**Home Sweet Home**

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I am 1 day away from the 2011 Fox Cities Showdown and I am so excited! Yesterday I arrived at my house [for the first time this semester] around 2pm. My mom was still working and my brother was not home from school yet, so I unpacked and started my laundry.

My mom had this note waiting for me which was very thoughtful of her because she always has delicious treats around the house and then I was reminded to stay out of the cupboards hehe

It felt SO good to be home! I had a few hours to finish a few show prep things [shave spot check, exfoliate again, give myself a pedicure] before my family came home. My mom came home first and I greeted her with tuna packet in my hand and gave her a BIG hug. It was so great to see her!!! I love my mom and I am so blessed that she is so supportive of both me and my brother. I ran in my room and put on my bikini and heels and was so excited to show her the progress I have made. She was very proud of me.

About 30 minutes later my brother Josh came home and of course the first thing we do is have a pose off  [typical Lindbom brother:sister greeting:] and show off all our hard work and progress.  He looks fantastic and I know he is going to do very well tomorrow!!! I am so proud of you Josh and I am so excited to share this experience with you! Who's Da Bomb? Da Lindbom :)

It was then time for my mom to take me to my hair appointment with Jen for my cut and highlight. I have not seen her since before I started cutting so I was definitely overdue. It was really nice catching up with her and sharing my excitement for the upcoming weekend. It was nice to sit and relax for a few hours. Oh and yes I did have chicken in my purse and whipped it out when my color was processing. I can now say that I had chicken in a hair salon haha. It was a really good night, and it only just started. Jen did an AMAZING job on my hair :) THANK YOU JEN MILIS AT SALON CTI!!!! <3

Got Chicken?

After the hair appointment we went back home where Josh was waiting for us. We ate some chicken together and cooked more for the rest of the weekend. We spent the night watching Talledaga Nights and then started watching a season of Will and Grace [our favorite...next to the Office]. It was really nice to spend quality time with my brother and talk about our excitement for the big show. I think I finally fell asleep around 1:30 am [this has been a common theme the past week haha] and I woke up wide awake at 5am. Luckily my mom was awake also so we went for a nice walk this morning in the sunshine. When I am home in the summertime we go on a a lot of walks together so it was nice to finally be able to do it again.

Well it is time for me to do some dishes...I promised mom I would do them while I am still spray tan free because after I am orange there will be no dishes washing :) My sister and niece are also coming over shortly so I will get to spend the morning with them. It is going to be a very wonderful day!!!!!!

Safe travels to everyone heading to the Fox Cites for the competition :)


SHOUT OUT TO MY WIFEY, ANGEL!!!!! TOMORROW IS YOUR BIG DAY ON STAGE TOO!!!! I WILL BE YELLING GOOOOOOOOOOOO #105  FROM WI :) SO PROUD OF YOU!! MWAH!!!

Enjoy the sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SJ Xo

!!!!!!!!!!!!! T Minus 3 Days!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

I am 3 days away from 2011 Fox Cities Showdown NPC National Qualifier. I am very excited and I cannot believe how fast it is coming up. I have been happy all week and in good spirits with the anticipation for Saturday. I have been working for almost a year for this, and this weekend I get to show off all of my hard work and shine on stage. I am so proud of myself and a year ago I would have never thought I would be doing this. I am also VERY proud of my younger brother, Joshua who is competing for the second time as well. It is going to be an amazing experience we get to share together. I am also happy to share it with my supportive family and friends who will be with me to share my special day.

This week I did cardio both in the morning and in the evening after lifting. To finish out my training before the show I did:
Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body:
Wednesday: 1 exercise/muscle group
Tomorrow morning I will do my last cardio session before the show, and then I am heading home!!!!

I have not been home all semester so I am extremely happy that I get to see my family! Tomorrow when I get home I am going to visit my sister and my niece and then when my mom gets out of work she is taking me to get my hair cut/colored so I can be fresh for the show. I am looking forward to spending time with my mom. I have also not been to the salon to see Jen all semester so I am over due :)

Good things to come. I will try to do a better job keeping everyone up to date with all of my show prep!
Tonight after work I get to exfoliate again and continue prepping my skin for the spray tan :) Lots of fun stuff :)

Have a wonderful evening!!!!!!!! SMILE!!!!! :)

SJ xo

*What's Really Important*

Hello!! Happy Easter to YOU all!!! :)

Wow time is just flying by and it will be showtime before I know it. I am very proud of myself for the dedication I have shown in the past year with working towards my goals. I am so thankful have a life filled with so many supportive individuals who care about me. Thank you to all of you who have stayed by my side and given me that extra push when I need it. It means a lot.

