Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Pursue your passion. My boyfriend is this weekend!

(This post is a bit off my normal topic of fashion, jewelry, and personal reflection, but please read on.)

Me and my man, on a Ferris wheel.
If you know me, you know I'm an advocate of one pursuing their dreams full out, pedal to the metal, go all in, etc, etc. If we've talked face to face, you may recall at least one of our conversations being of a motivational kind, if the topic was started by me asking, "So what's your dream?"

Yup, I'm kind of a cheerleader, an optimist, a dreamer, head in the clouds, and maybe a little unrealistic passionate at times. Somewhere inside of me at an early age, I really got my head wrapped around the reality of we-are-all-going-to-die-someday so why not live full out. Well it's no wonder I've found that same gusto in a man who has a lot of passion, drive, and determination. What's even cooler is that it's visible. (See figure 1 below.) *giggle*  That's my boyfriend, Steve. (And yes mom and dad, my probable future husband.  We did go ring shopping a few weeks ago. Eeeeek!) 

Kiss concert! More his music, not so much mine.
He's a "machine" as I heard one woman in passing say when she saw him crossing the street just last week. Well he's not only a machine, he has a heart bigger than anyone I've ever known. Seriously. Truly. I.mean.for.real. I'll refrain from getting too mushy and just say I've never been more proud of introducing a man to my family and friends than I have when I introduce him. He's generous, loving, and becomes friends with just about every one. Oh and the bonus is he treats me like a princess. I love him.

Figure 1.

It's not uncommon these days to hear of people's struggles and how they've made something of themselves after a rough road early in life. Steve's one of those people and though he won't readily admit it, he has come a long way. As you might be able to tell, he works out and he's been able to use that platform to transform his life to one of physical, mental, and emotional strength and is a proponent for physical health and the benefits of working out. The first time I spent more than a few minutes with Steve was inside the gym, and it was apparent that that is where he shines. He's passionate when he's there. He takes the time to talk with others who approach him asking for tips on exercise and dieting. He jumps at the chance to workout with any of his friends; he'll ride his bike in the rain to meet them at the gym! Naturally, he's inspired me and my younger brother so much that we too have fallen in love with working out and have thus transformed our lives and physiques (moreso my brother's physique, mine is underway.)  
Applying a pasty layer of fake tanner before the show

5th Place
Well, he's following his passion and he's competing in a bodybuilding show THIS Saturday, called the 2013 NPC San Diego Championships. It's a bit last minute and a decision that came after a heart-to-heart conversation we had about going after what's important to us. He has previously competed in bodybuilding shows before, and has placed 1st (twice) and 5th place (twice), and once had "the overall" which is a big deal. And yes, as you can see he got super tan and wore the tiny little Speedos. This time he's competing in a category called the Men's Physique, which means the judges focus more on the upper body rather than the overall... and he doesn't wear the Speedos, and instead wears board shorts.

He's really excited about this show, more than I've ever seen him excited, and I think it's because he knows he's going to do well. You know when you just know?... I think he's experiencing that very thing. After years of hard work, trial and error, and researching which competitive categories he fits best in, he's anxious to get back up on stage. What's even more exciting is that if he does well in this competition, it could lead to even greater things for him professionally, including sponsorship's from larger companies, and many more opportunities with a chance to compete on a grander scale. Ultimately he wants to be a personal trainer and eventually own his own gym. If he won, it would provide him with opportunities that I'm certain are unimaginable. 

Let me get to the real point of this post. To enter this weekend's contest there are costs, and we need to pay for the following.
  • Annual NPC registration (National Physique Committee
  • His registration into the actual competition
  • Board shorts for the show
  • Tanning
  • A haircut, per my suggestion (lol)

Steve with Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath
All of which will cost just under $300. There's one more thing, of course I REALLY want to watch him when he's up on the stage. There's a morning show (when the actual judging occurs) and an evening show, which is more a show for the audience that involves loud music, cheering and crowd banter, and sometimes a guest speaker/poser. Last time the guest speaker was Phil Heath, Mr. Olympia himself!

Anyway, I usually only purchase a ticket for the evening show, because that's when they announce the winners and I get to see him awarded a trophy. I'd LOVE to see him during both shows. It allows me to take photos of his stage performance (posing) during the actual judging in the AM, and provides him with images that he can use to improve upon for future shows. The morning and evening tickets combined cost $75, and we'd love to raise the extra money for both. 

To support him in living his dream, several of our friends have sponsored him, including my great friend and CrossFit trainer Ace who is the founder of Mighty CrossFit in San Diego, California. My friend and business coach Tamara, the owner & founder of Flirt with Me, is loaning us her professional camera for the event. We've raised $200 as of now, and the remainder is $175.

After the show
As my contribution to his pursuit of competing, I will be extending my liquids-only-fast that I began earlier this week (for personal reasons), and will break my fast the evening immediately following his competition. It's important for competitors to "diet down" in the weeks leading up to the competition, so to help him bare the monotonous meals of plain chicken and yams, I won't be eating my favorite candy bar and ice cream flavor, or anything else for that matter. (For more info as to why I'm fasting, read this blog post.)

Of course we could ask for donations, but I wanted to raise money by utilizing my skill set of jewelry-design. So for those who would like to either contribute to his dream or who just love a great jewelry deal, the option is there and it's a win-win for every one! For this week, I'll be running a SALE on my slinky-bracelet design. I typically sell them for $12 a piece or 2-for-$20, but for this exciting and possibly fruitful opportunity, I'm marking the bracelets down to $8 or 2-for-$15 and more colors to chose from! I chose the slinky bracelet design, because from time to time Steve will help me make these bracelets for my upcoming events and shows. (I told you, he's incredible! And we make a pretty good team.)

Slinky bracelets! 

But wait, there's more! I can't leave out the guys. Regularly my personalized dogtag designs are $28. For this week I've marked them down to only 18 bucks!
Dogtag necklace

All orders will be shipped this week and next.

If you're interested in simply donating any amount, you can do so via PayPal by clicking the donate button below.

For the bracelets, click here to buy one, or here to buy two! Want a personalized dogtag, get one

For every one else, thanks for reading this, and thanks for supporting my dreams by simply reading what I write.

I will be posting photos and keeping my readers up to date during the day of the event here on my blog.

If you have any questions or encouraging words for Steve, please leave your comments below!

Pedal to the metal,

Sarah





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