Pink Ribbon Tea

What a fun way to raise money for Cancer Research! I had the honor of being the Mistress of Ceremonies for the Boone Pink Ribbon Tea on Saturday, Oct. 25. Shortly after I was asked to MC the event I found out that my mom had Stage II Breast Cancer. I have always been interested in this particular organization so I was thrilled that I had the chance to be involved. Cindy Bell organized and headed up the tea. She had a unique way of raising money for Cancer Research. She had experienced a similar event when she visited her sisters in Kentucky where the Govenor's wife had put together a "Tea" and then auctioned off hats! Instead of hats, we auctioned off purses! Every purse was full of extra goodies, too, including 2 tickets to the Broadway Series show, "Legally Blonde" playing here in Des Moines. There was also a lot of Mary Kay and Avon products tucked into these purses. I ended up leaving with two purses myself! They were just too cute to pass up! I am not sure how much money we raised, but it was a lot of fun! Originally we were only going to auction off 25 purses, but then Cindy Waterman, owner of the Iris Tea Room and one of our sponors, had put together 25 centerpiece purses that were just too cute to pack away again, so we auctioned those off as well! What I loved about all this is that all the purses, along with the items tucked inside, as well as all the tea, sandwiches, desserts, plates and all the services, were donated! So 100% of the proceeds go to Cancer Research! We had two speakers at the event. The first one was Carolyn Lehnus of Urbandale and she shared her survivor story. I learned a lot listening to her and hope that I can help my mom through her "journey" a little better now. The other speaker was Jo Myers-Walker of Gilbert. She gave a presentation on watercolors. Watercolors? you may ask. What do watercolors have to do with cancer? Jo has started offering classes at the hospital in Ames to cancer patients, family & friends as a way of healing as they go through cancer treatments. We are all artists, she says and after her presentation I agree with her. I think the event was a success and I look forward to doing more with the Relay for Life/Cancer Foundation of Boone!

Clay County Fair

Well, I think I am finally catching up!! This particular appearance is a little out of order, but I didn't have the pictures ready to post, so I am writing about it now. September 13 was the day that I got to relish in my farm upbringing! Every year, for over 60 years, the Johnson family has shown their family Herefords at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa. I am not sure exactly how many years it is, but I am sure one of them will let me know as soon as they read this! ;-) I actually became a part of their tradition many years ago, 16 years, if memory serves me correct! I grew up showing Dairy (Holsteins) cattle, so the whole concept of walking forward to lead your animal was a little foreign to me, but I caught on quickly. Back in the day, there was a lot more preparations to be done with the animals. I remember fluffing their tails and spraying them into a ball shape and going all out on curling the hair on their bodies. Now-a-days we just wash them real well, have a friend clip them where needed and comb the hair up on their bodies to give them more curl. Most of you probably don't know much about Hereford cattle, so the whole "curling their hair" thing is probably making you scratch your head! They are one of the few breeds left that genetically have longer hair. It protects them in both summer and winter. That's just one of the many traits that make them such a great beef animal. Herefords are one of the most self-sufficient beef cattle you will ever find. They practically take care of themselves. They are low maintanence and easy keepers, with laid back temperments. They are a joy to be around (except some new mom's), even the bulls! Over the years I have tried to discern what the judges are looking for, but I am so used to showing & judging dairy, that I am almost always wrong! This year was no exception.
Things were a little different for me this year. Instead of helping to show the cattle, I had the honor of handing out the ribbons to all the exhibitors, with the occassional help of the Hereford Princess...who also happened to be showing some cattle, too! We both had dual roles; she was not only the Hereford Princess, but also one of the showman. As for me, I was Mrs. Iowa, as well as the "official" photographer for the Johnson family! I am grateful that my, hopefully soon to be sister-in-law, Amy was there to help out with Wyatt. She kept him occupied and entertained through-out the entire show. The show lasted right around 3 hours or so. In the end, we walked away with the Premier Breeder Award and the Premier Exhibitor Award. As for how they determine these awards, I am not entirely sure, but I think with the Premier Exhibitor Award it is the exhibitor with the most points at the end of the show. My understanding is that for each class you enter, you get a certain "score" for your placing in the class. In the end, it is whoever has accumulated the most points, that wins! I really have no clue how they determine the Premier Breeder Award. That, you would have to ask my father-in-law, Jack, about. All in all, the day was a great day. We even got a professional family picture taken with the 3 year old bull. Lynne, my mother-in-law, will be using that as their Christmas card this year. I can't wait to see it!
I almost forgot to mention!!!....Both Caisha and Zach helped show this year again. That is them in most of the pictures. They love to help out and get involved.

