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Last weekend I attended the Master the Stage with Miryah seminar led by the beautiful WBFF Fitness Diva Miryah Scott (in the photo beside me) and the former editor of Oxygen magazine Sandy Braz. It was a weekend to remember! Miryah kept to her word by keeping the group small and intimate, which allowed the six of us who attended to get as much out of Miryah and Sandy as we could. The seminar covered everything that goes into competing -- most importantly posing and stage presence. Anyone who has seen Miryah do her thing on stage knows that she is a complete bombshell and has fantastic stage presence. She worked with me one-on-one to help me improve on the strengths of my posing and correct the flaws. I have learned there is so much more to the T-walk than just having a good walk and nice poses!

Sandy Braz gave us the 411 on Oxygen magazine and what it takes to be a fitness model in the industry. I was privileged to learn about the fitness magazine industry from an insider who has interviewed many of the cover girls and chosen many models who appear in Oxygen. We finished off the weekend by visiting Paul Buceta at his studio where he gave us a tour and talked to us about the fitness world from his perspective as one of the best photographers in the industry. Attending events like this one and SAF "Superstar" Fitness Camp which I attended last March are great ways to meet other people with similar interests and learn the about the industry from those who really know what they are talking about!

Hey everyone!

Last day of August and it was a HOT one!!! Where did the summer go??? Seems it was just a few short weeks ago I was saying how far ahead of schedule I was in prep for the IDFA Eastern Canada Classic in Montreal on October 9, and now here we are just under 6 weeks to go!!! Not that I'm in panic mode, but instead of using the time to get a little more ahead of schedule, I've basically been treading water as far as leaning out goes. Haven't missed a beat in the gym, training has been as intense as ever . . . but, admittedly, the diet has been a tad suspect. Not a complete wreck by any means, just a little loose while enjoying this beautiful summer where I live in the Thousand Islands. So, as sad as I am to see summer draw to a close, it is good timing for me to GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!! Tonight I cleaned out the fridge and organized the cupboards (bye-bye peanut butter!!!!), cooked up a big batch of steak and chicken, enough for the next few days and freezing some for later, and gave my husband the "I'm 6 weeks out, please don't ask what I want for dinner anymore" speech. So basically, everything is under control!

We are in the train right now heading to our final destination: Lecce. This is situated south east East of Italy, "in the heel of the boot." It is known to be the best place for seafood in all of Italy (so I read).

Last week we stayed in Napoli. We stayed in a very nice hotel by the Gulf of Napoli with an amazing view of the sea. Up till now, last week was the most relaxing one, as we stayed in the same hotel for a longer period of time. There was a rooftop pool and a gym! I was finaly able to do a real workout. During the rest of our stay we would take the fairy in the mornings to one of the beautiful cities by the coast (Amalfi, Capri, Postanio, Sorrento...) to visit for the day, and then go back to Napoli for supper. It's been an amazing honeymoon.

But that's not only why I'm writing . . .