Where do I begin? Well, I write you from the Dog Pound...or my  cousin DH Smith's living room. His bulldog, Joanna, seems to be extra aggressive tonight and I attribute that to what is on tv.  As well as watching Friday Night Smackdown, we are watching old tapes of Stampede Wrestling.  It never gets old  watching wrestlers such as the Dynamite Kid in his heyday. Man, could he move! He may have been the fastest, most explosive wrestler, ever. 

In some ways, I think that athletes like The Dynamite Kid brought out the competitive nature in all whom he competed against. He made his oppononents fight harder and exceed their limits. Maybe that  includes my uncle Bret, who had amazing feuds with Dynamite and in return, excelled in the ring at a rapid pace. He had met someone that  challenged him to grow and want to be better for himself. 

With all the talk of competition, we have just that with the Divas on SD right now...It only makes me want to get a little hungry and forget my manners!  With our newest addition, Brie, it looks like there is a new chick on the block. Or should I say she reminds me of a Ferret? Yeah, you heard me right...a Ferret. I had no problem launching her into outer space, but her win was a fluke...you can be sure of that.  It's time to take Brie to the dungeon, where she can learn some respect. Nobody treats my BFF like that!

...and I have to give a shout out to the French Poodle, Maryse, She more than held her own against Michelle at Unforgiven. I never underestimate a Canadian...but she's not third generation. Let's not get too carried away. HAHAHA!!!

But to get back to what I was saying, about feeling driven and inspired by the wrestling style of the Dynamite Kid... It is not just the competition of a rival or the glimmer of gold that moves me...it is the quest for me to meet my own personal bests. What makes me tick? Getting excited to jump out of bed and invent! To be original and to be a leader...What moves me? Being able to march to the beat of my own drum. Discovering something I never knew I had in me. What charges me? Making an impact.  Knowing that I am free to be me. I can take a chance on who I am and stand by my convictions. Why? Because I can.

It's only getting good...and the best is yet to come for all the Divas on Smackdown. As for me, I am ready to strike with all of my Hart.

"The magic is inside you, their aint no crystal ball." -Dolly Parton

It's been one week since I have been back from my native land, Canada, and I feel recharged! I had a very successful trip to Alberta and I had the chance to meet with fans, press and of course, family. Because I can never sit still, I also managed to take in Cirque du Soleil, a shopping spree at Lulu Lemon, a run along the Bow River and even a drive past Hart House.

I was in Calgary and Edmonton, which is Hart country and I just felt so much emotion in the best way. Through radio, news and newspaper, I had such an opportunity to open up about my life as a Diva in WWE. I always enjoy sharing stories about my family, too. I have a lot of pride in the fact that their legacy lives on through the respect of the "next generation."

To add a little pep in my step, my uncle surprised me with tickets to see Cirque du Soleil, which reminded me so much of what we as Divas and Superstars do in sports-entertainment. The costumes were gorgeous. The performers were sculpted athletes who needed their bodies to carefully maneuver themselves in flips, spins and jumps that defied gravity for even the very best gymnasts. It was captivating watching a story unfold as these very theatrical athletes pushed physical boundaries one could only dream of.

I did find a day to wake up really early and run on my favorite path along the Bow River. I sported a new Lulu Lemon running outfit and ran as fast as I could, because I was so excited to be home. I even saw a deer. I tried to take in the mountains, the river and the air on a trail that would lead me to my uncle's gym.

BJ's gym was where my entire family trained when they weren't in the squared circle. When the Dungeon closed down, my uncle BJ set up a ring in the gym, so we would always have a place to wrestle any time we wanted. The gym is full of pictures of our family and friends and wrestlers that have come in and out of our lives that remind us of why we do this. It is actually a very inspiring little place.

Before I left Calgary, I wanted to go past my grandfather's house. I just love to drive down the hill that overlooks it, and take it all in. It still brings back an assortment of memories that make me laugh, cry and most importantly, remember my roots. 

Sometimes you close your eyes and picture the place where you used to live ... when you were young.  -The Killers

With Summer Skin, Diva Olympics, and SummerSlam on the horizon, this has truly been an action packed season for the Divas! There really hasn't been time for a dull moment ... and that's just the way we like it! 

Summer Skin was something I was really excited about doing this year, because having a three day spread across WWE.com allows the fans to get to really know all the Divas and their personalities and eccentricities. The Divas are very special girls who are more than just pretty faces. What I really like about being a part of it, is that we are able to show a softer side of ourselves that people may not always see when we perform in the ring. 

I realize that I am not the standard swimsuit model, and I am proud of that. (Nothing against swimsuit models!) I have a very athletic and curvy figure and I think it's great I can represent a different "flavor of ice cream." (Natalya=Mint Chocolate Chip!)

I used to try and fight my athletic genetics, which I have come to realize are awesome. Now, I am happy just to embrace them. (I promise to never grow a red goatee, though!) I think confidence is the most important tool in being sexy. It really is about more than just how you look on the outside. You sparkle when you believe in yourself and that's a feeling that money just can't buy.

