Continuation of my weekend in Seattle.

A town car was supposed to be awaiting my arrival. Supposed to be is the key phrase here. No town car, just lots of luggage greeted me as I meandered over to the baggage claim. A quick phone call to the hotel verified the incompetence of the woman with whom I set up the reservation in the first place. She swore she did not know what airlines I was on, even though I had clearly enunciated the flight time, number, and name. I know…I was there. I swore back (under my breath, of course).

Twenty minutes later, bags were hauled into the trunk, I was tucked safely in the backseat, and the ride to the Hilton in Bellevue had begun. To put into the words the beauty of the Seattle land almost seems sacrilegious. The evergreens stretched their branches around the houses nestled in the abundant hills. Winding roads created mazes that even mice would not figure out. Waters sparkled against the unusually sunny sky. Not a cloud was in sight. Flowers were pumped to the fullest blooms and accented the sidewalks as we sped toward the destination. I was at peace. I knew this weekend would be different than the dreary, dank, gloomy setting of New Haven, Connecticut.

The town car ride turned out to be forty dollars, not the thirty five quoted on the phone. I started to argue, but the driver wasn’t the person to take my gripes. The desk manager would be the responsible party for any and all complaints for the weekend, and there were a few…enough to reap ninety dollars back, which helped with the damage this trip created for my wallet. But enough about the technicalities of the weekend. Let’s get down to the good stuff.

This hotel room was a true improvement over the previous weekend’s accommodations. Four fluffy pillows adorned a soft, high bed. And that was my first destination. I dove, head first into the bed, hid my face in the plethora of pillows, and snored my way into oblivion.

The plane glided well above snow-capped mountains and miles upon miles of empty desert and rocky ridges. The only interruption of the peaceful scene existed in Vegas, where glitz and corruption collide and kick up sand, throwing it in the face of sanity.

One could actually call this trip pure insanity. I had just returned from Connecticut late Monday evening only to return to the airport—a multitude of bags, several water jugs, and a case of the butterflies in hand—the following Thursday morning. The phrase, “sleep deprivation,” doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt as I boarded the America West flight that would eventually take me to my final destination: Seattle.

Two shows, two weeks. I can’t even begin to count the number of egg whites cracked, chicken breasts cooked, potatoes sliced, gallons of water drunk, the amount of make up caked on, coats of Protan applied and later scrubbed off with extreme determination. Insane probably is the best way to describe my state of mind when I sent in my entry forms for the Junior USA’s and the Emerald Cup.

The two days I was actually in Dallas were filled with hustle and bustle. Clothes needed to be laundered, skin had to be scrubbed clean of any and all remnants of the previous weekend’s self tanner, workouts had to be accomplished, cardio sessions had to be dealt with, phone calls made, e-mails written, fears of failure alleviated. I not only had to pack everything from the weekend before, but I had to remember to include my self esteem and confidence. I had dropped it a bit after competing in Connecticut and had to wake up to the fact that seven judges from timbuktoo do not determine my ultimate fate in life. I do.

So when those snow-capped mountains loomed up and pricked the sky with their pointy tops, I admired their defiance, for in the face of drought and the brown mundane, they went against the norm and held tightly to their white tips, their majestic beauty, their unique existence. I feel like a snow-capped mountain. I reached into the sky, grabbed a piece for me, and said to the world, “I’m not going anywhere. I like it at the top.” Luckily, the judges agreed with me this time.

But I get ahead of myself. I haven’t even arrived in Seattle yet, and I’m talking about the results of the show. Let me take a break and come back fresh to discuss the preparation once I arrived, the show itself, my feelings on it, and the rest of the weekend. Eventually, I’ll expand upon my plans as I prepare for Junior Nationals. So don’t go anywhere. The plane ride might be over, and I might be on the ground, but my story . . . my life . . . will always continue to be in mid-flight.

“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” A worn out cliché, but essentially a true one in many circumstances.

It definitely applied to this past weekend. On a chilly morning in a poor section of New Haven, Connecticut, I walked into the performing arts center that would hold the secrets of what was meant to be for me at the 2004 Junior USA’s. Confidence had reigned inside of me within the past 48 hours, but a sense of concern draped it with a heavy curtain as I saw my class of 5’2” and under competitors.

What I saw as major improvements in my shoulder development was soon dwarfed by the thick, round, ropy delts on the other girls. I knew going into the show that I would be the shortest, tiniest one up there, but being backstage only reinforced that. It would later hurt me.

