Ridiculous!

Back before I decided to do this bikini competition, a few friends and I signed up for the R.O.C. Race (Ridiculous Obstacle Course Race).
Having never participated in this event, I didn't know much about it.
All I knew were two things:

1. It was a 5K made up of ridiculous obstacle courses.
2. People wear costumes.

You had me at "ridiculous". 

Sign me up!

Of course, the next logical step was to name our team. We cleverly decided on "R.O.C. Me Amadeus!" 

We were pretty proud of ourselves on that one..and even more so when we decided on homemade shirts, rainbow tutus, socks and colonial wigs!

This plan had success written all over it. 

Behold the full ensemble!

Since I'm a sucker for a theme, I didn't just stop with the costume items. I went above and beyond...

Nails!

I also took a stab at copying a fun rainbow eyeshadow image that I googled!

Not bad, right???

I even managed to talk A.B. into the whole get-up! 

Check out his pretty wig! He fancy.

No colonial wig is complete without a colorful bow!

After we got all dolled up, we headed out to the event!

Now...before you look through the photos of the actual event, 

I want to apologize for the obnoxious watermark located smack-dab in the middle of each photo. 

You see...there is something else that is ridiculous about this event.

They had photographers throughout the entire course taking photos of the participants, which was great! We didn't have to worry about bringing waterproof cameras and we knew the pictures would be really fun!

What's insane is that if you want to download just ONE photo (and I'm not even talking about the hi-res option) it is $11.99! That's right! $11.99 for ONE photo! 

That means if I wanted to purchase all of the photos that they had of all the members of our group, I'd be looking at over $500.00. 

The only way I'm paying over $500.00 for photos is if I'm wearing a wedding dress in them.

So, ladies and gentleman, here are the watermarked...and FREE images!

When it was all over, we were soaked and we were grimy!

But, at the R.O.C. Race, they've thought of everything....including one huge foam shower to get cleaned up!

This was SURPRISINGLY refreshing!

Once we were cleaned up, I sadly looked upon the line of food trucks and the beer carts. I knew I couldn't stay.  

I admit...it HURT to walk away!

This won't be the last event that has food I have to say "no" to, so I just shrugged, took off my wig and called it a day.

By the time I got home, I was starving. My sadness quickly faded when I whipped up this bikini comp-friendly brunch for myself!

A chicken, egg, spinach, salsa scramble with a whole wheat tortilla! Yummm!!!

So that's it! That was my ridiculous weekend! It was a lot of fun and I'm definitely doing it again next year!

Thanks to my fellow "R.O.C. Me Amadeus" teammates for being such great sports and for not being "too cool" to wear wigs and tutus! 

Can't wait to top it next year!!!!!

ROC ON!

Finding My New "Happy"

Me at 5:00 a.m. with LOTS of black coffee.

I survived two things over the weekend:

-My first holiday on my strict bikini meal plan.

-My first road trip to Vegas on my strict bikini meal plan.

For those of you who don't know, I am from Las Vegas, so most of my immediate family still live there.

Aside from my family members, there is one other very important person who lives there...

My hair stylist. 

Because of this, I visit Las Vegas precisely every 7 weeks. 

That's right. I go to Vegas to get my hair done every 7 weeks. She's THAT good.

To avoid traffic, A.B. and I decided to leave on Saturday morning at 5 a.m. to make it in time for our 10:00 a.m. hair appointment. (She cuts A.B.'s hair too!)

So, with a little over 24 hours to plan for, we knew we needed to break down and purchase a cooler for our Vegas adventures. We headed over to Target and picked up this baby....

Then the measuring, calculating and packing took place. 

It's crazy to see how much food one has to pack for just a 24 hour period!

Anyway, the reason I titled this post "Finding My New 'Happy'" is because I found myself feeling very sad as I approached the weekend. 

I was sad because I couldn't eat this....or drink that. 

A.B. and I wouldn't be able to go out to dinner or kick back with a pizza when we got home from our trip.

And as I realized that all my happiness was wrapped up in food, 

I felt embarrassed.

Seriously, Dawnya? Seriously? You rely THAT MUCH on food to make you happy??

Suddenly, the road to my bikini competition became even longer and I started feeling overwhelmed with my decision.

So, bad mood and all, I stocked up on black coffee and we hit the road for Vegas.

I made it to my appointment and already felt better being a fresh redhead again!

After my appointment, I met up with my girls, Shana and Edwina, for some MUCH needed thrifting therapy! We talked about fitness and eating healthy and the challenges we're all facing. 

I can't even tell you how comforting it is to spend time with people who are living the same lifestyle you are. You don't have to explain why you're pulling a tupperware container of chicken out of your purse or why you need to get home to your food after a few hours because it's time to eat again.

Such a relief...and definitely something I needed. 

Practically got a new wardrobe for $40. I LOVE thrifting!!!!

After thrifting, A.B. and I headed back to my sister's where I spent the entire evening hanging out with her and my two nephews. It was so great and I loved every second of it!!!!

The next morning we hit the road and made sure to stop at our favorite gas station.

(My favorite because it's super clean and I love the name!)

Ok, so...to wrap up this long post, I'll tell you what I realized when it was all over.

Not only did I survive my weekend...I LOVED my weekend.

I loved my weekend... even though I had to sit and eat oatmeal while my hair was being dyed, ate chicken and spinach out of a container at Starbucks, had to pull the car off the freeway to dig a fork out of my trunk just because it was "time to eat". I managed to pull all of this off and STILL have a great time!

It's the people you love and spending time with them that matter. 

Yes, I  miss pizza and of course I miss wine. It's not like I'm an alien.

 But ultimately, those aren't the things that make me happy and I'm so glad my Vegas trip happened when it did, because I needed this lesson right from the start. 

My bikini competition will have many more challenges. 

But, in my opinion, I think I won this round...

and I KNOW I found my new "happy". 

"Carb-aggedon"

I have a confession to make.

 

I went just a LITTLE nuts over the weekend.

I want to make one thing clear though. 

I PLANNED on going nuts over the weekend.

It was not only my last weekend of food freedom before I start my hardcore bikini competition training, it was also my love's birthday!

Here's my "A.B."!

Ugh...could he be any cuter??? :)

A fun fact about A.B. is that he loves airplanes!

We took a mini trip out to Palm Springs to visit the Air Museum and stay the night at a super cute hotel!

Here are some pics from our weekend.

Dinner at home on our patio...complete with twinkle lights, candles and homemade pizza!

 

A kid in a candy store.

The adorable hotel...Villa Royale Inn!!!!

Another fun fact about A.B....he likes to ruin my attempts at "selfies". 

It was such a fun and relaxing weekend and I have nothing to feel guilty about!

Well...that last part isn't exactly true.

I give you...."CARB-AGEDDON"

Pecan Pie for breakfast. Yep.

Yeah...it's bad. Definitely wasn't our finest hour. 

That said... I feel ready. 

I'm ready to take on this crazy bikini challenge. I'm ready to eat clean...REALLY eat clean. I feel focused and determined to run faster, push harder and lift heavier each day I'm at the gym. 

It's going to be a long road and I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm the only one standing in my way.

So...here I go! Just gotta take it one day at a time!

But first....a few moments of silence....