Chocolaterie Stam & Music Walk

On September 18th I enjoyed the music and sweets offered at Chocolaterie Stam on Main Street in Ames! I had the best seat in the house at the front of the store where I was able to greet each person as they came through the door. Chocolaterie Stam is an italian sweets shop and they have some of the best gelatto(I think I spelled that right?)! What is gelatto, you ask? It is italian ice cream. Terry Stark, the owner of the store...and one of my generous sponsors.....explained that gelatto is a much denser ice cream with a little more sugar in it. I am one of those who grew up on Schwan's ice cream and I could eat a HUGE bowl of that ice cream. The gelatto, on the other hand, I could barely finish a 6 oz serving! It is so rich and delicious! As I was greeting people and talking about my platform, one of my fellow sorority sisters, Jessica, came in with her daughter. That is them in the photo. I also have a photo with Terry, the owner. Thank you, Terry, for being such a wonderful sponsor and arranging this appearance for me. I wished I could have stayed longer!!

Interview with KGGO 94.9FM

Once again "Roundguy", Lou and Heather opened their studio to me! I have had such a great time getting to know the morning show crew for KGGO! Even though it is not a station that I listen to on a regular basis, I have REALLY appreciated the opportunites that they have given me to talk about being Mrs. Iowa and about educating people on preventing abuse. For me, I have received the most support from this most unlikely source. God surely works in unusual ways! I never would have gotten as far as I have without "RG"! If you ever see them, out & about, be sure to tell them "Hi!", or better yet, give them a call!