Beautiful suits, perfect tan, new hairstyle, excellent make up, good conditioning, smaller legs, tighter waist, wider lats, thicker shoulders, better chest development. None of these were enough. I was in the first call out in the one piece, but I was the fifth number called to the center of the stage. I’ve done enough shows. I know what this means. I knew it would predict the outcome of not only the two-piece call out, but also the finals that evening. I walked to the center of the stage and stood in the same position, and in those five minutes, knew that eight months of work, sacrifice, and pain had led to a placing that was below my expectations for this show.

Did I deserve first? No. I can honestly state that I didn’t. The girl who won my class deserved to. Better lines. To comment on the other girls wouldn’t be fair to them. I know they all worked hard. I do feel that I could have been put into third place and it would have been a correct decision. But the judges didn’t feel that way, and so I must be satisfied with my fifth place trophy.

Dejected? I was after pre-judging. I was kind of pissed, to tell you the truth. I’m competitive. I think to be blasé about the whole thing would mean that I’m not willing to work harder for what I want the next time a show comes around. Monica Brant was criticized for gritting her teeth and letting her smile drop when she was announced second place for the first, second, and third times of being on the pro figure stage. I don’t blame her. When you bring excellent conditioning to the table and good lines and have done what the judges tell you, then you expect to reap the benefits.

Now, let me say this. After the finals, I did swallow my pride, put my ego aside and head over to the head judge and ask for her input. I was pleasantly surprised. The biggest disadvantage I have is my size. I’m tiny boned and have a small and narrow frame. I have thick, dense muscle bellies from the waist down. The two need to be balanced out with more width, broadness, and thickness in my shoulders. Figure is a shoulder and lat game. The more width you have on top, the smaller in the middle you are, the better your placing will be. Go look at all the photos of the pros who make it in the top five on a regular basis, and my point will be proven.

I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next eight weeks. I’m headed to Seattle tomorrow morning (8 a.m. flight) and cannot change much except a tad bit of conditioning by the time the Friday night show arrives. I’m okay with that. This show, the Jr. USA’s…both were guinea pigs. I wanted my face and my body out there for the judges to see. I wanted to practice posing. I wanted feedback. Junior Nationals will be a much more important show, and last year I got better and better with every show. The same will be true this year.

Ultimately, I’m pleased. I advanced from seventh place last year to fifth place this year at this show. I have remained in the top five. The head judge told me I could continue moving up in the ranks with the changes I promise to make. But the most important thing that came out of this is the reaction I had from fellow competitors and fans. I couldn’t have asked for more support, and this very thing is what keeps me going, no matter whether I deserve a placing or not, get a placing I want or not. I’m beginning to realize that each show is a stepping stone to another place in my life. I may or may not rise in the ranks of figure, but I can rise in the ranks of mental and emotional strength.

I promise to have a much more detailed report of the Emerald Cup experience when I return. I have to repeat that whole day-before-the flight-for-the-show process of cooking today. I’m pretty much packed, though! It’s not hard to do when you have two trips in a row: dump contents of suitcase in washing machine, dump them back into the suitcase; leave all toiletries in suitcase and grab as needed and then place them back in the suitcase; leave suits and heels and photo shoot clothes where they were. It’s the cracking of egg whites, the microwaving of potatoes, the slicing and dicing of veggies, and the cooking of chicken that is the real pain. But I love the results, so I’ll do what is needed to succeed in my eyes.

I will talk with y’all when I return early next week!

Jodi :)

I shouldn't be awake right now. It's 2 a.m. I have to wake up at 4 a.m. Something's not right here!! But there was just so much to do and not enough time to get it done, and I'm kind of wired right now; adrenaline is running through me. I'm anxious to get on the plane and into the hotel room, where I can unpack and relax for the rest of the day. I don't have a single photo shoot scheduled until Sunday afternoon, so I can just coast in to my contest prep schedule.

I thought y'all might be interested in knowing what the day before a competitor's flight out to a show is like. So, I'll take you from morning to...well...morning.

