Here I am, in Germany on my yearly 3 week vacation. Almost 3 weeks after my last show in Edmonton and almost 10lb heavier. My last show on June 4th in Edmonton ( the Northern Alberta Bodybuilding Championship) went absolutely FANTASTIC! I did first overall...yeha! Still can´t believe I finished first. WOW...what a reward for all my hard work in over 6 months. The most bizarre thing about it....I never ever eeeeever expected to win this ahow. After placing 4th in Kelowna 2 weeks before, I have to admit I was down and had almost lost my courage and motivation, I had a hard time getting up everyday at 4:30am to practice my routine and my cardio was def. a pain in the A**....! BUT...I did it! Already knowing in Kelowna, that my 2 piece fancy suit was a bit too baggy on my butt, my trainer Jeni offered me her very own almost $1000 suit to wear for my Alberta show...what an honour!!!!! She had woren the suit and placed 1st years ago....and it def. was a winning suit!!!! I got more than enough compliments on that suit from the girls behind stage! Glamerous!!!! I can´t even find the words to thank her enough for it.Also, was my white routine costume ruined....totally stained from the first show with the Jantana lotion...ouch...bad decision to wear white...never again. So, my good friend and teamate Deb gave me one of her last years one...and again.. a winning costume! I am not really sure why I felt so calm at my second show, maybe it was the experience from the first one or maybe cause I knew I was flying back home to Germany the next day after the show....probably both factors came together.
Brandy, my best friend, travelled up to edmonton with both of her kids and stayed at her friends house. Ken, Ava and I arrived friday night just before the weigh ins! OMG, let me tell you, a food, water loaded and complete bitchy pre contest ME and my extreme hyper daughter and bad traveller, non reading map husband, for over 6 hours in the SAME CAR....what the hell was I thinking when I asked him to come along with me....woha....it was a disaster. First of all did I have to pee about every 20 minutes and for the once who have ever travelled to Edmonton, know...good luck with finding bathrooms on that road. So we stopped more than an estimated 25 times...BUT the first stop...( my mistake I have to admit)...Tim Hortons...Ken:- hmmmm.....I could use a sandwich and a nice coffee...Ava:- I WANT TIM BITS ( mini doughnuts)....Me:- gggrrrrrrr.....zipp it the two of you...all i wanted was a flippin´plain old unsalted rice cake...but no, I had a cooler full of chicken and beans ( cold)....
None of the both of them even showed a bit of sympathy for me and yanked down the doughnuts, bagels and sandwiches...right beside me in the car....I DO NOT lie when I tell you guys, I was thhhiiiiiiis close to get out of the car and ask an old, fat, smokin and spitz eating truck driver to give me a ride......aaarrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!
But we made it. I went for the weigh ins ( which always take hours and hours) and after getting back into my room, I realized, I had no microwave in my room...great...and how the heck was I supposed to heat up my at home pre cooked steak I had to eat that night? Well, thinking in a 4 star hotel, with a great restaurant on the first floor, I am sure they heat it up for me......well, Diana.....guess that´s what I only thought. They told me they could not do it cause of food safty reason....so, back into my room ( more than pissed off with the world), took my half frozen steak out of the fridge and gobbled it down with asparagus....COLD..and on top of it, was I water depleting since 6pm, so meaning, I had nothing to swollow it down with....wow...next time I know better!
At 5:30 am the morning of the show I got up and went downstairs to order my pancakes ( which Jeni wanted me to eat).....kitchen was closed until 7am....SERIOUSLY??????? I was starving marbles and ready to cry. So I waited downstairs in the lobby, while stretching and jogging on the spot, for the kitchen to open up! In the meantime Brandy came to the hotel to get me all ready for stage ( hair, make up and the whole forks).....She is a true GEM.....I love her so much...I really do....I thank god every single day, for having her in my life. I can´t even find the right words to describe how much I appreciate her in every single way. She is the MOST beautiful woman besides my mom in my life. Her heart is bigger than I have ever met anybody and she is worth more than a million in my life! Never ever could I made it this far without her in my life. Brandy, if you read this right now...I LOVE YOU...I really truelly love you, so much! You are a wonderful person and I won this whole thing for you!!!!!! Seeing and hearing her in the audience ment everything to me. She was like the biggest fan I ever had in this journey! Thank you Missy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What did I eat after the show, most people asked me that question......Peanut butter, on a whole wheat loaf of soft doughy bread and a banana. mmmhhh.....it tasted sooo good. After the show was over we went into a pub and ate nachos with cheese and shared some poutine! Damn good cheesy and gravy poutine! And the guiness beer made it perfect!
The morning after the show we drove 3 hours to Calgary to the airport and off I was to Germany, where I still enjoy my last week of free food vacation! I had told myself I was not going to eat like a crazy person who had never eatn in month...BUT....I did and still DO! Gained a few pounds already back on my hips...but who cares. In exactly one week from today I will start my new workout routine and food off season diet. Since I have won first overall, I can compete from now on for a lifetime in the Nationals. And thats my goal. I wanna compete in the next years nationals but I already know from my coach Jeni, that I have to add more muscle mass....so...gaining a few pounds is a must!!!!! ( hahaha...give me more chocolate...lol)!!!!!
I am excited for the next season.....it took me over 30 years to find my true passion.....and I have finally found it ---competing in fitness!!!!! I can´t describe the feeling and the reward you get when you are on that stage and won a championship...wow...all the hard work had finally paid off!!!!! I can honestly say, I have never been this proud of myself! Now to all of you guys out there, following my journey every single day...THANK YOU....!!! You guys are great and the motivation and courage you gave me to follow through with this means the world to me!
To my coach and friend Jeni Briscoe, I could have not done it without your help....you earn the win...you are the best coach I could have asked for. I am so looking forward to work with you again for the next season!!!!!!!
And to Debbie, my friend and teamate....you kept me going, you were always there for me, every time I was down, thinking I could NOT do a single hold or not leaning down, you gave me the strength I needed to continue. And I love you for not seeing me as your own competiton! Thank you for being such a good friend, I will miss you lots when you´re moving away from the "Hat". We had such fun times, our monday night gymnastic classes, our posing and of course our 6am cardio´s together....I hope we will see each other and compete together at the Nationals!!!! Luv ya!
Diana
