One week till nationals!!!! I did a run through of my routine tonight, it was awesome! Lots of energy, and it was a clean run. Posing practice is killing me, I am so sore just from quarter turning!!!! It's good for me though.....I have been packing my suitcases for backstage, and just for traveling. There are so many little things to organize. You may take a million things and never use any of them, but there will be that one time you need something.....and that makes it worth taking. I have my backstage cheat goodies all ready and packed! I betcha want to know what they are huh? I always take tropical flavor starburst (they are sodium free and a quick energy source backstage), dried mangos (which I always regret eating the next day- major gut ache), and tootsie rolls:) PURE SUGAR!!!!! I can't eat much goodies because of the upcoming bone marrow harvest, so I just took small baggies of each thing.....I have to show some restraint! It won't be good for me to have 15 lbs of extra water on my body the week of the bone marrow harvest:) I am so excited for nationals, but I am so ready to be "normal" again. I have so many plans for my 6months off from competing!!! I am going to put on at least 5 lbs of muscle on my upper body.....It will be so fun to really lift heavy again. Well, I must go spend time with my kids, they are not getting enough of me as it is lately. They are watching the Wizard of Oz- I think I love watching it more than they do:) I will write soon. I will leave you with a saying I was given a few days ago, it has become my mantra:

If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.

Tami