I still live in Illinois not far from where I grew up,
and where my parents still live. There was a time in my life when
my husband and I were traveling like crazy around the U.S., that I
would have moved back to California, but once we became parents I
never thought twice about leaving my family. Some things are more
important!
Today I am a personal trainer and full-time mother of
two. I have been married for 5 1/2 years and know the meaning of multitasking!
I have always been athletically built with wide shoulders and muscular
legs. I was a sprinter on the track team in Jr. High (usually anchoring
all my relay races), and I was heavily involved the art of dance.
From the age of 8 years old I have been performing in front of an
audience under those bright stage lights. I have always felt alive
and exillerated performing and creating...it is there that I feel
fullfillment beyond words.
When I hear the beats of a drum or the keys to a piano,
my mind is creating movement. I even had the opportunity to audition
for the Chicago Academy for the Arts High School at age 14 and was
accepted. I declined the scholarship to attend my local high school
and dance at numerous studios in the suburbs and the city of Chicago
(including a scholarship for Joal Hall). In the end I feel I made
the best decision with my mother's help.
My life would have been very different had I chose to
attend high school in the city. While performing with the dance company
in college, rehearsals several nights a week, and completing 22 credit
hours, I was approached by a male graduate student (5' 11", 260 lbs.),
who was looking for a mixed pairs partner to compete with. That individual
along with all my "North Quad" buddies are the reason I competed in
my first competition, and my hunger for bodybuilding began.
Their passion and committment to their goals and dreams
lives within me today! Smitty, Ron, Big Dave, John, Tony, Justin and
Gabe, what can I say except...I will never forget any of you! How
I actually got involved with lifting was with my husband, Michael.
I lifted in high school a bit and was nominated "most likely to FLEX
in front of the mirror", but didn't incorporate it into my daily life
until my husband and I began working out together my sophmore year
in college.
I was a phycology major, realizing that I wanted to
help people in a more preventitive way by teaching them how to cope
with stress and problems by exercise and obtaining the natural "high"
that comes from physical work . My maiden name is Reilly, and the
alcoholism in my extended family runs deep. Finding a possitive way
to deal with difficulties was something I was forced to learn at an
young age with a lot of incredible people such as Dan, Char, Rex and
the public speaking I did for the snowflake program and peer counceling
groups I led.
My husband also introduced me to the magnificent great
outdoors! WOW! What adventures we have had all over the United States.
Rock climbing, river rafting, sky-diving, cave splunking, back country
backpacking, living on the road for up to two weeks. There is nothing
in the world like waking up under the stars or on the beach...when
it's all so simple you realize what life is all about....you become
a part of the beauty and feel connected and balenced. True peace!
We even pumped our own drinking water in the back country and hung
our packs in the trees so the bears would stay clear. I will never
forget my travel days and the stories that still make me smile.
My husband and I had some fantastic times with some
incredible people. It is not where you are in life but who you are
with that makes it memorable and unforgettable! My life is very busy
and filled with love these days. Married with two children ages 5
years old and 7 months old keeps me busy at home, not to mention my
personal training clients and my own work outs. But I have gotten
very good at slowing down and taking lots of time to enjoy what's
important. My husband is very involved with our kids as well. I am
so fortunate to have that. There are so many fathers who miss out
and moms who never get their time away. I am blessed!
My goal in body building is to be a possitive role model
to others that natural female muscle is beautiful and that being a
mommy, (or struggling with a challenge), doesn't mean you have to
lose yourself. I want to stand for what is possible and attainable
with hard work, multitasking and a lot of love and support of family
and friends! Anything is possible... the only limits are those we
place apon ourselves. Bodybuilding is an art to me. I am sculpting
my own masterpiece and embracing the athletic, strong, feminine, creative
women that I am.
Life gets tough when I train for a competition and I
become extremely focused on my goal. I expect a lot of my husband
and I don't think I can express enough just how much it means to me
that he has supported my dreams and ambitions, picking up the pieces
where they have fallen over the years. I am truely blessed to have
such an incredibly devoted and supportive partner and friend. When
I'm not working out I am kissing my baby boy and big girl! I am changing
diapers, driving my daughter to pre-school and picking her up, taking
her to gymnastics and dance, cleaning the house, washing the dishes,
feeding our German Shepard (all 110 lbs of him), cooking dinner, grocery
shopping, the dreaded chore (laundry), training clients, e-mailing
and calling family and friends, mailing bills, scapbooking, watching
a movie or decorating the house.
I am a busy woman, wife, mother, athlete and professional
but I would trade my life with no one! I have everything I want and
all the tools to make my dreams a reality. My plans for 2004... Enjoy
every moment and milestone in my son's first year and my daughter's
5th, nurse my son until he is a year old so he can grow up to be the
healthy, strong man that I know he will be. I will return to the stage...
stronger and better than before, as I will have one more little voice
in my cheering section and one more smile in my life! I will be returning
to the stage in 2005. I plan to take your breath away! :) Back
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