Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Quote Of A Lifetime...
"A musician must make music,
an artist must paint,
a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.
What one can be, one must be."

- Abraham Maslow
Quote For Today...

WHAT IS YOUR BASKET.
"What ever label you put on your basket,
That the people will accept and call the basket,
If you label it a waste paper basket,
People will dump assorted rubbish in it
But if you call it a jolly good fruit basket,
People will cherish it and treat it with respect.
The world takes you at your own estimate."

Composed by Kenneth Faminu
May 7th, 2001.

Monday, January 30, 2006




What I Will Surpass This Year....
(Just a few of the thousands of photos in my members area);



Playing in the snow..glad we enjoyed it because it's already gone:)

Sunday, January 29, 2006

"Baby News" & "TEAM ABRAMS" Update;
14 weeks out...
Wow..what a day! I left home at 7:40 this morning and didn't get home until 9 pm.
I met with 2 in-home clients and 3 "Team Abrams" clients, and then went out to my parents' house with the kids for dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday;)
Happy Birthday Lucas!!
And..the BIG NEWS.......
My sister is having a baby!!!!!
Congrats Michelle & Lucas...I am so excited for you guys!
My little sister is gonna be a Mommy!!
We have known since before Christmas, and my members have known for a few weeks also...I promised to keep their little surprise quiet until she was well into her first trimester..she is due August 20th!
Hence...why I was so happy the Team U date was changed to July...I don't want to miss holding my brand new niece or nephew on his/her birthday!!!

"Team Abrams"- 14 weeks out;
Photos of everyone will be posted this week in my members area!
I am impressed with ALL of them!!
Jennie, John, Kim & Edith are all competing May 6th in Belvedere, IL...going after their personal bests..and hopefully a Team Win!!!
www.kevinnoble.com
Jennie will also be competing just 9 weeks from now on April 1st in Ottaw, IL
www.flexgymonline.com
I am very pleased with how they are doing..very proud of each of them for how hard they are training and each of their possitive attitudes.
In the end..no matter what the end result...the process, the journey, is what will matter...that is what will, in essence, change them in some way and hopefully help each of them appreciate what an amazing gift the human body and spirit is!
Today helped me remember the gifts I have been given and helped me remember how much energy I gain from each client I work with. They each renewed me today!

Filming for my documentary "officially" began today!
www.pradelproductions.com
What an exciting project this is going to be!
What a ride life is...full of ups, downs, twists and turns...I'd take the rollar coaster over the merry go round any day!
And that, my friends...Is all for tonight:)
Jen;)

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Feeling down today- a little drained, empty and lost ...
Heres' a quote to help me get the kids ready to go to the gym with me today..I know exercise will help me feel better and give me a new outlook on where I am today within myself....

"We have every reason to look forward into the future
with hope and excitement.
Fear nothing and no one.
Work honestly.
Be good, be happy.
And remember that each of you is unique,
your soul your own,
irreplaceable,
and individual in the miracle of your mortal frame."

(Pearl S. Buck (Walsh): 1892-1973;
Randolph-Macon Women's College graduate of 1914;
Female Nobel Prize Laureate) - Pearl S. Buck

Thursday, January 26, 2006

I'm Beat!
Hey there:) Just stopping by to fill you in on the last few days...
First, my little guy came down with a chest cold on Wed. and started with a fever today. He was so snuggly tonight but feeling so yucky....he just ate popsicles and cuddled with me when I got home from my appointments.

Yesturday, after a morning appointment with a client, I went to the funeral service for my long-time friend's dad. Karen has been in my life for such a long time that she seems like extended family. She is one of toughest people I know though..when she called me on Saturday with the news about her dad I was the one crying and trying to sound together on the phone. She was part of Team Abrams in 2005 when we won the Team Trophy. I am still hoping she decides to be part of Team Abrams 2006. I know the focus would help her..she has always done very well in life when focused on a goal:) Only time will tell.......

Which brings me to today..
after cuddling with Wade for a bit I got Alyssa off to school ..the mad morning rush!! Aghhh you should see what a crazy person I am trying to get her out the door...as she's brushing her teeth I have her jumping up and down to get into her snow pants- to catch the bus....quite the comic strip..LOL!
Then a ran to the store for Wade who needed some popsicles and toast before meeting clients.
My husband was off from carpentry work all week except for Monday, due to a delay on his project, so it was nice that Wade was able to stay with daddy so I could still make the funeral and my appointments. Otherwise I would have had to cancel everything.
He's such a great father!..and I'm not just saying that! He makes everything fun for them! It makes it easier for me to leave the kids when they are sick becauise I know they are with daddy. It took time for me to give up my selfish parent issues that I had with Alyssa...she went everywhere with me..we were always together...things have changed over time...things have a way of evolving and shifting..we share the roles of provider and caretaker...I like it..I really do..we each get to be part of both. We miss time together, especially since I need my muscle recovery sleep and he doesn't sleep as much as I do..:))) but I always find a way to make time somehow:)
Ok..back to today...
so after the store I met with "Kim", another member of Team Abrams 2006 and we trained legs! Ohh yahhh I felt that and so did she:)
I am very pleased with where she's at and I know you all will be too...
(she is 14 weeks out )-



