Ahhh, what a weekend! I would like to preface my following comments with this statement: I HAD A BLAST! The Europa was a well-run show and my fellow competitors were all terrific to hang out with and stand next to on stage. Congratulations go out to the top three gals that get to go on to the big dance in Vegas...best of luck to you!!!

Now....two words come to mind when I saw what was unfolding leading up to the show as well as viewing the pics of me on stage....CALF TEAR. I tried to deny it, keep my chin up, push onward, etc...but injuring my calf 4 weeks out from this show devastated my prep. I make all of my BIG changes in the last 4 weeks and 10 days of that was spent propping my leg up at every turn, missing cardio sessions and babying my dang leg! I simply could not pull it together in the amount of time I had left. My conditioning wasn't where it should've been as well as the asymmetry in my quads with my right quad appearing quite a bit smaller than my left and of course, swelling in my calf didn't help matters either! lol! With all of that being said, I am still left with a great deal of pride and happiness with what I brought to the stage. I overcame SO much leading up to this show and that was the BEST I could do on that given day. I am satisfied with that. 7th place out of 23 competitors is spectacular-all things considered, especially with this being my pro debut.

I will now enjoy my life for a while and will let my heart/mind guide me on if I still have anything left for this sport I have chosen. My passion has waned and I have become a bit jaded with the entire spectacle. Where I go from here is yet to be determined.

THANK YOUS:
Howard Huddleston: You are, and remain to be, the difference when it comes to my bbing career. Your gift in this industry is unrivaled and an amazing thing to behold. I hope I made you proud as a client as well as your girl. I simply cannot find the words for all that I want to say to you...thank you just doesn't cover it. I love you H.

Body Tech Crew: You guys are a riot! Thanks for making the journey to Arlington and pushing me so hard during my prep. I have never met such warm, giving, and supportive people as I have here in Oklahoma. Carri Ledford-Baldwin, you are one in a million! I appreciate all that you did for me and will never forget it. The Raines--I am honored to call you my friends and think so highly of both of you. Thank you for your support as well.

My Family: Mom, I hope I made you proud as I put your genetics on display that day--so glad you could make it! My brother, cousin Brian, and Aunt Beverly--to have you there meant so much. Hope you enjoyed the show!

I would like to thank all of my friends, members, and fans for your undying support and enthusiasm. How wonderful it is to have all of you behind me!

Now, here are some neat pics for you to check out until my next update which will be this weekend. The first one is the night before the show after a coat of pro tan was applied. Here you can really see the leg difference.



Here is one from prejudging and then the night show:





And last but not least, here are a couple I took yesterday (3 days post-contest) after replenishing my body with plenty of carbs! lol!!!





Stay tuned! I have plenty of content ready for updates, not to mention some KILLER pics from photo shoots the day after the show!
Love,
G

Two years have led up to this weekend. Two of the longest years of my life! Such a test of will was put into place in early '05 and I DID IT...I made it through. Catastrophic injuries, the worst grieving process I have ever experienced, countless hours of aches and pains, and sacrificing time with friends and family have all taken me to this place where I sit now.

I have fallen out of love with female bodybuilding, but still have a desire and passion to show the masses what it is "supposed" to look like. I hope to do that this Friday in Arlington...and God-willing, go on to the Ms. Olympia 5 weeks later. I am very happy with what I have achieved and overcome. I am equally as happy to have a saint of a man by my side and hope to make him supremely proud this weekend. His gift to this sport is unparalleled and I am blessed to have been a recipient of it.

I am not going into this show with any pretentious notions or expectations of my placing. I am simply thrilled to finally be back on stage. I have heard that I am one of the favorites to do well....I am honored to hear that....but we must realize that this is going to be one tough show! This is the PROS folks---these ladies are ALL good! Come what may, I am going to have a GOOD TIME both backstage and on it. This journey has been challenging, so I am going to enjoy the end result heartily!

I wish my fellow competitors the best...I am sure their stories are similar to my own in terms of the sacrifices and pains that they have been through. We are all champions and it is our time to shine. Thanks to Ed and Betty Pariso for continuing to support fbbing and providing us a place to compete!

