Cree's Birth Story

It's December 4th as I am writing this. Today is my 32nd birthday and I am spending an hour of my night doing something that I want and love.... writing and pouring my thoughts and stories out on the blog.

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Today is my birthday! 🎂🎁 🎉 I’m 32! With all that’s going on... it doesn’t really feel like it’s my birthday and feels just like any other day this year. This past month has been blurring together. My head is not as clear and mental health not as strong as I’d like it to be right now as my hormones and anxiety are temporarily kicking my butt and that’s okay. It’s to be expected postpartum—at least for me personally anyways. There are 3 presents that I got for my birthday that make me happy though... 1. I got a killer gift bag full of Victoria’s Secret/Pink (ya girl learned how to coupon at VS/Pink like a boss!!! VS/Pink sisters... I know you’ll understand and get my excitement! 😜🛍 🛍 2. Within 2 weeks after giving birth my body dropped half of the pregnancy weight that was gained with no effort. Definitely a pick me upper and a shock during this sensitive period. 3. I’m spending an hour of my night writing my birth story on the blog. A little sad that baby Cree no longer wanted to be my birthday gift. Instead he wanted to be my Thanksgiving blessing, which is still just as beautiful. 🤱🏽 Given the situation that he and I were in... he knew he needed to get out and fast. 🙏🏽 Thankful to see another year! 🙏🏽 32... we’re gonna kick ass! #postpartumfeelings #thistooshallpass #birthdaygirl #postpartumjourney

A post shared by Katie Bolden 🦋 (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on Dec 4, 2018 at 12:00pm PST

So what's been going on.... pregnancy and life update

It's been awhile!! Wow, time certainly does fly when you are busy! I haven't had a lot of time or energy to put into the blog lately. I told myself earlier this year that I wanted to start creating better content on this blog and giving this blog a face lift, but with that comes a need for, in my opinion anyways, a great work space (a great and comfortable work space creates great energy, creativity, inspiration and motivation for the work that you are doing). I haven't had a great space in my home that I feel great and productive in. To be honest, my current home has never felt like a home to me. I live in my husband's family home that most of his family members on his father's side has lived in at one point or another. It's a very very old house in a crappy area with crappy people. The house is in poor shape and it leaves my husband and I constantly overwhelmed and stressed out and we do what we can and make the best of what we have. Don't get me wrong... I am completely blessed and grateful for a roof over our heads no matter the condition, but it's not the ideal living conditions and we just can't afford to go anywhere else at the moment. 

A "People Experience"

This still feels like a dream! The realization of how BIG this is did not hit me until much later after working on the project. It honestly didn't hit me until about 2 weeks before the issue hit newsstands. When I told family and contacts (on a need to know basis), they were telling me how huge of an accomplishment it was. I said, thanks or thank you and tried not to act like it was a huge deal.... even though it was! I didn't really feel the impact of the whole thing until much later. When People Magazine asked me to be a part of their Half Their Size issue, I was super excited and anxious, of course. You guys wanna know the whole story behind all of this and how it came to be?!

People Magazine: Half Their Size

Say what?! I am featured in People Magazine's popular annual, "Half Their Size" 2018 issue! 😮😄😱

Bodybuilding.com's Train For Her Magazine & Ambassador News

I had some amazing news back in October! I was featured in the Fat to Fit section of Bodybuilding.com's TRAIN for HER magazine December 2017 issue - my birthday month!!! 

Make sure you guys pick up the latest issue (December) of @bodybuildingcom @trainforher magazine for my latest feature. You can also peep the link in my bio! 🤗💙💗 ••••••••••••• #huffnpufftobuffntough #bodybuildingcom #trainforher #bbcomambassador #teampolar #weightlosstransformation #transformation

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on Nov 1, 2017 at 7:56am PDT

Did you see me in STRONG Fitness Magazine?! Not once, but TWICE!

Hi guys!! You may or may not have seen my posts on social media regarding my latest feature in the Sept/Oct issue of STRONG Fitness Magazine. 😱😜 

I may not be in Chicago at the @ladygaga concert or in London at @wbff_official Worlds competing for a world title this weekend, but I am in the latest issue of @strongfitnessmag hitting newsstands any week now! 😨😍🤘 I'll keep you all updated! #sneakpeek Words can't even begin to express the amount of gratitude, love and appreciation that I have right now. It is such an honor to grace the pages of this amazing magazine with a full 2 page feature in the fall issue alongside all of the other strong and beautiful women and athletes! Thank you so much Strong Fitness. I can't wait to read it! Thank you for giving me this mind-blowing opportunity to continue inspiring and sharing my journey with the world. I am forever grateful 🙏💝👙🏅🏆🎉 @strongfitnessmag @paul_dillett @allisondillett @wbff_official @fitnessatlantic @davidfordfoto

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on Aug 25, 2017 at 6:28pm PDT

The feature appeared in their, "Get Inspired!" section. The article discusses bits and pieces of my story and my weight loss/fitness journey. It also mentions a few details on how I lost the weight. I thought the article was really well thought out and written. The headline quote that was used is just........ pure awesomeness! They couldn't have picked a better quote!

The Comeback Is Always Stronger Than The Setback

Hi again! 👋👋

As most of you know, I decided to take some time away from blogging and sharing my journey (read here). As you can see just from that post and things that were shared leading up to that post that it was much needed and I am sure some people saw it coming.

"Lord knows you can’t trust your head when you're standing on the edge. 

I’m breaking down.

Lord knows you can’t trust your head when you're hanging by a thread. 

I was breaking down." -Sia (Footprints)

It is with a heavy heart that I announce....

With tears and feelings of defeat... I have come to the conclusion that I won't be making it to London to attend Worlds in August due to financial reasons. I won't be finishing what I started. At least not this year, or the next year. I have already started my exit strategy for reversing out of my current comp prep to transition back into normalcy and real life with a balanced diet and deloading from comp training.

"What defines us is how well we rise after falling." . . Read the latest blog post. Link in bio. Have a great summer and may all your hopes, dreams, and goals become reality. . . Talk soon... . . "The comeback is always stronger than the setback." . . 🔌unplugged🔌

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on Jun 22, 2017 at 5:09pm PDT

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Enlightened Ice Cream

I can't think of one person that doesn't like ice cream. I never ate it often throughout my life, especially during weight loss. Don't get me wrong, I love ice cream, but it was a once in a blue moon type of thing for me. I never felt the need to have to HAVE it..... until now! 😩

But luckily for me and everyone else, we can have it without all the calories, the guilt, and the fat thanks to brands like Enlightened!!!

Mizuno Wave Sky Review

When I got news that I would be testing out the new Wave Sky running shoes from Mizuno, I was stoked to say the least. I have been a fan of Mizuno shoes for quite some time now and I was super impressed with my first pair of Mizuno's (Wave Inspire 12) that I've ever owned.