Mrs. America National Competition

Well, Nationals have come & gone! It was definitely an interesting experience and I truly enjoyed meeting all the fabulous women from around this great nation of ours! Due to financial reasons, Mrs. America will not be televised this year. They also had to scale back the production and shorten out time at Nationals. We did not have many opportunities for sightseeing, but it did make for a less stressful 9 days! I was able to sneak in a few hours of lounging by the pool, soaking up the Arizona sun! That's just not something I have the opportunity for in Iowa! The staff at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort were some of the most helpful & gracious people I have ever met! I found it interesting that a lot of them had originally lived in Iowa, Minnesota or Illinois! Maybe that is why I felt so at home! I had a lot of local people rooting for me all week which helped to keep me positive. Because of the shorten time that we were in Tucson, I was not able to really meet all the ladies I was competing with, but I know every one of them deserved to be there!
For the first time since I started competing in pageants I slept well the night before interviews!! I know that my preparations leading up to Nationals played a part in that, but I think the biggest reason is all the prayers that people were sending my way (as well as my own prayers each night)!! And I have to tell you about my make-up artist and hair stylist! Kelly & Leslie!! They are so fabulous!! The magic they worked on me helped me to relax even more! I can never thank them enough for their expertise and abilities. I know I looked amazing and it definitely helped me shine in interview and on stage! After I walked out of interviews I was on cloud nine! I felt it had gone sooo well! I think it was the best interview I have EVER done! There is absolutely nothing I would change! Then I had the rest of the day OFF! So, of course, I headed out to the pool! I also took some time to walk around the resort and video taped a lot of the area so my daughter, Caisha, could see where I was. She was so jealous that I got to go to Arizona!
Preliminary night was finally upon us! Mrs. Kentucky led a small group of us in prayer before we headed out and she was amazing!! It was very inspirational & uplifting. She truly has a gift in her praise of our Lord Jesus!! Thank you 'T' (short for RaTonya) for the encouraging message! I was definitely on autopilot and knew that God was guiding me the entire time! After the show, I had numerous people come up and tell me that I looked absolutely stunning on stage! They were positive I would be in Top 12! I was feeling pretty good, myself, but was still trying not to get my hopes up, as I had been told that it is truly a crap shoot and we would all be surprised by some who made Top 12 and some who didn't.
Well, finals night finally arrives! And it was a train wreck! The minute we stepped out on stage, things did not go well! The lighting was so haphazard that half of us were in the dark and through-out the evening the microphones either didn't work or there was so much feedback from them that you had to cover your ears! We had an opening dance/singing number that we did. The problem was, we could not hear the music cue to start our dance above the yelling and clapping of the audience. We stood up there for a few minutes straining to hear the music! I finally, faintly heard the music and found the beat and yelled out "5, 6, 7, 8!" Apparently most of the ladies heard me, because we all started at the same time. Unfortunately, because we started so late on our dance, the second group was not able to do their dance! By the time we came together as one large group to dance, we had it down pretty well, though. We did end on a strong note! Then our MC was introduced, Bill Harris. He has been the writer for Mrs. America for many years and this year he also became the host. He started off with the Publication Awards, but after calling out 4-5 names he was told to stop. Apparently he was reading off the wrong list! He did get the correct list and things went pretty smoothly from there, including my name being called as the winner in Swimsuit!! I was so shocked, but, of course, pleased to be recognized for all the hours & hours I spent at the gym when I would rather of been hanging out with my family! It was nice to be "rewarded" for my dedication. Then it came time to name the Top 12! We stood up there for over 10 minutes waiting for them to find the list!! I was ready to ask if we could redo our opening number to show everybody how it was really suppose to look, while we waited! Finally the list was read, and I was not included on that list. I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed, because I am REALLY disappointed! However, there is nothing I would change! Apparently the judges just did not see what so many other people saw, but then, I was not the only one that I thought should have been in the Top 12. But, after all, there can only be 12. All the ladies did a great job and I know the judges had some hard decisions to make! I would not have wanted to be in their shoes!! In the end, Mrs. North Carolina...my roommate!!.....Maureen MacDonald won the title of Mrs. America 2009! She is a beautiful person, inside & out, and I wish her all the best and I know she will do well at Mrs. World in November 2009, which will be in Vietnam!! Lucky her! Although......, there is still the chance that I could go to Mrs. World! Mr. Marmel, president of Mrs. America, gave all of us contestants a challenge during the MENC seminar. I can't remember the details of the contest, but I know it had something to do with the penny drive MENC has every year to raise funds for music education in our schools! Mrs. America headquarters will be sending me more information about the contest soon, and maybe with all your help, I can still get to Mrs. World!! It would be great to be roommates with Maureen again!
I wish I could give a glowing review of my experience at Mrs. America, but I would be lying, and I have a hard time doing that(lying). I would never trade the opportunity I had and the fortuity to meet 50 beautiful, intelligent, dedicated women!! I hope we are able to have a couple reunions over the years to catch up and stay in touch! All the ladies were wonderful and I truly call each of them "friend"! Even though finals night was not what I was hoping for, I can walk away from this with my head held high, knowing that I represented Iowa with integrity and class! Someday, Mrs. Iowa will win the title of Mrs. America and I hope that I can inspire other women to pursue their dream! Go Iowa!!!!

Maxwell Celebration August 2nd

In all my excitement to get ready for the State Fair & Mrs. America, I neglected to include my participation in Maxwell's Old Settlers Celebration! What a great small town Maxwell is!! Susan Livesay, the coordinator of the celebration was kind enough to line up a car for me which was provided by the Birchmiers. There was a lot of energy from all the entrants in the parade, which made for a very enjoyable time! My son, Wyatt, absolutely loved all the tractors!! After the parade, I was honored to throw out the first pitch for the softball tournament. I wish I had a picture of the event....In true Iowa girl fashion, I removed my heels and pitched in bare feet!! I just didn't want to take any chances on twisting my ankle so close to the National competition for Mrs. America! Next year I plan on attending again, but this time I will be a "victim" of the dunk tank! So if you have ever wanted to dunk a beauty queen, you will have to attend the Maxwell Old Settler's Days next summer!! Hope to see you there!

Running to Catch up!

Sorry I haven't updated in 3 weeks! Things have gotten a little crazy since I returned from Nationals! I promise I will get to telling you all about it in the next couple days, but for now I have to catch up on a few things at home and work. On top of everything else, we had the flu go through our family last week that laid me out for a couple days...hence the need to play catch up! I will talk to you all VERY soon!

Iowa State Fair!