Wake up
Do 45 minutes of cardio: 25 minutes of walking on a treadmill, 20 minutes of riding the recumbant bike.
Have breakfast. This morning, it consisted of six egg whites, 1/2 a cup of oats mixed with bottled spring water and two packets of Splenda and a touch of cinnamon.
Practice posing for the show.
Make meals for the day so I can run errands and not worry about what time it is and when I have to be back home to eat.
Begin preparation for three days' worth of food to cover Thursday (flight day), Friday (tanning and registration day), and Saturday (competition day). This involved slicing up 20 chicken breasts to create 20 6-ounce servings of chicken (6 servings of chicken a day x 3 = 18--see former English teachers can do math! There are two extra servings just in case...just in case.) Thirty six eggs were cracked and separated, created six 6-egg white servings. Egg whites will disappear from the diet by Friday and enter again early Sunday morning. They carry a bit more sodium in them than chicken. Forty eight ounces of potato were microwaved. I'll be using these and these only to carb up. A container of oats will be traveling with me, but that will take me through Thursday and return on Sunday to be mixed with convenient packages of Myoplex Lite so I can stay on schedule while doing a couple of shoots. A bunch of asparagus and a bit of broccoli were cooked as well and put into baggies. In fact, the chicken and the potato are all in separate baggies, each one containing the appropriately weighed serving. Egg whites are cooked flat like a pancake rather than scrambled so they can be stacked in Ziploc containers and thus travel easily. Asparagus was cut in half and placed in a huge bag; likewise with the broccoli florets (I only like the leaves, not the trunks...it's a childhood thing).

After prepping the food (slicing, dicing, cracking...you get the drift), I put everything in the refrigerator to be cooked later in the evening. I had errands to run.

A trip to the mall got me a new pair of cute dangle earrings to go with the new suits and new haircut. They are little rhinestone hearts, and you really can't see them unless my hair moves, but that's the idea. There are so many stones on the suits, that I don't need anything else to distract the judges from my physique. I also got my eyebrows tweezed and shaped, something I desperately needed! It helps to bring out my eyes a bit more when my eyebrows aren't so shaggy. I also bought color-preserving shampoo and conditioner and some straightening creme for my new cut. It has to be perfectly straight, and I have slightly wavy hair, so I have to use the creme, a flat iron, and a bit of patience.

I drove straight from the mall to the gym and did my last workout before the show: shoulders, biceps, abs, and 30 minutes of cardio (a repeat of the morning's cardio session but in less time).

A trip home brought me back into the kitchen to eat my scheduled meal and begin cooking more food. I only had about an hour before my nail appointment, so I rushed about, jumped in the shower, exfoliated for the second to last time (this helps with the tanning process), and pulled my hair into a ponytail and headed to the nail salon. I got a French pedicure and a pink-and-white set (this keeps me from worrying about ruining my manicure while cooking, cleaning, and tanning). I then headed to Target, talking to my dad on my cell phone while driving (I know...a big no no!), and got the ingredients I needed for my special oatmeal raisin cookies that I bring to every show for the girls backstage once everything is all said and done.

And then I finally made it home. I spent about two hours cooking and packaging food up, a bit of time cleaning, an hour or so picking out clothes and toiletries to bring for the trip and packing, and then I made the oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch and baked them. I did not even lick a finger! I have incredible will power! The whole kitchen smells so yummy...cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, brown sugar...mmmm! These are my favorite cookies in the whole world, which is why I'm so proud of myself that I never dip into the cookie batter and take a taste test...ever!!! It's not worth it. I've worked too hard for too long to ruin my mental stability by breaking down and having a bit of sugar at the last minute. No way!!!

And here I am...writing in my journal and about to section off what has to be carried onto the plane as opposed to what can be checked. Anything and everything to be used for the day of the show stays by my side. A fire, a tornado, a hurricane, Godzilla, the Loch Ness monster, a downpour of millions of dollars could threaten my existence, and I will do everything in my power to be sure those two suits are in my hands!

Anyway, I thought y'all would be interested. It's a hectic time, so much to do, so much to prepare, no room for mistakes or haphazardness. It could be very stressful and has been at times, but experience is on my side...and I'm taking advantage of it!!

I will be back on Monday, but if there is good news, then JT or Stickman will have the results posted before I return to Dallas. And don't forget, I have the Emerald Cup one week from today! Two shows back to back! Whew! What was I thinking?!

Take care and enjoy your weekend!

Jodi :)

It's all coming together! I leave very early tomorrow morning. It must have been a low carb day for me when I made that flight arrangement. I may as well not go to sleep tonight, for I'll have to be up at 4 a.m. to shower, do my hair, pack three days' worth of food, make sure I have everything, open up my carry on case five million times to be sure my suits and back up suits and make up and heels and Protan and sanity are all tucked neatly inside.

