Decorate Your Soul

     Be the color in this black and white world

     Be the brave one to stand out of this crowd

     Let no energies intoxicate your purest of hues

     Feel free to dance, to express, to decorate your soul

THE BIG CAT

It's important to start your Mondays on a good note in order to set the pace for the rest of the week so I tend to have little self pep talks haha. "You are beautiful and you are strong." I'm putting myself out there because this is going to be my very first competition! Im scared but excited and I thank you all for your love and support!!

August 17, 1998

We've come a long way, you and I, and although you are up there in the sky and I am down here with this human life, we see eye-to-eye on the matters at hand: the importance of our mind's enlightened heights. I live two-fold mindful of our 

separate places, but united we will be once I serve this life's purpose. You are my brother, my memory, my reason to be stronger. You are my angel, my savior, my light when things get darker. Smile down when you are watching us, smile up when I sense your touch. We will meet again, that I am sure, but until then my dear, Michael, I live for me and I live for you and seek to keep the sun beaming between us.

14 years and counting. I still miss you and love you the same. ♥

-Nini

This is dedicated to the one I love: My Marie.

My Marie.

My sister, my soulmate, my partner in crime. You are so full of heart and genuine love, you have blessed me with your friendship from the moment we met. Our instant connection and understanding for each other are much too abstract to describe in words, but much too powerful to be coincidence. You are the balance I've sought out for years, the sister I've longed since birth, and the best success partner I could ever ask for. We laugh, we vent, we fight and we lecture. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Today we celebrate your life for all that you are and all that you do. We celebrate your creativity, determination and independence. We celebrate how far you've come with your fitness journey and your inspirational story. Today we celebrate YOU. From the inside out, Marie, you are stunningly beautiful. You deserve the world. Happy birthday, B, I love you!!! 

Tony Horton, THAT TEAM, That Girl... on TV... no Big Deal.

Check us out  =))

P90X on Fox

CHOBANI LOVE!

I was walking around with my soul sister, Marie, in Soho, New York, this past weekend and came across a joint called Chobani.  My heart stopped and I thought to myself, "Wait, what??  NO WAY."  I told her that we had to go inside and check it out.  As soon as we entered it was clear that it was exactly what I had thought it was!  A GREEK YOGURT BAR.

This guy greeted us kindly as he handed us the yogurt menu.  Holy crap.  We were both beyond excited.  Apparently they just opened 2 weeks ago!  Here are some pics of our wonderful experience.  Enjoy =))

Doesn't it look so cute from the outside??

The ever-so-simple menu

These are some amazing recipes that we can all make ourselves!

The pictures made it really tough to decide which one to try...

After 10 minutes (literally), I finally went with the "Blueberry + Power",

which consists of blueberries, chia seeds, hemp, walnuts and some light agave.

Marie decided to try the "Toasted Coconut + Pineapple" yogurt,

which consisted of pineapple, toasted coconut, hazelnuts and light agave.

They were beautiful and delicious and the best part of all?  We got to keep the glass bowls!

YAY, CHOBANI!

Rule #1

My trainer has quite the sense of humor LOL

Quotes!

I love quotes!! So I'm including a ton of quotes into my latest fitness journal. This will keep me focused and motivated as I document my moves, thoughts, struggles and growth. I'm determined, are you?

Truth.

Journaling FTW!

Three years ago, I decided that my first steps into this new and healthier lifestyle were worthy enough to be remembered for life. I started my first fitness journal and kept track of my nutrition, of positive and motivational quotes, of my fitness goals and progress, and most importantly of my personal growth. It was a great idea and I'm glad I kept up with it for a long time.

Now, three years later, I still feel the same way. I'm not quite sure when or why things came to a halt and, in fact, I have no idea where that journal is now... What I do know though is that I'm excited to start fresh with this new journal of mine! I've got some exciting new goals to share with all of you so I hope you're ready.

Sippin' on some cold water while I break into the first pages of my new journal...

Yepp, that's right! This girl right here? This girl right here? She is challenging herself to compete in her first bodybuilding figure competition! NPC, here I come!! And yes, having made all this progress towards becoming more of a woman, I just had to to keep my journal as feminine as possible, hence all the flowery pinkness. Don't hate, appreciate!  Balance is key, hahaha.


Well there you have it!  Follow me as I transform into a figure competitor!  =))

...But enough about me!  Let's come full circle!  You see, we all develop our own system over time, a way of keeping our head up when things are down and our body moving when it feels like doing otherwise. It takes trial and error, but hey, we do what we've got to do to stay afloat!

Word of advice: Don't ever be afraid to share your system with others because you never know if your system can work for someone else.  And also, share, share, SHARE.  Share your story, share your goals, share your progress.  Accountability is commendable, motivational and inspirational.  So what are you waiting for!?  Inspire the world!