Feeding the ducks french fries :)

This weekend I stayed at school and worked and was able to stay focused on eating good and getting my training and posing in. My friend Nikki gave me a break from my crazy life and we went out to the river to feed the ducks last night when I was done working. Who would think that something so simple could impact your life so much. For an hour we were outside enjoying the beautiful things nature has to offer. I think it is really important to take time like this away from the stressed of life and allow yourself to reflect and just be free. Thank you Nikki for being a wonderful friend :)

Take time to enjoy the ducks :)

This final week is going to go very fast because I have a lot of school work that needs to be completed as the semester is also coming to an end. I will stay focused until the end :) Never give up!!!!
COUNTDOWN: 4 days until I go home, 6 days until showtime!!!!!

Have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine :)

SJ xo

Balance :)

Good Morning Everyone!!

Who's Excited? :)

I just wanted to stop by and let you know that everything is going wonderful with the final days of prep. I am very focused and I do not back down on any challenge. Not only is the show 10 days away, but school is also just about over as well so that means its crunch time! I have a lot I need to accomplish before the show and right after so it is very important I keep my school work a priority also. That means a lot of very late nights studying and working on projects to make sure I can succeed in all areas.

I stayed up until 1am studying for an exam and then woke up at 5:25am for my round one of cardio. Most people would think I am crazy but if I don't focus on the negative aspect of getting no sleep and focus on the positive part such as preparing myself for an exam or waking up to become one step closer to my dreams, then it is all worth it!!!!

It is another long day on campus but I have my meals measured, packed and ready to go and everything packed so I can workout after class tonight. I am ready for anything...bring it on! ;)

Time to get moving to class...you know it is bad when you have to set TWO alarms for yourself in the morning....1 alarm to wake up for a.m. cardio, and another one reminding me to stop posing and get out of my heels and bikini and get to class :)

Make it a great day!!!

SJ xo 

Walking on Sunshine!!

Hello Everyone and HAPPY MONDAY!!!

I woke up after only having 5 hours of sleep and before my feet even hit the ground I told myself it was going to be a wonderful day and nothing was going to get in the way of that. You are in charge of your attitude and your feelings and I am going to be happy and positive :)

Here are all of the wonderful things that have happened for me today:
1. Looked on track this morning when I saw myself in the mirror...great feeling being 12 days out!

2. Walked over to do my cardio and I got to listen to the birds chirping and watch the sun rise on my way back. I love watching the sun rise and the sun set because it reminds me of my mom. We always watch the sun when we go for walks together when I am home in the summer time.

The sun rise after morning cardio :)

3. Talked with my professor after class because I was worried about passing the class and it turns out I can easily earn a C or higher. I am very happy about this and forgot about all of the other grades in the class besides the exams. It will be a lot of work these next few weeks but I know I can do anything. I fully expect to stay up until 1am every day this week studying and doing homework but I am so game. BRING IT ON :)

4. I was able to lift with my good friend Tyler today. Always nice to mix it up and lift with a friend for extra motivation! It also means I get to lift heavier because I have a trusting spotter :) Thank you Dr Ryce!

5. When I went home on break I had a UPS package waiting at my door :) I placed an order with www.netrition.com and ordered: Capella flavor drops (chocolate toffee and coconut....I am going to put these in my oats for a tasty treat! I also ordered PB2 (powdered peanuts...85% less fat than natural peanut butter!!...Thank you Angel for telling me about this awesome product!!!) I am very excited to try all of these products!!




6. I talked to my mom, sister, and brother on the phone today! It was so wonderful to hear from each of them. Their support means the world to me I cannot wait to see them in 10 days as I have not been home at all yet this semester. Love you guys!! and PS: Bro keep up the AMAZING work!!! 12 days until we hit the stage together!!!! I am so proud of you!!!

7. I am full of energy! I look forward to every meal and even though 90% of them consist of chicken and yams I eat them with a smile on my face and I would not give it up for anything :)

8. A friend in one of my education classes gave me a pair of super sparkley earrings to wear on stage. I am so thankful for people like her :) I cannot wait to wear them on stage they are going to make me shine!