I got my hair cut and colored yesterday. It's a slightly different style than what I've worn in the past on stage. Very cute, very sophisticated, very classy. My hairdresser did kind of a bob cut that falls about two to three inches below my chin and the entire style is razor-cut, so the edges are jagged. Basically, I just use a flat iron to smooth it all out, part it either in the middle or on the side or use a zig zag cut--like I have in the past shows--and I'm done with my hair! She used four different colors: deep red chunks, caramel chunks, a touch of golden highlights to frame my face and brighten me up, and then the rest was colored a really rich dark brown that was pretty close to my original shade. She really outdid herself! I walked away from the salon feeling very pretty ("I'm so pretty, so pretty...let's all sing along...lol! NOT!).

And then I went and picked up my suits last night. Oh my goodness! I can't even describe the feeling I had when I looked at the one piece on me. My seamstress and I fashioned both suits after Jenny Lynn's suits that she wore for this year's Arnold. And I don't mean to brag or anything, but I personally love mine even more! Both are a rich emerald green in a plush velvet fabric and are covered in rhinestones! If and when I turn pro, these suits are grown up enough and elegant enough to make it onto a pro stage. They certainly cost a fortune, but I will feel so confident this weekend and next weekend! The only thing with the two piece is one side of the bottoms slips down about an inch, but every suit of mine does that. I have no hips, no curvature to keep anything up around my waist, so hopefully the number tag will hide the fact that the bottoms are slightly lower on one side at times while I'm on stage.

So...new hair, new suits, new nails and a French pedicure today, new changes to physique. What else to do but arrive in Connecticut, plop down on the hotel bed, sleep for awhile, get up Friday morning, begin the tanning process, head down for the registration meeting at 9 a.m., and then tan, eat, sleep, tan, eat, sleep, tan, eat, sleep (add in there: keep Michelle Bell calm; better yet, keep myself calm...lol!) and wait for Saturday morning to arrive.

It's just so amazing. Eight months since I last stepped on stage. Eight months of hard work, busting my butt in the gym. For the past six weeks, I have not had a single day of rest. It's cardio or weights or sprints or plyometrics or a combination of those every single day! I've stuck to everything on the diet. I've even cut down on my gum intake the last couple of days, cut down on my Splenda...been relegated to just three packets a day as opposed to the 10 to 12 I would usually inhale. Sodium will be dropped tomorrow (meanwhile, I'm lapping up the Dead Sea as we speak...lol!). I've only had bottled water for the past week and a half--as close to 2 gallons per day as I can get without creating a flood wherever I go. I think I'm going to request a Port-a-Potty for my next birthday; either that or a cathater (ewwww!). Strawberries were deleted from the diet yesterday. I had a bit of avocado yesterday and will have a serving of steak today, and then that's it. I think the flaxseed oil is giving me a few problems, so it's taking a leave of absence for a few days. It's just chicken, egg whites, potato, oats (the old fashioned kind, as always), broccoli, and asparagus. The egg whites will even begin to diminish by the time Thursday evening and Friday morning arrive. And I think I mentioned this already, but protein shakes were also dragged off the diet on Monday.

In essence, I feel good. I had a few rough days this week. A few crying episodes. A few, "I'm not ready; I look awful; I can't possibly step on stage looking like this." It's normal. The last week before a show, the moods and confidence levels travel the entire spectrum from "I hate myself and I'm fat and ugly" to "I'm going to smoke everyone and win this thing and be the next best thing since Monica Brant." (Okay, the last bit was...well...a bit too much, even for me! Lol!) But you get my drift, right? My body changes so readily, so quickly, and thus my attitude towards my physique changes just as rapidly. One wrong move, and Saturday could be a bust. I wrote in the news section of the public site about leaving footprints in the sand and having them washed away. Well, I kind of look at my physique as sand, and the weight training, dieting, and cardio work are my fingertips trailing through the sand, creating grooves and images. A slight shift in the atmosphere, a breeze, temperature drop or increase, a crashing wave, a few splashes, a passerby can all change or even obliterate the design in the sand. It's the same thing with my body. Not enough carbs, I turn flat, loose skin appears, and I look small and stringy. Too many carbs, I spill over, water seeps into the grooves, and my symmetry is distorted. Competitors walk a tightrope of sorts, and this can be very stressful. I am having to learn to deal with stress, to allow nature to takes its course, to let the chips fall where they may. I've done my homework; I know what to do these last few days, and once I step on stage, it's in the judges' hands. Maybe I'll come home with a trophy; maybe I won't. But an 15- to 20-inch statue isn't the only type of trophy that this world holds. My experience is worth much more!