See you all soon!!! Here I go.....
G

Saw the doc yesterday morning and the diagnosis was: medial gastroc tear--classic case, which just means that I don't need any MRI's or ultrasounds to be definitive--it is a blatant injury. Inadvertently I have been doing the BEST thing with it the previous week with continuing to walk around while being careful and icing and elevating at every chance. The movement is preventing any scar tissue from building up and causing a weak area in the calf to retear in the future. At this point, he says I may still have some swelling at showtime depending upon the amount of activity I do between now and then (which is astronomical) and the bruising may still be there as well. The swelling can be alleviated by putting my legs up before going on stage and the bruising can be covered by tanning products...so there! I have it all figured out! lol! At any rate, he and I agreed that I will be just fine for the show. YIPPEE!! As if there were any other choice!

In gym news, I am still feeling strong although I think I can enter REM sleep in between exercises, which tells you how out of it an athlete can become close to showtime! I caught myself yesterday standing up with my eyes closed about the time H said "let's go!" LOL! Carri and I posed last night which is always a fun, fun time...yep! I am telling you, by the time we are done, I will be able to hold a pose all night if need be!

Member news: Andy has all of my update material and should get to it today. I have included my 4 weeks out countdown pics along with another training gallery and three video clips of Carri's "boot camp" lat stretching exercises. I still have a little trouble getting my left lat out in the right position, so she is helping me with what you will see on the clips. In all of the pics, you may notice a wrap on my right calf, or you may notice the swelling in that area. I was also having trouble putting sufficient pressure on my right leg during some of the poses, so my right quad looks like it's not flexed all the way. No big deal...getting better by the day over here. I will be sending him my 2 weeks out countdown pics this weekend, so you all will have plenty of catching up to do this week! Hope you are enjoying the transformation!!!

Thanks for checking things out--it just gets better and better from here!
G

Well, I see the ortho surgeon in the morning. My calf is almost normal looking right now...almost to the point of wanting to cancel my visit...but I won't. I need to find out the extent of the damage and get any advice on how to keep this thing functional while I dial things in for the Europa. 3 weeks to go kids! I am super excited! My conditioning is right on the money and things are looking GREAT over here. Howard is happy, so that makes me happy! My suits haven't arrived yet *biting fingernails* but CJ told me it would be soon, so I will hang in here and see. Nerve wracking to say the least! Andy should be back from vacation and is probably swamped with all kinds of updates to do for all of his girls, so I will send my content to the server tonight and wait for him to get to it....be patient with him...this update is worth it! Until then, here is a recent pic of me dolled up to go to a friend's b-day party-fun time!
Enjoy!
G

Wow! What a painful time I had in Vegas!!! Let me explain...right before leaving, I made a sudden move to take off and run while on an unstable surface and felt a POP in my right calf--followed by a lot of pain and inability to flex or extend. No choice--got on that plane and helped my girls, Jill and Natalie, out for the weekend. NOT FUN physically, but was very proud to be there to witness Jill looking better than ever and Natalie snatching that pro card. Congratulations to both ladies---couldn't have done a better job.

Now that I am back home and continuing to wobble around on this thing, I am noticing quite a bit of swelling and bruising that is pooling around my right ankle. I am convinced that I have a slight tear which is bleeding down. I have made an appt with my ortho surgeon to get the definitive word...it simply doesn't matter what he says...I am still training and finding ways to keep my foot level while I bang out cardio too! I have even survived a leg workout modified to make sure no further damage occurs to the calf. I am pissed about this, but certainly not out of the game--not by a long shot. Each day brings about MAJOR improvements which is a testimony to the power of prayer, what I like to call "supernatural" healing ability, and intelligent training methods. This is simply another bump in the road for this girl. Ahhh...what would a prep be without a monkey wrench thrown in there? Boring to be sure! lol! Onward I go...once again!

Member news: Andy is on vacation and should be back tomorrow or the next day, so hang in there...I have a lot of content for ya saved up and he will get on it asap when he returns home. You will notice a wrap on my right calf area there to protect it while I continue training. I cannot put as much pressure on my leg as well, so my right quad area doesn't appear as tight as the left...all of this will be a-okay once the swelling is down and I can bear down on that calf a bit more. 4 weeks out and Gina strains her calf---beautiful! lol! Wish me luck!
G