After spending 2 hours with Kim..training, practicing posiong, going over diet changes, taking pics I drove over an hour to meet "Jennie"- another member of the Team. I trained chest with her and then made my way home for a quick snuggle with my very sicky baby boy and then had to go jogging with my local client that I meet two evenings a week.
Now...the lactic acid is settling and I am feeling that wonderful HEAVY sentation in my chest, shoulders and entire lower body:)) AHHH I feel my protein shake, itallian beef & tomato pizza and chicken noodle soup going to the rescue;) Ohh and my ice cream too;)) Hey I still have 4 more weeks to live like a normal person and I plan to do just that..very happily:)
I know my son is going to be up tonight...his fever was up there when he went to bed and kids' fevers always spike through the night! it's crazy..no matter how deep asleep I am if he wakes up I instantly hear him..Michael doesn't know how..it's just a special language from God...that only mom's can hear;) and my kids NEVER wake up in the night! they both slept though the night right away..Alyssa the day she came home from the hospital..Wade about 3 weeks after he came home...I got them on my scheduile right away because I need my sleep or I can't function. They both have always napped too...wonderful thing:))
Evan- one of you:) knows how much I love to catch an afternoon nap..he seems to always e-mail me just as I am getting ready to close my eyes for an hour:)
well, I have talked your ear off and now it's time for me to get Alyssa in bed and gety some sleep myself..especuially if Wade wakes in the night.
Just one appointment tomorow morning and then I will probably take him to the doctor to make sure there isn't an infection in his ears or something needing antiobiotics. With the fever I know there's something going on.
if that is..I can get out of bed..LOL..Journey To Pro Quality...whoooahhh..then maybe it will be time for other avenues to be explored.....
Se ya..
Jen:)


Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The Time is Quickly Approaching...
To begin my contest preparations for 2006. I have been so busy with new clients this off-season that my time to recharge has passed more quickly than expected! My Christmas & New Years was wonderful...such great memories and fun with our kids and famies! I find myself struggling a bit, " to put the match to the stove" inorder to begin my preparations. Concentrating on all my clients competing has left me a bit wiped out for my own. I am morning what I will be giving up over the next 5 months and finding it more difficult than last year to "put my gloves back on, to get back in the ring".
Our son has grown past the terrible two stage and is just the most amazing little boy! His intelligence and wonder for the world around him is unbelievable.
Just last night I was upfront with a client about our meeting time...it was just too much on the kids and I! Trying to drop Alyssa at gymnastics, Wade not wanting to go, meet with her (focusing on her completly), shifting gears..racing back to pick up Alyssa and always being late getting to both places. The knot in my stomach, twice a week, the past month each week just became too much! I also decided I wanted to help with my daughter's Girl Scout cookie sales program and last night was the night to collect all the forms from everyone. It was just so hectic from the moment Alyssa walked through the door from school until we got home at 9 pm.
Yes, I have always had a problem taking on too much!;)
In college and before, it was fine, because I work very well under pressure but..and the big but...only when it's just me. When I add other people into the formula it just becomes overwhelming.
I suppose I just want too much...
My career, and to be exceptional at what I do!
The mother to my children that I had ...because she was there for everything!
An Athlete, that not only performs well...but pushes people to find their passions in life!
And..who could forget being a wife to my husband!!...which I don't always do a very good job of because I spread myself so thin.
Soo, as my prep. time approached rapidly...I am not only looking at airline tickets to New York ( for Michael and I alone;), and the possibility to compete in Spain... (what a trip that would be for Michael and I:))...but also visiting the Disney World website frequently...beacuse I want so badly to take the kids to Disney for their birthdays..just 3 days apart in September! I am saving a little each week and hopefully I will have enough to do it..if not, there will be next year I suppose.

I have stuck to my New Years Resolution!!
To become more organized with my business and finacial affairs as well as my car and laundry ...ok- well laundry still needs help..but noone is perfect..LOL:)
Balence ..always life's challenge...
there is so much I want to do, but at what price..it's always the delema...
So many things in my mind right now. Time will unfold the direction I go with it all.
I know my plan for 2006...I also know what I would like to do next...
You will all find out in good time...
Jen;)



"Team Abrams" May 2005 ..Lets see "Team Abrams" May 2006 up there as the overall winners!!!

Celebrating Grandpa's Birthday ...