August 16th I packed the kids up and took them to the Iowa State Fair! I had a scheduled autograph session sponsored by, none other than the radio station, KGGO! My older 2 kids were a tremendous help in entertaining Wyatt (16 months) while I greeted listeners, talked on the radio and signed autographs. It was a lot of fun and Zach (my 10 year old) even got a chance to be on the radio!! He thought that was the most awesome part of the fair! For me, it was when a gentleman came up and said, "I've been watching you a little bit and it is nice to see that you are as sweet & beautiful in person as you sound on the radio." To me, that is one of the best compliments anyone could have paid me! After my "duties", we walked around the fair grounds...me in my sash & crown, which my daughter loved! We stopped by the Marines booth and visited with the soldiers a bit and then I "competed" in their contest of strength. So here I am dressed up, wearing my sash, (I took off the crown for safety) hanging from a bar about 5 feet above the ground! The contest was to see if you could hang in a chin-up position for 1 minute 10 seconds (women only). The men had to complete 20 full pull-ups. I had to prove to myself that I could do it and dispell any notion that "beauty queens" only look good, for the gathering crowd! I am happy to say that I accomplished the task at hand! The picture that my daughter took, unfortunately, does not show how far above the ground I was, so you will have to take my word that I was NOT standing on anything! :)

After the "test" of strength, we headed to the cattle barns. I am a farmers daughter, after all! We stopped to pet one of the calves and I ended up attracting so much attention that there was a traffic jam in the aisle! I had many photo opportunities and signed a few more autographs for people. I even had one taken with the calf!

We ended up staying at the fair until 9:30pm! We had arrived around 10:30am, so it was a pretty long day for everybody! As is our tradition, we bought a bucket of warm chocolate chip cookies, a couple glasses of milk, found a comfortable place to sit, and enjoyed the feast! It was a fantastic day and one that I always cherish with my kids. They have never missed a year at the fair since they were born. It's a great family tradition I hope they will continue with their families!!

Life 107.1FM Radio Interview

This is my all-time favorite radio station! This will be the third time that they have fit me into their programming to talk about my walk with the Lord and my journey through the world of pageants. Dave St. John is the morning DJ and it was wonderful to talk with him again. I had the opportunity to discuss, in a little more detail, the Liz Claiborne "Love Is Not Abuse" campaign and what we can do to help those who might be in an abusive relationship. He is currently working on having me as a regular guest on their station to help get this message out in the hopes of saving some one from going through what I did as a teenager. If you have been reading my blog, you will remember my story from my speech at the Iowa Lions Club International Camp. At the age of 16, I was in an abusive relationship and almost lost my life because of it. I am finally talking about what happened and how you can protect your loved ones from suffering the same fate. Please check out these websites for further information.
http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/
http://www.loveisrespect.org/
http://www.breakthecycle.org/
I am thrilled that I have had so many chances to speak out on my platform over the airwaves and I look forward to many more occasions over the next year and maybe beyond! If you want to check out Life 107.1FM you can go to their website at http://www.knwi.nwc.edu/.

Photos coming soon!

Albert City, IA - Thresherman & Antique Show

The Thresherman show was a last minute appearance opportunity. My children were staying with their grandparents and we decided that Albert City would be a great place to meet so I could pick the kids up. It also gave me the occasion to squeeze in another appearance. I brought my crown and banner with me and wore them as I walked around the grounds. My daughter, Caisha, and I stopped at one of the buildings that was on display and the lady that was the "hostess" said I HAD to be in the parade! I said, "I would love to! When is it?" She looks at her watch and says, "In 5 minutes!" She quickly flagged down a gentleman with a golf cart and he whisked me off to the starting point of the parade. As we waited, someone else went through all the entries in the parade looking for someone who had a convertible. A lady had a beautiful, old convertible from the 30's and she allowed me to ride with her through the parade! It was great fun and a chance to "greet" the people of Albert City. I did take a picture of one of the most interesting entrants in the parade. I have posted that picture for your amusement! Thank you to the Thresherman's show in Albert City for being such a wonderful & gracious host!! We all enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Iowa State Fair Parade - You Gotta Love It!

