Andrea Giacomi's Blog: life, bodybuilding & my everyday rambles…

adios 2009…

well we are coming to the end of 2009. this year for me was another amazing year. ive experienced many new things, met some cool new peeps and grown even more as a person. there have been some ups & downs but for the most part 2009 was a very positive, productive & electric year for me. im trusting 2010 will bring in more possibilities and exciting new adventures to discover.
peace out 2009…..bring on the new year!!

be safe tonight everyone ♥

PEANUT!!!!

one year ago today we adopted peanut, 5 yr old beagle mix. we adopted her from ny pet rescue december 29th 2008. she has brought so much joy and many laughs into our lives. when we first got her she was very timid. she came from a bad home. she was mauled by another dog, thrown scraps of food to fend for, didnt know how to walk on a leash and just didnt trust many people. now one year later…she is so luvable and playful. she sleeps in the bed everynight, she enjoys her walks out on the leash, she even enjoys traveling because she pretty much goes everywhere we do. she has traveled by plane to california and train to rhode island. love lil peanut ♥

oh…and if you are looking for a dog, please adopt. its the only way to go!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

wanted to wish everyone a very merry christmas. whether you are enjoying your time with family, friends, fellow coworkers, strangers or just home alone….take a moment and give thanks for what you have. we are all blessed in so many ways!

im in rhode island right now spending this time with family. of course lil peanut is here with everyone. we did it easy this year…pizza and appetizers. of course ive had about two dozen cookies so far. wish the gym was open today. all these damn carbs would make for a damn good workout ; )
MERRY CHRISTMAS XOXO

Luv ya Grams…

christmas eve….today is my grandmas birthday, 75 yrs old. my mom called me this morning and told me she just passed away. im left with many many memories of her. ones that i will never forget. ive always enjoyed being around my grandma. she was a tough cookie thats for sure. i think she was actually the one that taught me the word FUCK. haha yeah she had an attitude. she was independant, strong, funny, giving and the best grandma i could ask for. she will be missed greatly. she lived in cali…LA area. the area i was moving back to next year. i was looking forward to being closer to her. but i cannot dwell on that.  i have to think about all the goodtimes we shared and just how blessed my family is. we have not had to deal with death in our family much. i love you grandma….you will be thought of and missed everyday ♥

personal growth!

this time of year many are thinking of the new year to come. what will they change, what will they start doing, what will they stop doing? im  really not a fan of the term “new years resolution.”  i mean why wait til the new year to make a change. why not do it NOW? but if it is what works for you to make a change for the better then more power to you. we are all motivated by different aspects in life. some like mondays, some like to wait til the new year, some wait til they are 40 or even 50, some it takes a tragedy in their life to realize about doing something. whatever it may be we all have a desire to keep that personal growth of ours going & moving forward. some have bigger aspirations that others. whatever it may be as long as you set goals and achieve them you will continue to strive for that personal accomplishment.

this year i set my mind & body to focus 100% on bodybuilding. i competed in 4 shows this year. i placed well & i improved with each show i did. i enjoyed it to the fullest and it was a sense of personal achievement that i had to accomplish. when i focused 100% on bodybuilding many things were on the back burner. now that the competition season is over for the year i have already started setting goals on new things. putting priorities in check and im ready to set new & exciting goals to achieve. i will not be competing in 2010. im focusing 100% on moving to california. im taking classes at the culinary school right now and will continue to do so while im here in nyc.

i cannot explain the gratifying feeling i have knowing that i will be doing new & interesting things. as much as my heart loves competing as a bodybuilder im excitied with the new mission i have set out to do. with each and every goal i achieve, i grow as a person and today i am happy and satisfied with the person i am today. that is the true mission of accomplishment in life….being happy with who YOU are. ♥

Christmas in NYC!