All of these wonderful things have happened and it is not even 6pm yet :) The rest of my evening is: meeting with a group to work on a project, doing my last cardio session, packing up my meals for camp tomorrow, and a long night of studying. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week brings :)

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!! Life your life to the fullest and do not let the little things stress you out. Life is too short for that :) PS- Walking on Sunshine literally came on right before I started writing this blog post. How perfect :)

SJ xo

2 Weeks Til Dream Time :)

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I have been majorly slacking on keeping you up to date with my progress and training. It has been two weeks since Gopher and I have two more weeks 'til Fox Cities! Time is flying by! After talking to a few of the judges at the show they told me to not get any leaner for this next show so I am doing my best to maintain until I hit the stage again.


I am very focused and am running around like the energizer bunny and I have a smile on my face every day :) I thought for sure I would be feeling dead by this point but with being ahead of schedule with my prep has made life a little easier. I have been doing my cardio the same, but I have just been eating more carbs to prevent myself from losing any more weight. For cardio I do 30 minutes of fasted cardio interval training on the stair master in the morning and then after I lift in the evening I do 30 more minutes of cardio except this time I go on the treadmill and I max out the incline (it only goes to 15! haha) and walk 3.5-4.5 mph. I am definitely noticing some more tightening in my glute/ham region which is exciting! Even with it only being two weeks I have noticed some changes in my body [good changes!] that I am happy about :)


Thank you again to all of my  family and friends that have been supporting me during my journey. I really appreciate it! This want to accomplish my goals more than anything and I am never going to give up! Remember to wake up and smile every day. I decided I am not going to let anything stress me out anymore and you should do the same. Life is too short...SMILE and enjoy every day!


SJ xo

::Audacity: The willingness to take bold risks::

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the late post. I have been so busy since the show I was not able to let you know in detail how it went. My NPC competition in MN: Army National Guard Gopher State was a SUCCESS!!!! It was such a wonderful experience. I enjoyed seeing so many friends and making so many new ones.

Got my hair all done and have my warm up on :) I am ready to go!

Saturday morning I did my hair starting at about 5am. I did not sleep at all the night before due to excitement so I counted down til 5am and started getting ready after that. Then Sara came over to help me with my stage make up. She did an amazing job and made me feel great :) We headed over to the competition early in the morning so I could make my athlete meeting before the show. When I walked in I saw my friend Mike and I was so excited! I was very happy he came to cheer me on! :)

A smiling face greeting me when I got to the competition :)

I started seeing some familiar faces file into the prep room. I got to see Willie (women's bb) , Mo (bikini class a), Lucy (bikini class a) , and JD (men's bb and physique). It was nice to see some familiar faces and start making some friends too! 

Lori and I backstage hanging out :)

I met a girl named Lori who was also in Bikini B with me. She was really nice and we had a lot of fun together during the day. I hope to compete with her again in the future...she will definitely do great in this sport :)

JD the Killa and SJ in the PUMP UP room :)

Before I went on stage I had to get oiled up and my suit had to be glued to me...just in case. All of the girls lined up and we were ready for prejudging. I was the last one from Bikini Class B to come out because I registered so late. I had 7 girls in my class and it was all of our first time. Each competitor walked out to the center of the stage and got about 10 seconds to pose and then lined up on the diagonal line. I felt calm waiting for it to be my turn. No reason to be nervous. I worked extremely hard for this moment and it was my time to shine. When I walked out there I could feel my heart starting to race but I got through my 10 seconds and lined up on the diagonal. Next we filed in a line in front of the judges. We did one turn to the back and after we turned to the front I heard "Number 83 switch places with....(I don't remember exactly who) but I was going to the MIDDLE!! :) I knew exactly what that meant and I was all smiles and not scared anymore. Whatever I was doing, I was doing it right and I was shining :) I stayed in the middle for a few turns and then went to the right and left spots in the center. After prejudging I felt AMAZING :)

Pre-Judging when I was in the middle :)

After pre-judging was all over Sara took me to the store so I could get some more tuna, rice cakes, more fake nails (mine kept falling off!! haha), and I let myself get a treat for after the show...yup you guessed it: REESES EGGS!!! :) We went back to the hotel and I relaxed in my room for a while and made some phone calls to my friends and family back home to inform them on the exciting morning I had. Everyone told me to try to nap between the shows but I knew that wasn't happening :) I fixed my hair and Sara helped me touch up my makeup for the night show.