Saturday, January 21, 2006


Happy Birthday Dad!!
Happy Birthday To My Dad!
Always Honest, Constant & Strong...my father!!
Happy Birthday Dad (grandpa:)

I Love You,
Your First Born Baby Girl:)

Quote For Today:
"If you live to be a hundred,
I want to live to be a hundred minus one day,
so I never have to live without you."
- Winnie the Pooh

To My Dear Friend...
During This Very Difficult Time-

"When the oak is felled the forest echoes with its fall,
but a hundred acorns are sown silently by an unnoticed breeze."

-Thomas Carlyle

Thursday, January 19, 2006

A Child's Cry for Help...
Sunday, November 6, 2005; CARY, Illinois (AP) --
A 10-year-old boy was in critical condition Sunday after three pit bulls escaped from a home and went on a rampage, attacking six people before police shot and killed dogs, authorities said.

Neighbors said the attacks started late Saturday afternoon when children going door-to-door for a fund-raiser arrived at the home of Scott Sword, 41, who owned the dogs.
"We had music playing, and I heard this bizarre sound," said Debby Rivera, who lives three houses away. "I looked out the window, and I saw a young boy. The dogs were just jumping on him.""The screams were horrible," she said.
The dogs were "relentless, like they were possessed."The pit bulls attacked the two children, and when the dogs' owner tried to stop them, the dogs turned on him and bit off his thumb, Nygren said.
The boy's father also tried to protect his son and was attacked. The dogs went after another neighbor as well."The scene sprawled over a couple blocks; it was a very chaotic scene," said Lt. Michael Douglas of the Cary Fire Protection District.
Residents threw rocks at the dogs and honked car horns to try to distract them from attacking before police arrived and shot the animals. Jim Malone said he and a neighbor tried to beat the dogs back with baseball bats. "He'd hit them, they'd run, and they'd come back," Malone said. "This went on for 15 minutes."The boy who was attacked, Nick Foley, was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday. His friend Jordan Lamarre, also 10, was in serious condition.
Nick's father was listed in good condition. Sword and two others were treated for injuries and released.

Jourdan Lamarre is one of our Cary Kids Care members attacked by Pit Bulls on November 5th.Cary Kids Care is now fundraising for Jourdan’s Family to help defray costs related to the hospital stay and treatment provided at Lutheran General Hospital from the vicious dog attack.

Cary Kids Care has purchased 3,000 Silicone Wristbands. 2,000 in the royal blue and 1,000 in purple. The name on the wristbands is embossed with the name Cary Kids Care.Wristbands sell for $3.00 each and includes shipping. 100% of the proceeds will be going to Jourdan’s medical expenses. You can order your Cary Kids Care wristbands here ....
www.carykidscare.com

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Quote for Today...

Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.

- Henry J. Kaiser

Monday, January 16, 2006

For My husband....

Sunday, January 15, 2006


Goddess Of The Year...
http://www.fbbgoddesses.com

Saturday, January 14, 2006

What a Fun Night...
I had a party night out with my baby brother and his girlfriend Friday. We had a blast! I get my wild dancing nights only about 2 or 3 times a year...just enough for me to get my fill of the night life.
"Goddess of the Year" is being posted Sunday:)

The 1st photo of the night...

Jack and Lauren- such cuties!

The last photo of the night..at 3:27 am:))

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Amazing News!!
"Jodi" of www.fitweardesigns.com wrote this today on the www.ftvideo message board;

"I would like to announce the girls I have decided to sponsor for the 2006 season.
Each one of these ladies brings a unique look to figure, fitness and bodybuilding.
I am excited to be able to offer each one suits for their shows and look forward to
working with them to develop suits that will enhance their total package.
In Figure for the National level: Christine Camacho and Melody Clere
In Reg/state. level Figure: Brie Vendrame
Fitness: Jessi Rohm
National level FBB: Jennifer Abrams
and just starting out in FBB:Nancy Kornblum

WOW...incredible! The momentumn for my 2006 season is in full gear!

Monday, January 09, 2006

6 Months Out- From The Team Universe!
My "Journey To Pro Quality"...
6 more weeks of off season eating to enjoy!


Sunday, January 08, 2006

Quotes For Today...
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those timid souls
who know neither victory nor defeat. "

-Theodore Roosevelt



"Some men see things the way they are and ask,
"Why?"
I dream things that never were, and ask
"Why not?"

- George Bernard Shaw

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Quote For Today...
What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-unknown

Obstacles are those frightful things you see
when you take your eyes off your goals.

-unknown

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Quotes For Today...
(This is why I chose my profession...)

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches,
but reveal to them their own.
- Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

(This is what keeps me grounded...)
We should never permit ourselves to do anything
that we are not willing to see our children do.
- Brigham Young

(and this..I love...on many different levels;)
Use what talent you possess:
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang
except those that sang best.
- Henry Van Dyke

Sunday, January 01, 2006


Happy New Year!!

Going on the chooo-chooo

Cheeze...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

Tatoos!

Tatoos!

Alyssa dancin'

I'm gonnna getcha!

The "Polar Express" conductor that punched 300 holes in the kids' tickets! What a nice man:)