I may have a chance to write in the journal one more time before I fly out, but if I don't, keep all fingers, toes, eyes, and whatever else (just don't tell me) crossed. And for those of you attending the show, definitely say hi! And thank you so much!

Jodi :)

I fly out to Connecituct in less than seven days. The show is one week from this Saturday, and I am completely amazed at how there are two sides to the coin of time passing. I think I've talked about this before, but it's almost like a car wreck. It happens so quickly...much quicker than the few seconds it takes for a person to lose control and smash into another vehicle. Yet it all occurs in slow motion and every detail can be remembered as though time just stood still and you were waiting outside of your life and witnessing the entire scene. I feel like that right now. Eight long months of preparation, and on the morning of April 17th, I will spend approximately 30 to 45 minutes in front of a panel of 11 judges (only seven of which will actually be scribbling on scorecards), and I will have lost total control of the entire scene. It will be as if the gas pedal and steering wheel have a mind of their own and all I'll be able to do is stand, smile, and pose. All the lifting, all the running, all the chicken, all the sacrifices will boil down to what the judges want on this particular morning, and they will determine that according to who shows up in the 5'2" and under height class.

It absolutely amazes me. For someone who enjoys having such control, I have chosen a field of athleticism that rips the control from my slightly calloused hands and places it in the hands of subjectivity.

But here's what I see in my physique as of today:

I weighed 105 to 106 pounds this morning. I was holding water yesterday and was a little flat in the muscles after a low carb day, but I'm up to almost two gallons of water a day, and I got rid of the water throughout the night with almost hourly trips to the bathroom. Doesn't make for peaceful sleeping!

I weigh 107 pounds in the evening after my meals. This is good. I'm not holding too much water...just enough to know that it'll drop easily when the show approaches.

The veins in my abs are appearing. In fact, I've noticed new ones on my body that I haven't seen in previous years. This is exciting to me. I enjoy being vascular.

My shoulders are shredded. My back is shredded. I think my two concerns going into this show is that I'll be too lean and too ripped. But I've always been concerned about that, so this is nothing new. And I'd rather be told I'm too conditioned than too fat. I respect one look and not the other, for the other is a sign that you didn't do your homework, no matter what the judges have decided about trophies and placings.

I have not lost any muscle mass in my shoulders or back due to increasing cardio in the past few weeks. Part of the reason for this is because I've cycled the increases with some decreases, and I've listened to my body. My carb intake continually changes as does the amount of time I spend doing cardio. It's a little like a roller coaster. Up and down, up and down, up and down, until I gradually see the changes I want to see.

My legs have dropped dramatically in the past two weeks. My quads are always the last to come in. It's sooo frustrating, for they are the one muscle group that the judges seem to dislike the most on me. The basic reason is because of their blockiness. But my tear drop has...well...dropped. My quad sweep has increased, and the overall size has decreased. My glutes and hamstrings are tighter and better. My calves are slightly bigger (still a weak point, but this is partly genetics, which I see as a gambling game. I'll take better glutes and give up good calves. I'll accept awesome biceps and forego a flat stomach with obvious lower abs.).

Speaking of abs, mine are much better than they were last year. I neglected them in 2003. I didn't in 2004. Enough said.

My suits are beautiful. Well, they're still in construction. But they will be spectacular. I have faith in my seamstress. She keeps pushing the appointments to different days, but she always does an incredible job, and the stress of it all is worth it when I can feel like a princess on the day of the show because of her efforts and creativity.

I've been receiving such wonderful e-mails, especially from other competitors. Everyone says this is my year to turn pro. I'm not scared this time around. I'm confidant that I have a physique that can stand on a pro stage, but I'm also very much aware of the fact that I'm not the one to make this decision. It's out of my hands, guys. Completely out of my hands. But the support I've received from everyone, the well wishes, the compliments, the inspiration makes every moment of this worth it.

I have a thirst to quench. The stage is my desert, the trophy my water. I hope it won't be a mirage this time around.

Thank you to everyone!

