Blog-slacker...sorry. Here's the update:

Wow...my last blog was February 5th!! I'm slacking...I apologize.


First things first: I had a mock-audition this past Sunday with the group I have been rehearsing with for Seattle Sea Gal auditions this coming April (eeeeek!!!). It went really well, the judges were as follows: Miss Q's husband, his friend, a photographer friend, and 2 former Sea Gals (one of whom said I reminded her of herself, which is what Miss Q mentioned earlier as well.) 
We were put into groups of 2 & 3 (because of the odd number of girls) and performed for the judges at the Kirkland Dance Center. We were being judged on technique, stage/field appearance, attitude, and overall like-ability/is-she-fun-to-watch-ness.
I only messed up ONCE & when Chase watched the YouTube link, he couldn't even tell what I did/didn't do to cause me to mess up and told me not to worry about it. I'll be sharing the link with you at the end as well as start times for when I'm actually on-screen in case you don't want to watch the whole thing!
I felt good all-in-all about my performance. I remembered to smile, I hit all of my turns and my kicks, and only forgot one part :)
Since each judge gave feedback for us, Miss Q said she would talk to us individually-that way we could discuss how we could improve. She did (however) send us all a text with the comments across the board so we didn't have to wait for our individual meeting with her. 
Mine said:
GOOD ENERGY
NICE TECHNIQUE
NEEDS MORE SMILING & LESS ATTITUDE
GREAT KICKS.


I THOUGHT I SMILED A LOT!!! Apparently when you grow up doing mainly hip hop or angry style competitive dancing, when you think you're smiling enough, YOU'RE NOT!! grrrrrrrrrrr.........


Here's the link to watch my mock-audition performance. I can be seen in 1st Mock Audition at 00:30, 03:00, 06:32. Mock Audition Part 2 at 01:21 & 04:00 :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Flawlesstan?feature=guide

I also met with a Fitness Model/Personal Trainer/Nutrition Coach this week to talk about my goals and how to improve my eating habits. (I've fallen off of my food-for-fuel kick a bit!) She said based on my activity level, I need to increase my calorie intake (with healthy foods) as well as my hydration. I have 122 lbs of lean muscle mass, which is apparently a very good thing. My body fat percentage is on the higher side of the "Athletic" category, so I'm hoping to get it down a few %'s before auditions. My daily calorie intake should be 1800-2000 calories per day to to lose weight because I'm so active. My body has put itself into a constant starvation-mode because I burn over 1500 calories if I were to just sit around all day...WHICH I DO NOT! So, in eating less than 1500 calories, my body has been storing everything it gets instead of using it as fuel. Kinda the opposite of what I'm going for! She advised me to try to eat 5-6 small meals per day to get to my calorie goal of 1800-2000/day. I'm only on Day 2, but I've done just that and I'm feeling good :) 
I'm using MyFitnessPal to track everything as well as my heart rate monitor that Chase got me for Valentine's Day (thanks honey!). I found out I don't burn very many calories teaching certain classes, meaning I need to focus on working out outside of teaching too. My resting heart rate is between 54-55 bpm, & because I'm so active, getting my heart rate up is a bit of a challenge. During the mock-audition process, my heart rate stayed around 122-140 bpm, & only got up to 169 bpm after the kick-line routine while everyone else's was up around 190 bpm. Maybe it's because I wasn't nervous...maybe it's because my body is used to being active, maybe it's because I'm a freak of nature. Who knows?

$250 (plus tax) for a CAR KEY.

It all started yesterday afternoon with me suggesting that Chase & I take the dog to Golden Gardens Park to enjoy the sunny weather that we (as Seattle-ites) rarely ever see this time of year. We loaded Apollo up into my car & we were on our way. (Golden Gardens is roughly 6 miles from our apartment) 
We parked on the opposite side of the train tracks that separate the road from the main parking lot & walked down to the beach. Apollo was SO EXCITED to be outside & despite his good manners, was hard to hold onto as we walked by crowds of people & their dogs.
We walked all the way down to where there seemed to be a crowd gathering, looking out at the water. We looked out and saw about 6 WALES breaching!! It was a really cool sight :) We started walking back to where we started & Apollo found a large pile of sand & proceeded to lay down, obviously to tell us he was tired from all the walking. We took this opportunity to take some pictures with him, while he was being still.