Regarding our SmackDown Diva Olympics match, that was a blast! I had a riding jacket, velvet hat, and even a little horse whip (just in case Maria got out of line!) It was fun to dress up and jump into different roles. Victoria did a round off back handspring, back tuck into the ring earlier in the day, but she doesn't like to show off too much. That's why she kept her ring entrance simple for the show. I thought we had a very fast-paced match, though. Michelle had a few tricks up her sleeve, which we did not appreciate, but the better team won! You don't mess with tennis players, gymnasts and especially equestrians :)

I am off to Canada next week to help promote SummerSlam, which I do think is going to be action packed. With Hell in a Cell and the mixed tag match, I think it's going to leave a lasting impression on the summer of 2008. I think it's a good idea for me to go back home and cool off in my native land, before I feel the burn of the Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer.

So many of you from all over the world have asked me about the Hart House and what it was like there. It's hard to put it into one simple answer ... but I always love going back to the way I remembered it.

I spent most of my free time at Hart house and in the Dungeon ... even in its final days. There truly was never a dull moment in that old, brick house that was once a hospital in the war.

I can still picture my grandmother walking down the steps from the kitchen to the basement ... nonchalantly checking her laundry. The washing machine and dryer happened to be located right next the Dungeon. She thought nothing of it when she heard grown men scream at the top of their lungs in pain. Stu was usually spending Saturday and Sunday mornings practicing the fine art of submission wrestling on anyone he could get his hands on.

The Dungeon was just a little room. There were holes in the walls and in the ceiling from people's bodies and heads going through it. The mats were old and weathered, and not soft at all. Some of the padding had actually been ripped out for years ... we just wrestled around it. A little door took you into it from the side of the house and there were a few small windows in it where you could catch a glimpse of what was inside.

Hart House had more than 20 bedrooms and four floors. It sat on a hill, in a yard littered with old Cadillacs that didn't run. Vines ran up the side of the house, creeping across balconies and brick and usually snow that made you want to go inside and get warm. Usually one would head for the kitchen, which was all commercial steel ... meant for heavy duty cooking and heavy duty eating!

Many of times, the most unusual people would come over for our Sunday dinners. They consisted of up to 50 people every week. Stu did all the cooking ... which was a lot when Andre the Giant was a houseguest! Or Benny and Billy Maguire, the world's largest twins (who broke every toilet in the house), also wanted to break bread with the family. A few of the other guests included a monkey and a bear, which were stored near the Dungeon.  

Stu was always fascinated by the oddities and quirks in people and animals...which were always welcome in our home, as long as they liked wrestling!

In fact, my grandfather used to prepare his famous fried chicken in a room across from the Dungeon, which also served as a crematorium when the house was a hospital. If you looked outside, you could see one of many wrestling rings set up on the lawn. As kids, we had our own wrestling promotion, called the KWA (Kids Wrestling Association), where the boys would put on shows before Sunday dinners. 

As beautiful as that brick house was, with it's antique chandeliers that beamed out through picture glass windows ... there really was a sense of mystique that surrounded it. There was a light that radiated from the Dungeon on up to the attic. It's almost as if the house had a soul that made it glow ... but the people that came through it, that gave the home its charm. .. and its heartbeat.

Hart House still exists today, but the family has no ownership of it since my grandparents passed on. People still come from abroad and drive by it to catch a glimpse of a place that was truly magical. I can picture it perfectly in my head ... and I can go there any time I want because I still believe in it.

Well, the Bash is just days away and I am thrilled to death. It is all hitting me now.

I have been visualizing this match over and over in my head. My uncle Bret told me that in his match against Davey Boy Smith at Wembley Stadium, for the IC Championship, he visualized every bit of it and It helped prepared him for "battle."  In this case, I can see it all unfolding and I am trying to find my focus for what I intend to be an all out war. There is no doubt, that McCool is one hell of a fighter.  I am going to have to pull out all the stops if I want to walk away victorious. 

This is not the first time I have endured a struggle as a Diva. It brings me back to the many other challenges I have faced in the past few years in this industry.

I look back on my time training in the dungeon. You would think that since my family was there, it would have been easier, but it wasn't. They pushed me even harder. I had to break down all the barriers of being a women, and learn how to survive in a man's world.

Wrestling in Japan, and competing against the toughest, most brutal women wrestlers on the planet. Not only were they fierce, but they made me fight for my "life" every, single night. I was forced to grow and be strong, even when I was scared...

 ...and I am always reminded of an injury I got in the land of the Orient. I had to take off a year of wrestling to repair my left knee and rebuild my confidence from the ground up. I learned I wasn't invincible and that we are actually more fragile (physically and mentally) than we know.

That leads me to now...and I am still fighting. It never gets easier, I am just learning how to dodge the bullets a little better. In fact, I feel it is those moments of despair and hardship, that bring out the very best in us. They give you reference, clarity and ultimately, allow you to rise to the occasion if you so choose. Sometimes, you find something you never knew you had.