Jodi

I quit posting progress pictures, as I'm sure by now you noticed. It's not that I haven't taken any, but I got this feeling inside that maybe I shouldn't unveil my physique until I step on stage. After all, I haven't in the past, so why change something that isn't broken? It sounds so superstitious, but I'm ready to throw salt over one shoulder, knock on wood, and avoid black cats crossing my path if it means that I'll fly home from Connecticut with trophy in hand and a smile plastered on my face.

Last year, I placed seventh at the Junior USA's. That was out of 13 girls. My goal then was to make it in the top ten, which I did. If you are wondering why I didn't place higher and what I've done to fix those problems, then read on.

First of all, my tan sucked. It doesn't seem like such a big deal. I mean, you go to the gym to train; you measure your food out to diet down just right; what the heck does it matter what color your skin is when you step on stage after all is said and done? Well, to the judges, a lot! I wasn't tanning at the time, and the Protan turned a slight lagoonish green and was a distraction from my physique. Solution this time: I've been tanning, much to my chagrin. But I won't resemble the Loch Ness monster again!

Secondly, my two piece suit was the wrong color. Mike Davies chose a nutmeg color. I had offered a dark, forest green, but he turned that one away and said the nutmeg would work. That was a $270 mistake. I used it one more time for the Pittsburgh show, and it's sitting in my bottom drawer of my dresser, never to be worn again. Sigh. Basically, the browns blend in too much with the tan and become washed out on stage. Your best bet is to go with rich, vibrant, elegant colors, so when I switched to green (my first choice), I ended up with a first call out at Junior Nationals. Solution this time: both of my suits are a rich emerald green. Very beautiful and a perfect match for my eyes.

Third, my legs were too thick. Judges stated I was carrying too much muscle on too small of a frame and the muscle was too blocky. My legs looked like rectangles. Solution this time: I've kept bringing my legs down. The tear drop is smaller (let me shed a tear here--no pun intended--I worked hard for that huge tear drop), but my quad sweep is slightly larger and more pronounced, so now my legs actually taper a bit, and when I stand properly, my thighs barely touch at the top, so you can see the light of day. It just fits better with my bone structure.

Fourth, my shoulders and back were too small and not wide enough. That doesn't need explaining. Solution this time: Worked balls to the wall and thickened up my back incredibly, rounded out the caps of my delts, and created a V-taper that is very pronounced. My waist looks so tiny from the back.

Fifth, I was still a bit of an unknown. I had done only two national shows previously, and the judges didn't really recognize me. I've now been in front of those judges six times. On April 17th, I will be facing them for the seventh time. They seem to like perseverance. I spoke with Angie Semsch, IFBB Pro Fitness competitor, and told her this would be my third year at the national level. She told me to hang in there; she understood completely, for it wasn't until her fifth year that she turned pro. That made me stronger inside.

So, there you have it. If I'm not on the boards, not in the journals, it's because I'm working my butt off to do well in less than two weeks. It's so weird to have struggled for so long, for so many months for an event and then to suddenly realize that it's almost upon you. I'm excited, a bit nervous, and advancing on a sense of confidence that I didn't carry with me last year. I feel like a pro. The rest is in the judges' hands (and scorecards).

By the way, all the changes I mentioned in the last entry worked. I hit 105 pounds this week and went back up to 106 pounds just for safe measure. I don't want to remain too small or too flat for too long and risk not being full enough for the show. But the stubborn bits around my quads and glutes are disappearing. All that's left really is a bit of water, which will be drawn out once the sodium is taken out of my diet and the tanning is dropped off (I'll have a last tanning session next Monday and stop sodium next Wednesday or Thursday). I have another suit fitting tomorrow, so I can't wait to see the results!

I'm also taking on a new competitor. She will be competing in the Southwest Texas show in Arlington, Texas, this August. We discussed posting her progress starting in May, so I'll let you guys know if that's a definite thing. She'll spend the month of April cleaning up a few things in her diet, and I'll get ahold of her May 1st and whip her into shape! I can't wait (evil grin!).

I'm rambling a bit and don't have a ton of intellectual things to say. I'm absolutely exhausted. I hit a point of low patience, low stamina, and few thoughts. All I can focus on is the show.

By the way, you guys are the first to know this, and then I'll post it on the public board right before I leave for Connecticut. I plan to be in Seattle, Washington, for the Emerald Cup. I'll compete in the 5'2" and under figure division, so those of you on the West Coast, if you're within driving distance, I expect to not only see you there but also hear you in the audience!!

Take care!!

Jodi :)