Deuces 2011!!

2011 is coming to an end!!!! 

 I'm not going to do one of those touchy feely reflection of the past year posts. All I'm going to say 

is 2011 was filled with lessons, blessings, knockdowns, more lessons, sadness, 

joy, anger, confusion, and more blessings.

Thank you for following my blog this past year. I hope that you will 

continue to follow me on this crazy journey I call life

 as I attempt to conquer 2012!!!

Happy New Year!!

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That's What's Up Thursday

Being a librarian that's cool enough

to rock Bookworm socks -

now that's what's up! :)

Mission Accomplished

Our goal each Christmas is to make The Princess

smile so much her face hurts! My parents

always made Christmas such a wonderful

day for my siblings & I and I want to do the same

for my daughter.

These two pictures tell me that Tom & I

can say we accomplished our goal.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!!

It's The Holidays....

New Release Tuesday & A Giveaway!

The first time I saw Kelly Clarkson on American Idol I was blown away! The woman can S-A-N-G (not sing) her face off! Her voice is so soulful and I love most of the music she puts out.

Anyway, I was watching VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul on Sunday night and Kelly performed this song. I knew instantly that I needed to feature it as this week's new release!

After watching the video, head over to SkinnyRunner - she's featuring a giveaway from Stella & Dot (the jewelry is gorgeous!!!!). Take a chance & enter!

2011 Reflections

I'm so incredibly boring right now....I've been trying to come up with witty fun things to blog about and I've been coming up dry as the Sahara Desert! I don't want to just slap a post on this thing just for the sake of saying I blogged today but I know I need to get my shit together!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I want to talk about a thread I stumbled upon this morning when I was on siouxcountry. The thread is entitled 2011 Reflections: Did You Meet Your Competition, Fitness, and Health Goals? I didn't post a reply in the thread to the questions that were asked but thought I would do it here.


Did you meet your competition, fitness, and health goals?


I set out at the beginning of this year with the goal to place in the top 5 of each of the shows I competed in. I am happy to say that I did accomplish that. I did have the unspoken goal of winning my class & overall at the NPC Terminator that was here in Tucson in July but I fell short of accomplishing this particular goal. I also wanted to compete at a particular weight and I was always a few (5) pounds away from that goal each time I stepped on stage.


What/who did you find helped you the most in meeting your goals?


I have said time & time again that I have the best team of supporters that make it possible for me to compete. My husband & trainer Tom is incredible - not only on the homefront but also in the gym. My parents who watch The Princess when we travel for shows. My friends like Chelsea and the Bobettes who fill my life with positivity, laughter, and perspective. Last but definitely not least, The Boss! There is NO way that I could have stepped on stage time & time again without her direction, guidance, brutal honesty, sense of humor, and friendship.

If you did not meet your goals, what will you change to be sure you achieve your goals? What stopped you from meeting those goals? How will you avoid that pitfall in the future?


I believe next year's competition season will see a fiercer, more competitive Tenecia. My desire for improvement is off the charts and I want to blow everyone's mind, including my own when I step on stage. I am going to be more dedicated to my workouts especially during this off-season. I'm going to REALLY give running a shot and stop saying that I am. I'm also going to be 115% on my dieting - no nibbles, no cheats, no sips, nada but what's on the plan.

What about you? Did you meet your 2011 competition, fitness, or health goals?

New Release Tuesday

Uh oh....I'm really starting to develop a "thing" for Pitbull :)

Extreme or Dedicated?

Today, I read a blog post by Pauline Nordin that was featured on the Muscle & Fitness hers website. The post is entitled "How I Got Buff" and I just want to briefly talk about my reaction to the post.

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My initial reaction to the article was "Damn, that woman is extreme!!" Pauline lists 32 things she did to build her physique and achieve such a high level of muscularity. She writes that she didn't stop her training when she had a cold or was sick. She states that she never missed a workout for many years and never did "lighter" workouts when she felt worn out. She talks about being a steroid free weight trainer and applying "ultra intensity" to her workouts to compete with those that used steroids.

After getting over my initial reaction and rereading the items that Pauline lists, I realized that she is not extreme...more like dedicated. I also realized that many of the items she listed, I and other competitors have done. We have given up partying and drinking alcohol. We've eaten the same 6-8 meals, day in and day out, without missing a single meal. We've planned out every workout down to the smallest detail, analyzed workouts after they've been completed, and walked out of the gym vowing to return the next day to give 115%. We've dedicated ourselves to molding & shaping a physique that is a work of art.

First, I felt like a slacker after reading all of the things I used to do but am not currently but you know what? Everyone needs some downtime and I'm enjoying mine. However, this post is a reminder of the Tenecia I need to be after my "break" is over. I think the picture in Becca's Cat Mom Guilt post says it best.....

I'm Weak

Here's something that I wasn't prepared for.....weakness. I'm not talking about my weakness for baked goods, Smirnoff's fluffed marshmallow vodka, or carne asada fries.

I'm talking about being physically weak in the gym.

Last week, I decided to get serious about my off-season workouts and headed to the gym for my first "heavy" back workout. I was so surprised about how hard it was for me to lift weights I thought would be "light". I struggled with admitting that I'm not as strong as I thought I was. I struggled with thoughts of wanting to quit and walking out of the gym.

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Then I realized weakness is temporary. Pain is temporary. This off-season is going to be about gaining strength and making improvements. This off-season is about beast mode, baby!