We are finally back from our two week tour of the USA!! I don't think that I have ever been so home sick in my entire life.....I have never left my son Alex for longer than 4 days at one time....Boy did we miss him!!!!!
Our first visit was to Las Vegas where I competed at the FITNESS OLYMPIA!!!! Since earning my pro card in 2004, I have now competed in three Fitness Olympia's. It was such an honor to have earned the opportunity to represent Canada and compete amongst the best fitness athletes in the world. My experience at this event was a positive one and of course it's always a learning experience!!!....I met many incredible and supportive fans, had the opportunity to meet and hang out with many of the other competitors, worked with many photographers over the course of the week and even had some free time to hit the slots!!!!
I was pleased with the overall package that I brought to the stage.....I nailed both of my routines and ended up placing 8th overall.(some sites say I was 9th, but more of them say 8th.....I'm going to go with 8th...sounds a lot better!!!) I competed on Friday Sept 29th and then shot most of the day with a few photographers and then made an appearance at the Flexflix booth and had an amazing interview with Garry Bartlett. My Saturday was full, to say the least!!!!! Saturday evening, my best Friend Tambra and her fiance Jay, met up with us (it was their 5 yr anniversary, so they decided to celebrate that and also come and support me at the O!!!) We went out for a nice dinner and then we hit the bars......whoo hoo!!! Dennis, Jay and Tambra were my entertainment for the evening...I couldn't celebrate....I had to compete the following week in West Palm Beach, so i was still following my diet!!! I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my entire life....Dennis was a little (ok, a lot) intoxicated and made me almost wet my pants....(he never drinks, so it didn't take much to get him drunk!!!!! ) Wow....what an evening!!!
Sunday morning I hit the gym and then Dennis and I met up with Jay and Tambra for lunch before they had to leave. We had so much fun and I was so excited that Tambra and Jay could make it to Vegas....I will cherish all of these hilarious and unique memories forever.
Monday was a very productive day. I shot the entire day with Dennis, Mike and Robby from HERBICEPS out at Redrock. It was the perfect day to shoot. It was so bright and sunny...out at Redrock, it is very peaceful and seems to almost put you in a trance....I absolutely love to shoot there....We later went out for dinner to the Wynn Hotel. The food was incredible.....although I had to be very picky with what I ate, I enjoyed seeing what everyone else around me was enjoying. MMMMMMM....next time!!!
The rest of the week I ended up doing a few more shoots around the pool, made sure I got a few good workouts in, played a few more slots, lost some money and tried to catch up on my sleep......Dennis and I had to be at the airport by 12 midnight on Thursday to fly out to West Palm Beach....our plane left at 1am....I was really not enjoying not being able to sleep!!! We arrived in West Palm Beach Thursday morning at 11:30am...Boy, were we exhausted...When we checked in to the hotel, Dennis and I decided to go for a walk downtown and find the venue and pick up some groceries. Then back to the hotel we went to cook our food and get some sleep. Later that evening I went to the gym to do some cardio and some light stretching. It felt really good to get a workout in!!! Friday morning I actually slept in...it felt great!!! Dennis and I hung out in our room most of the day. We ate, slept and then Dennis tanned me up.....
Saturday morning we met at the theatre for our athletes meeting and then the pre judging began at mid-morning. There were 13 amazing fitness competitors and 26 figure competitors...it was crazy back stage...but we all managed to share the mirrors and bathrooms!!
Overall the show was great...the girls were all so amazing and I had such a great time getting to know some of the newer competitors a little better. Dennis and I left the show feeling a little frustrated and disappointed with my placing. We were really hoping for another Olympia Qualification, but I guess 4th overall wasn't too bad. The other competitors were all so good, but I felt frustrated because I think this was one of the best overall packages I have brought to the stage and placed worse. I am now looking forward to my off season training and will hopefully receive an invite to the 2007 Fitness International/Arnold Classic. After the show, Dennis and I went to the CheeseCake Factory and had a bite to eat with Kendra and Michael Elias...it was really nice to hang out with them....Thanks guys!!!
Dennis and I had to get back to the hotel early that evening because we had to get up at 3am and be at the airport for 4:30am. We decided to extend our trip a few more days and visit Mike and Rikki (HERBICEPS) in Philidelphia. It was a great visit and we got a ton of work done for my site. Thank you Mike and Rikki for opening your home up to Dennis and Myself. We had a great time with both of you!!
We returned back to Canada on Thanksgiving Monday......We promised Alex that we would be home to celebrate and have Thanksgiving Dinner with him. My mom made an amazing dinner and it was probably the best meal to come home to!!!! I was so home sick and I think Alex was too. It seemed like forever to be away from him.....I really don't think I can leave him again for that long...looks like he'll be coming to the Arnolds!!!! haha!!
Since we've been back, Dennis and I have been working at our new facility and are getting ourselves organized within our new home! It feels great to be back and I love walking into the gym and seeing familiar, happy and welcoming faces....
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along my 2006 fitness journey. It has been a long and successful competitive season and I couldn't have done it without all of you. Thank you to: Dennis Beitler, my amazing trainer, training partner, best friend and hubby...you are incredible...thank you for being there every step of the way.... my mom, Dad, Grama Pat, and my sister for taking care of Alex and Happy while we are away...it would be virtually impossible to compete without your help, Sportlab nutrition, Karen from KHP Designs for making my creative fitness outfits, Berns from Passion Fruit Designs for creating my beautiful suits, Scott Bialik for designing and creating my fitness routine music...totally rocked the house, Serena for spending time with me with my routines, my clients , Doug Schneider and my very supportive fans.....I appreciate all of your ongoing support.....THANK YOU!!!!!
Just to let everyone know....If you have recently emailed me, I am not ignoring any of you. My computer crashed while we were away and I have lost all of my email/contact addresses. Please email me your information so we can stay in touch........Thank you!!!! What a pain in the butt....I have had to take this computer in 2 times in the last week to get things working properly....Go figure!!!!
Now back to work..........................
Mindi O
xo
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