole new level. So this is how the weeks leading up to and the week of USAs began and ended...although I may have to make this a two or three part series ;) But this is me..my journey..raw and exactly how it was.

During my prep:

As I decided to do the USAs it started out as just another show. Yes...It would be my first national show and yes it would be a whole different level of competition, but it would be just another journey of dieting and training hard to build UP and sculpt my body as I prepared to hit the stage. Then God rocked my world. I was called to do something He wanted me to do and something that I did not want to do. As I stepped out in faith to follow His will for my life, I experienced heartache like no other, yet have also experienced blessings that I never thought were possible.

Training became my therapy. I hit it hard..I lifted hard and heavy. I knocked out awesome cardio and I loved it. It was something that I had control over and was able to dive right in exactly how I wanted. So I spent my entire prep for USAs hitting the gym hard and boy was I fierce. So that's a plus and it was a remarkable learning experience. I was able to channel my emotions into my training and push past what I thought were barriers to my training efforts.

Dieting...That is a whole different story. As I hit the gym hard every single day...Diving into supersets, dropsets and simple heavy lifting, I was also diving into muffins, candy, burgers and fries. I would release my emotional stress in the gym and then for some reason felt the need to release it some more with tasty food. As you all know, no matter how hard I was kicking my own butt in the gym, I was not making the progress I needed to make to hit the stage looking lean and mean. I felt so discouraged after being so in control of my eating habits for the past couple years...I would think to myself "Wow...why are you eating this...why are you drowning your emotions in food - this is NOT you!"...But thankfully with encouragement from John and Roxana Kreklo, with support from my amazing friends and after many prayers to God - I finally got my act together and I can honestly say that although it was tough and I experienced emotional eating at its worst - God was right there stretching me the entire time and He used this time to help me learn and grow and eventually overcome the emotional eating. At about 5 weeks out, I finally got my act together and began to eat clean food in order to build myself up!

Friends and Support: WOWZERS...this is one way God worked in my life that I never could have possibly imagined. He showed His faithfulness and love through all of my dear friends and I'm forever thankful. As soon I stepped out into the unknown and began my journey of faith - He threw AMAZING people into my life. I would get texts/emails/messages of encouragement JUST when I needed it most. My dear friend, Jessica Watson, in Florida would offer the PERFECT words of wisdom or Bible verses JUST when I felt too weak...God literally placed her in my life for such a time as this and wow.... Rose would offer that endless encouragement JUST when I thought USAs were not a good idea. Erin White...this girl would text me basically EVERY single morning as the show approached with the kindest, most inspiring words so that I could kick off my day right. Elaine Craig offered her words of wisdom about following God's will JUST when I thought His way would be too hard...Tanji did her thing and reminded me WHY all of this pain is worth it...why following God's plan is so worth it..Hillary Jones would send encouraging quotes every day.. The list goes on and on. THAT is what amazes me...This prepped was filled with so many flourishing, loving and grace-filled relationships that I would literally have to write all night to share them with you. That is why this prep has stood out above any other experience in my life..Through my pain and healing God worked His miracle and created this awesome and inspiring support system for the perfect time when I needed it most.

So that wraps up the months leading up to USAs. It was painful, blessed, amazing, testing...above all else: A miracle.

The week leading up to the USAs - Talk about peace. I was completely at peace about competing in Vegas. There was something in me that was just so thrilled and excited to be heading to the sunny state of Nevada to step on stage with some of the most beautiful and inspiring women in the country. To be honest, I was really not that nervous. I was joyful, thankful and simply PUMPED to be experiencing USAs for the first time. I carefully packed my bags - I wanted to make sure I had EVERYTHING I needed - and I prepped all my food for the trip. It's so different to compete in a show out of state because you have to remember and plan EVERYTHING...I had to make list and check it several times over just to make sure I had everything. I packed my cooler, my Bible, my clothes, my make up, my suit, my heels..Then off I went.

I had been praying the entire week before the show that God would use me in Vegas. That I would be sooo incredibly focused on Him that I would not be concerned with the competition. Yes I was prepared to compete, but God and His plan was what got me really pumped to be down there. I knew that if I kept my eyes entirely on Him the entire time I was there - He would guide me and keep me joyful through all circumstances. So I spent my plane ride listening to Casting Crowns, Third Day and other Christian artists and also read Crazy Love. If you have not read that book, I would definitely recommend it. It hit it hard and reaffirmed me of the true reason why I was going to Vegas. It's about the Lord and not me. It's about Him using me in any way that He needs to and me being open to that - It's about truly loving Jesus Christ and serving Him entirely. So that's what I did and the book was the perfect reminder as I landed in Vegas.

I headed to the host hotel and got myself all checked in. I could feel the energy from all the competitors in the hotel and it was such a great feeling. To look around and see so many people who had worked their butts off to get to Vegas really inspired me and reminded me of the bigger picture. It is about pushing yourself as hard as you can...reaching that peak physique..one that you possibly doubted was even possible. Its about dedication and discipline that is beyond what the average person can possibly comprehend. THAT is the energy I'm talking about and boy was it amazing. It filled me up and by the time check-in came around, I was ready to rock and roll with a huge smile on my face.

I met many amazing people at check-in including fellow ON/ABB Athletes and Pastor Mike and Fred from Stronghold Ministries. All I have to say is that THEY ROCK. They prayed with me, encouraged me, offered to grab anything I needed etc...They were there to truly serve all of us competitors and I'm forever thankful for all that they did for myself and everyone else around me to bring such a LIGHT to the show. They SHINED God's light brighter than many people I know and to see that in such a vain and self-focused environment was so inspiring.

After check-in, I headed up to my room and waited for Pastor Mike and some others to come up for a prayer meeting. As we all gathered in my room, Pastor Mike spoke an amazing Word that inspired each of us to stay focused on Serving God during USAs weekend and boy was that ANOTHER reminder from God about my true purpose for being down at USAs. God must have been trying to tell me something ;) We prayed and it was a great time to connect with competitors, Pro and Amateur, who love Jesus AND love bodybuilding!

After our prayer meeting, Alicia Harris stayed behind and helped me with my color. I ended up doing all my own color for the show and I'm SOOOO thankful that Rose was able to supply Jantana and that Alicia was able to paint me like a pro. Overall, things went SOOO incredibly smooth on Thursday and I was feeling so at peace with how the weekend was beginning. I had a chance to meet with GREAT and inspiring people AND my color turned out awesome. Let's just say I was floating...Floating in pure joy and that is a very rare experience the night before a show :)

So that's it for now. I'll check back in tomorrow and share my experience of Friday/Sat of the show.

Overall, what I learned is that if I truly surrender myself to God and His will for my life - He gives me more than I ever thought I'd EVER need. He fills me entirely and gives me the strength and joy to literally be BEAMING a big smile at check-in when I would normally be feeling tired, nervous, anxious and hungry! There's something about staying focused on the BIGGER picture that makes every day a miracle in itself.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

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