Standing proud and smiling big with my 2nd Place Trophy!

I was SUPER excited for the night show and I was feeling very confident about it. I could not stop smiling the entire time and I was having fun with the girls back stage. I my suit was re-glued and I was oiled up and ready to go. We lined up to go on stage and it was very similar to the morning except we were not going to be on stage as long...oh and there was WAY more people in the audience watching :) We came out in the same order so I was last again. After we did 1-2 turns to the front and back we filed off and we were told who made Top 5. I made the cut along with my friend Lori. We were very excited. We came back to go out on stage and awards were given. They called us out onto the diagonal line and gave out trophies. All I remember is them saying 5th place to....4th place to....3rd place to.....and then I was thinking "OMG I either got 1st or 2nd!!!!" and then they called my name for 2nd place! I was sooooooooooo happy and so proud!!!! :) I have been working so hard towards this and it felt amazing to earn that trophy. 
As soon as I got off stage I took a picture with my phone to send to my friends and family back home. I could not believe it. I was talking to my family on the phone and I started crying because I was so happy and felt so proud of my accomplishment. It was the BEST day ever!!!!!!

TEAM SARA :) Thank you for EVERYTHING this weekend girl!!!! <3

After the show some of us went out to eat together to celebrate!! JD and his wife Natalie, Allison aka Mizz Legz :) and Shawn, Sara and her friend, and I all went to eat. I treated myself to some chicken fajitas and Mmmm were they good :) I did not want to eat something too bad since I still have the Fox Cities Showdown coming up April 30th :) It was a great way to celebrate with friends who are like family :)


Thank you everyone who believed in me and made my dream a reality <3
SJ XO




 

BABY YOUR A FIREWORK :)

Hello everyone!

Yes it is 4am and I am WIDE awake. My nerves have definitely gone away and now there is just excitement awaiting. For those who have not caught up in the past few days: I decided to compete in the 2011 NPC Army National Guard Minnesota Gopher State this weekend in the bikini B class [Thank you JD for pushing me to do this. I know I will be thankful I made this decision].

I realize I still have 4 weeks to go until the Fox Cities Showdown but I thought this would be an amazing opportunity to hit the stage and gain some experience before the big day. I was EXTREMELY fortunate to have wonderful friends help me out to make this last minute decision as least stressful as possible. I am VERY thankful for all of you. I wish my family could be here today with me but do not worry I will get a lot of pictures to make up for it :)

I made it to MN yesterday around 4pm and then I did some posing practice, had my first coat of spray tan applied. After having that first coat on everything was coming to life more. I looked in the mirror and I was so proud of the person I saw looking back at me. It was like BAM! :) Last year at this time I would have never imagined I would be where I am today. ANYONE can do ANYTHING. Never forget it :)

I got to see some friends: the Erickson's and also Jala. It was nice to see familiar faces!!!! I checked-in/reg by 7:45pm, went back for another coat of spray tan. There was a long line but it was nice to talk with the other competitors. I smiled as I listened to them talk about all of the tasty food they are going to eat after the show knowing I have to wait another four before I get to eat mom's cookie cake and a Reeses egg-at last! :)  I finally got back to my hotel by 1030pm where I was greeted by the wonderful Sara Lynn with a smiling face and helping hands to make sure I am ready. I am so thankful for her kindness and expertise :)
You rock chica!! ]

Well now it is after 4am and I was laying in bed wondering...is everyone sleeping or are they tossing and turning too? I laid there with a smile on my face imagining how wonderful it is going to feel to finally show all of the hard work I have been putting in. I am really excited about today. I looked at the program and it looks like there is at least 8 girls in my class. I am going to go out there with a smile on my face and bring it :)

I am very excited to see some of my friends compete today as well. Willie and Jala good luck in women's body building!!! You are both amazing and I am so proud of you.

JD the killa :) good luck with men's physique and body building as well. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful friend and mentor. Thanks for helping me find the courage to get my butt on stage today! :)

This morning Sara Lynn is coming over to help me with my make up and taking me over to the athletes meeting. Women go on stage starting at 10:30 I believe so have me in your thoughts then! :) Thank you for all of your support!! <3

I can hear the birds chirping outside now...glad I am not the only one awake :)

Time to go make it happen!!
<3 SJ xo