After resting, Apollo got up & I rolled my jeans up so I could go into the water with him. We ran around in the water & a little ways down the beach, then when I put my hands in my zip-up VS PINK hoodie, I realized that my keys to my car were GONE!! We spent the next hour combing the beach & the water for them, even getting some other beach walkers to help us look. I called my insurance company to ask if I had road-side assistance on my policy...NOPE. I was beginning to lose hope when my phone rang & Chase had found them at the concession stand!! Some honest soul had the decency to turn them in! I was jumping up & down, hugging/kissing Chase upon the return of my keys by the volleyball nets. 
We decided to head back to the car & go get ready for my friend Sarah's Great Gatsby themed birthday party. We arrived at the car & the button to unlock the car wouldn't work. I thought this was a bit odd, but what was even weirder, was when we got INTO the car & went to start it, it would turn over, but then die immediately. Chase tried to start the car a few times & then we realized that the key had gotten WET!! We tried our best to dry it out without being able to open it, but nothing was working. I called a Chrysler dealer & the guy I spoke to said that if the key was wet, we shouldn't have pressed any of the buttons or tried to start the car until the key was dry. In doing all of those things we weren't supposed to, we had fried the microchip inside the key! :(
He said the parts department was closed, but if I could have the car towed to the dealership, they could make me a new key on Monday. This (however) was unacceptable for me. A) The tow was going to cost over $100, B) The new key was going to cost over $150, & C) I need my car!! I couldn't go without it until Monday because Chase's car is broken...we'd be car-less!! Upon hanging up with the dealership, I had to start crying from all of the stress that had been building since first loosing my keys. Chase assured me that everything would be okay, & we were lucky that we had even found the keys and were inside the car instead of being stuck outside of it with Apollo (who was sleeping in the backseat). I wiped my face off as Chase called a company that would drive out to our location & make a new key on-site. They said it would be $180 at minimum. I said "okay" gave them our location & my phone number. They said about 25-30 minutes & they would arrive. 
That was at 5:45pm. 
6:25pm rolled around & I called the company back asking why no one had showed up yet. The woman on the other line said she would call the lock-tech & have him call me. 
15 minutes rolls by & I get a call from the lock-tech telling me he would be about 25-30 minutes. I told him that's what the company had originally said to which he had no reply. Needless to say, my irritation was growing.
Another half an hour goes by & he texts my phone saying he is 10 minutes away. It is now after 7pm. He ends up arriving around 7:30pm & informs me that the key is going to cost $250, plus tax!! I wanted to throw-up on the spot, but quickly did the math & rationalizing in my head & I give him the go-ahead to get to work making me a new key. He finds the right cut, then had to buy the microchip code from somewhere which takes over another half an hour. He finally gets the code & plugs a machine into my car, pushes a few buttons then turns the key which starts my car!!! I was VERY happy until he took my credit card & wrote me my receipt for a total of $287.


What's the moral of this story?
1) Make sure you have roadside assistance or AAA. You really never know when you're going to need it.
2) Always have a spare key that will actually START your car.
3) NEVER GET YOUR KEY WET IF IT HAS A MICROCHIP!!! (& if you DO get it wet, wait until it is dried out before pushing any buttons or attempting to start the car)

I am taking donations for my "new key" fund...aka-paying it off my credit card!

Food for FUEL, not entertainment

For the past two days, I have been eating as food-for-fuel, rather than entertainment. Using the "LOSE IT!" app on my Verizon Wireless Android phone, I've been given a daily calorie budget of 1,420 calories. I also take pictures of my meals and upload them to the NFL Cheerleader Audition Training Facebook Group Page to stay accountable & focused.with the other girls. 

So, what exactly does 1400 calories look like? I'm going to show you! 

Breakfast: CARBmaster yogurt (60 cal) Better Oats Oatmeal with flax-seed (160 cal) & Green Tea with Pomegranate (0 cal) 

TOTAL=220 calories

Lunch: 1 cup spinach salad (5 cal) 1/2 cut up red bell pepper (23 cal) extra small cut up apple (53 cal) 2 tbsp Trader Joe's slivered almonds (78 cal) 1/2 oz goat cheese (40 cal) 2 tbsp Honey Dijon dressing (70 cal) 2 oz Chicken Breast (62 cal) 

TOTAL=331 calories

Mid Afternoon Snack: White Chocolate Think Thin protein bar (230 calories)

ZERO SUGAR & GLUTEN FREE! (Yes, it still tastes good)

Dinner: 1 cup chicken chili (220 cal) with 1/2 oz goat cheese (40 cal)

TOTAL=260 calories

I made sure I consumed 2 liters of water (0 cal) 

I also had a tablespoon of Justin's Creamy Natural Almond Butter after dinner (95 calories) as well as a cup of nonfat milk before bed (90 cal) 

TOTAL=185 calories

Bringing my total calories of the day to 1,226!! Not only did I not feel hungry or tired throughout the day, but I was also 194 calories under my daily budget.

I did a lot of working out the past few days as well as keeping up with my teaching schedule: (highlighted are workouts -outside of teaching-)

THURSDAY- Walked around with Apollo for 30 minutes running errands on foot, walked 2.5 miles to the studio, taught Kids Hip Hop ages 9-12 for an hour, & then walked another 1/2 mile to another studio to TAKE a Barre Fitness class.

FRIDAY- Taught a Barre Fitness class, caught the last 40 minutes of a Zumba class (I was late from the time it took to drive from one studio to another...) took a Body Pump (strength training with weights) class, then am going to teach another Barre Fitness class this evening.

