Oct. 22- 2002

WOW- what a weekend. That pretty much sums it up! I don't think I want to see Vegas until the USA's next year ( to watch, not compete in).

Where should I start? My flight left at 7 a.m. on Thurs. morning. It took off on time and it was a smooth flight. I sat next to my good friend Jon Ripa! We had a few laughs to say the least. Meanwhile- I was trying to arrange for my make-up artist ( Hope Zarro ) , to meet Dave Palumbo and Beth Roberts at the Mandalay Bay Hotel to get Beth ready for the Olympia. Fortunately, that all worked out okay.

I arrived around 12:30 ish and had to check in. I was starving so we all ate a buffet , where I got just plain turkey breast and salad. I was going to skip prejudging and train but was convinced to go see what was going on with the show. I am glad that I did. Just to see Lenda Murrey was incredible. She looked amazing. If she was in that type of condition back in 1997 she would have beat Kim. She looked that amazing. Her glutes where striated. In the LW class, it was clear that it would be Juliette Burgman for the title with the overall going to Lenda.

I had to work the Scitec booth all day on Friday and Saturday. The worst part of this whole experience was a clear lack of sleep. Every night there was a party. It was dancing, dancing , dancing all night long. I defiantly got my cardio in. I brought a ton of food with me and ended up eating it all. That was a smart move on my part- believe me.

The days started blending into nights. It was hard to tell the two apart. I was so tired that I missed both night shows. There really was no time. I needed to sleep- at least for a couple of hours. I managed to go to the gym every day but took Monday off. I just couldn't manage to get up and do cardio before the plane.

Our flight left at 12:30- we literally barely made our flight. The lines were insane. It was crazy at the airport. Had we not made it- we would have had to stay in Vegas another night b/c all the flights were sold out.

I am so happy to be home. Now it is time to focus on National's. I do not have a lot of time. I have to make everyday count. I am going to press on -- no matter what. I am not going to give up.

My back is feeling better. I get acupuncture on Friday again. So- I am looking forward to that. I am also ready for a message- that is for sure!