July 15, 2005

Hello everyone.....

This has been a crazy month. My sister just had a baby....on my fathers B-day or all days It has been a bit overwhelming for her. She is suffering from post-pardom dispersions. I have to get home to DETROIT. She is simply beside herself. She feels completely overwhelmed and doesn't feel confident in her abilities to be a MOM. I feel so powerless here in New York....I want to be able to her help her. I have been a bit overwhelmed myself.

My lease is up Sept. 30th in NYC. I am going to be moving back to Long Island to be with Dave and I don't know what to do about my Roommate or the apartment. I am so stressed out about it. She has no where to live............And with the escalating rents in NYC it is hard to find anything suitable to live in. I am debating on whether to sublet the apartment or just let go of the lease. It is a big decision.....and one that I have to make very soon. I have been interviewing viable candidates...but, taking on a $2400 a month lease it a big commitment. Again.. it is always nice to have an apartment in the city. So, I am going to have to figure this out.

I have decided not to compete the rest of this year.... I need time for other professional goals in my life. I just started a new job at NY Diagnostic as the chief dietitian for an HIV/AIDs clinic. I love my job and have developed a wonderful relationship with my patients. Again, if the nutritional status of patients with HIV becomes compromised, no drugs in the world can save them for wasting. It is my job to see to it that we take the necessary steps to keep them from developing any vitamin/mineral deficiencies or weight loss. I am also moving back to Long Island...and moving is just difficult in it of itself. Dave and I are also starting a nutritional / personal training business out of TITAN FITNESS here in MERRICK. We have a lot of work to do in terms of setting up SHOP...but, I know it can be very successful.

Dave and I are also working on a nutrition book and he is finishing up a prisoners training handbook detailing his experiences in Federal Prison. Lot's of projects......

Although I absolutely love to compete...as a female BB you have to realize that you are not going to become rich stepping on stage 2-3 x a year. In reality... you put a lot of goals, family, friends, etc... on the back burner. I am going to try and stay lean all year round.....be more marketable. I can't look to a competition to be my only motivation for getting lean. I wish that we as female bodybuilders could make more money competing or even with the dream of a supplement contract. The truth is... the magazines, supplement companies, etc.... still find female muscle too intimating for the main stream. I disagree....with FBBS that look like Gina Davis, Elena Sieple, Amanda Dunbar, Jodi May, Vicki Nixon, Rhonda Dethlefs, etc...the list goes on and on....they should be able to start marketing us more. But..they refuse to take a chance. With that said....we as FBBs have to find our own nitch for making a living at what we do.

With all this said, I am helping several girls at the USAs 2005. I am very much looking forward to this competition. I think that we are going to see some of the bright new females on the scene. Let's hope the judges take note and maybe we can start to make some changes as to the direction of female bodybuilding. I am pulling for my best friend, Amanda Dunbar to go kick some ass. I am so proud of her. I love to watch and listen to her intensity, drive, and determination. It keeps me motivated. We help each other.... stay grounded, with eating issues, training, reality, etc.... We have become very close over the past two years. She was there for me during a very difficult time in my life.... and I appreciate that more than ever. Now.. it is her turn to show the world what she has accomplished. Bodybuilding is deeper than that...it is your own journey.....your own destiny. She is better than she was last year....and that is winning. So- win or lose.....she has already won in my book.

Thanks again for all your support. I hope you come visit me on Ftwebcam.com and www. herbiceps. com .... I don't get a chance to answer my IMs.... I do a lot of work on the computer nad just don't have time, so this is my only opportunity to interact with my fans.

If you are going to be at the USAs or the Team Universe.....please come over and say, HELLO. I always try to take time out for my fans. Without you.....the future of FBB would be lost. We need people to continue to support our efforts to look the way we do. There is something about female Muscle.....if you artistic beauty in a sculpted physique....you must be very close minded. A female bodybuilder is a work of art....what is not beautiful about that.

Colette