christmas time in NYC is really something everyone should see. the city is so beautifully decorated and you really get the feeling that it is christmas. timothy & i walked down to rockafeller center this evening. it snowed lastnight so all day today there was alot of snow on the streets & sidewalks which added to the christmas feel. we saw the famous tree everyone talks about & when i saw it my face lit up like a kid. it was amazing. there was an ice skating rink below and plenty of other lights & decorations surrounding the area. we saw the radio city music hall which was cool because ive seen it on tv when they had the MTV music awards there. i saw the saint patrick’s cathedral. that was unbelievable. i want to go back so we can go inside & check it out. great night tonight for sure.

so we decided to get something to eat afterwards and head to the dish…one of our favorite spots. i over hear this lady talking about how stressed out she is because not only does she have to buy her family & friends christmas gifts BUT she has to buy her coworkers gifts also. damn…i would hate to be her. she sounds miserable lol. i have not bought one single gift for christmas. for one…i dont have the money to be spending, second of all….christmas is for the kids and i dont have kids so that answers that LOL and third…i have important priorities that come first and im thankful to have close friends & family that understand the true meaning of christmas. on christmas i enjoy spending time with people that im close too, eat some good food & just have a good time together. i hope others feel the same ♥

cookies anyone??

so today i took another class at the institute of culinary education…basic cookie design. now nothing seems basic about these cookies we got to decorate. the chef taught us many techniques to making beautiful decorated cookies that look like art. we made a basic butter cookie and then some glacé icing which we made many colors. the great part about the icing was what ever color we made we got to mix with a flavor. the color orange was made with an orange liquor, brown with godiva chocolate liqour, red with a rasberry liqour, yellow was with lemon extract and so on…just something to add that special touch to when someone has one of these delicious cookies. i enjoyed the class so much that i am going to be taking the advance cookie design class in february.  HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

video interview with Tom Nine…

this past july i did an off-season shoot with Tom Nine at the masters nationals.
here is my video interview…

dont think about it….GO FOR IT!

as some of you know who read my blog know that i have been looking into culinary school. mainly the baking/pastry program. when i took a tour of the Institute of Culinary Education i fell in love with the programs that they had to offer. BUT…commiting myself to a $28+ loan was just not realistic as of now. i tend to like change…get bored and want to try many many things. so i then decided to take some of the recreational courses they offer which are exceptionaly amazing. you learn so much and they range from $95-$600 and can be anywhere from a 5 hour class to 25 hours a week. so far i have enjoyed each & every class that i have taken. so i ask myself….”is this the direction i want to go with a career or maybe just a part time thing i do for extra money?” all i know is that i find myself preoccupied with thoughts of making this a part of my everyday life.

they just put out the new schedule of classes tonight and of course i was looking for cake deco 2 since i just finished cake deco 1. now these classes only have 10 students per class so they fill up FAST! i saw cake deco 2 but the next open class isnt until the end of april.  the BIG plan for 2010 is to move back to california, sometime in the spring. so now i have to make a decision. do i sign up for the class just in case we are still here or do i not sign up with the hopes that we will already be west coast bound? i have learned not to put something off if you truely want to do something…just go for it. whats the worst that could happen…i pay the $525 for the class and if we are not here in nyc i get my money back minus $50. sometimes you cant sit around and wait til the time is right to do something that you want to do…because there really is not a right time for anything. you will go back & fourth in your head trying to rationalize why you shouldnt do something. SO….with that all being said i enrolled in the class. ; )
Wherever your dreams are pointing you today, take a step. Take action and manifest your inner urges and soul whisperings…

the best kind of rose….

is definately a chocolate one. today in class we worked with molding chocolate. we made a rose, leaves & a bow to place on top of our cake, all out of hand. im kinda bummed that today was the last day of class. but im excited & motivated to take more.
took today off from the gym. no cardio or training. just didnt feel like going. if i could pick any day of the week to miss the gym it would be friday night. when i had a 8-5 job fridays were hard for me to get motivated, especially in the winter. the gym was always dead too on friday nights.
well the weekend is here!!! hope everyone has a nice weekend. bundle up…its getting cold!!