So far, I'm feeling really great! I was afraid that monitoring my calorie intake would make me sluggish & irritable. Luckily, this is not the case :) Monitoring my water intake is probably the most difficult thus far...I'm not much of a water drinker unless I work out.

NOTE: Having to go to the bathroom so much is a total hassle >:-(

I hope you enjoyed my informative blog on what my daily calorie budget looks like as well as my workouts outside of my teaching schedule! :)

WEEK 1: NFL Cheerleader audition training

I am so blessed to have started rehearsing with such great women that all have common goals! 

*Get Fit

*Eat healthy, nutritious food for fuel (not entertainment)

*Dance daily

...AAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDDD...

*Make the 2012-2013 Seattle Sea Gals team!

My first meeting was this past Saturday with a former Sea Gal (we'll call her "Miss Q") to talk about my look and play around with makeup. She wanted to highlight my green eyes, so she used purple/plum shadows on my eyes. She also used an airbrush system for my foundation. SUCH a cool experience to have your makeup airbrushed on! She also used false lashes to help accentuate my eyes...I've been wearing those for dance competitions since I was 10 years old!

For my first practice, I met with Miss Q and the other girls at the Kirkland Dance Center on Sunday at 11:00am and we worked on a kick-line routine, reminding me of how exhausting kicking is!! Feedback from the other girls was that my kicks were really strong. This came as sort of a surprise to me seeing as how I haven't "high-kicked" in a routine since last year's auditions. I was only able to stay for half of the rehearsal time since I had to instruct a Barre Fitness class at 12:00pm. 

For Monday's rehearsal, we worked on the kick-line routine as well as across-the-floor routines including turns, kicks, and looking sexy-sassy ;) We also did a routine to "Drop It Low" by Kat DeLuna which was more in my comfort zone :)

 I'm meeting with Miss Q next week to come up with a fitness/nutrition plan for me as well as getting my first personalized spray-tan of the season! 

It's really difficult to get out of a normal, comfort-zone routine, but I'm looking forward to the challenge!!

Christine's stuffed peppers :)

So, in yesterday's blog I mentioned making stuffed peppers for a healthy, tasty dinner...Chase likes them, so they're guy-friendly too!! Here's some photos:

Fresh, boiled bell peppers

Stuffing mixture: brown rice, lean ground hamburger, chopped onions/tomatoes/garlic

The stuffed peppers before being cooked 

The final product with some cheese sprinkled on top!

State of mind, expectations, & company for a few days

Soooo, I've been awake since Chase's alarm went off at 7:55am this morning (despite attempting to go back to sleep after he left.) I got a LOT done this morning/afternoon such as cleaning the kitchen & living room, finished the laundry, took the trash out, & returned emails. 


One of the emails I had to send involved me looking back at some photos I took from last years Sea Gal auditions- from what I wore to pre-audition workshops, to my full makeup'd face for finals, to my photo for actually making it to the finals that was used on the Sea Gals website.

It got me thinking what a great state of mind I was in during that two week process. My skin was clear, I had the perfect tan, I was in GREAT shape, my hair was beautiful, & my makeup rocked. Which has made me think: If everything was so great, why didn't I make the cut for the team?! 

I don't have a concrete answer from the Coach or the other judges, but what I've been thinking the past few weeks is that I EXPECTED to make the team from the very first audition. Not because I thought I was better than everyone else that auditioned, but because I had SO MANY PEOPLE telling me I was going to make it & that I was a "shoo-in" for the team because of my dance experience & confident attitude. Now, I don't blame people for telling me what they did...it was their opinion & they were sharing it with me as such.

This year I am blessed with an opportunity to work with other girls that all have a similar goal, being coached by a former Sea Gal in fitness, makeup, & all aspects of performance. I am 7 lbs heavier than I was at my audition weight. I don't think losing that will be difficult, but I would really love to be down 10-15 lbs by mid-April for this years auditions. 

It's hard for me to get an actual workout while I teach my fitness classes because my body is already so used to the routines & workouts, so Chase has offered to workout with me at our apartment's fitness facility & to only suggest fast food options 1x/week for dinner. Last night, he made Chicken Tagine, which is chicken, tomatoes, onions, fresh cilantro, & lime juice all cooked together IN a Tagine :) It's soooo good and a really healthy idea for lunch or dinner. 

I'm thinking about walking to the grocery store (yes, it's still snowing here!) for some more ingredients to make stuffed peppers. We're going to be having company for a few days...one of Chase's co-workers lives on a sailboat and needs a warmer place to stay while this awful weather is going on. We have a spare bedroom & a queen sized air mattress that isn't being used. I'm glad we have the means to help someone that needs it. Hopefully Apollo doesn't invade his space too much!

Apollo's- Apollo sized bed :)

Today, Mr. Apollo received an AWESOME belated Christmas present from his Aunt Gina over in Afghanistan :) It's a personalized Apollo-sized bed!! He's been lounging on it ever since I took it out of the box.