It's August 6th and it is the kick-off for the Iowa State Fair and I get to be a part of it!! It is a beautiful evening and I have a great car and a great driver to keep me entertained! One of the morning show DJ's for KGGO provided the car (it is his own), and was able to have "Fast Signs" make a magnetic sign for the car! 95 KGGO has been one of my biggest fans and they have sort of adopted me as one of their own! "Round Guy", the morning show DJ, has been great! He has gone above and beyond what anybody else has ever done for me! We all affectionatly refer to him as "RG" and he, in turn, refers to me as "LD". I have been lucky to be a guest on their show numerous times, before I was Mrs. Iowa and after I won my title. "RG", along with Lou and Heather, have been a big part of my preperations for Nationals. Thanks guys!!!

Now, back to the parade. ;) Like I was saying, it is a beautiful evening with a huge turn out of spectators! Since this is my first experience with this particular parade I am not sure what to expect or how long the route is, or anything. The parade starts at the State Capitol grounds and proceeds through downtown. Spectators are lined up on both sides of the road, including the parking ramps and resturants along the way. I've been in many parades over the years, but never one quite as big as this and it is FANTASTIC! I didn't know anybody in the "audience" but they gave me a very warm welcome......in fact, I even received a marriage proposal!! I had to point out that I was already married, but that didn't seem to deter the guy! :) It was a lot of fun, but a very long route! I am glad that I workout and lift weights on a regular basis, because I can't imagine how sore my arms would have been otherwise!! As it was, my arms were a little tired by the end! To top off this great evening, I also was able to watch the whole parade on TV after I got back home!

Just a side note: That's the Iowa State Capitol in the background.

WOI TV Interview

What an opportunity it was to speak on the morning news cast for our local ABC affiliated station, WOI-TV!! It was fascinating to watch behind-the-scenes of how a newscast is done! I was very impressed with how at ease Stephanie and Sara were in front of the camera. I suppose they really need to be to do their jobs well! When it came time for me to be on camera, I was initially a little nervous, but soon settled into a comfortable conversation with Stephanie and almost forgot that the camera was there. I did try to make a point of addressing my TV viewing audience, which I found a little strange since I was essentially talking to the cameraman! It was such a great opportunity for me to reach a larger audience about my platform and hopefully get some information out there to prevent domestic abuse. We did talk briefly about how a recent incident in Ames may have stemmed from an abusive situation and how knowing the early warning signs may have prevented it. I was also able to talk about the upcoming Mrs. America Pageant and what preparations I have been making for the competition. The best part is the station posted the websites that people can access for more information regarding my platform right on the television screen during the telecast. I have to say, that I hope I get many more opportunities to be in front of the camera! It is an exhilarating experience!

RAGBRAI

Well, Ames survived RAGBRAI! There were over 8,000 cyclists that overnighted in Ames on July 22nd and I had a front row seat as they all came into town! It was incredible to see that many people on bikes all at the same time! I volunteered by helping out with the concert to raise funds for the people & businesses that have lost homes/businesses to the floods and now have the daunting task of rebuilding. As devastating as these floods have been, we Iowans refuse to be victims! As soon as the waters receded, we dug right in and started rebuilding. We don't have time to wait for the government, as we all know how slow they can be! Just look at what happened with the Katrina victims. They are STILL trying to rebuild!
I had a great time meeting a lot of different people from around this country, and the world, as I handed out tickets to the concert. A few people stick out in my mind, in particular, a gentleman from California, a group of ladies from Arizona and these two guys from Germany! If you are unfamiliar with RAGBRAI it is an acronym for The Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa and I had to get involved when I found out they were coming through Ames and the fact that RAGBRAI was my costume theme at our state pageant. You can get more information by going to their website at http://www.ragbrai.org/.

Stanhope Watermelon Day Parade

Saturday, July 19th I participated in the Stanhope Parade. I believe they were celebrating 125 years, so it was a pretty big turn-out for such a small town! I almost was unable to participate as I had not been able to line up a car for the parade ahead of time. I was very blessed and know that, again, God had a hand in all this. I had decided to stop in for breakfast with the Lions Club International Youth (see previous blog) before they all headed to the airport to fly to their home countries and was talking with Bill (the gentleman that contacted me about that opportunity) and mentioned that I had a parade in Stanhope later that morning and I wasn't sure how I was going to participate, but was going to show up anyway and hope that someone would take pity on me! Well, Bill said he could do one better and started making phone calls! After a few tries, he hands me his phone and I find myself talking to Clint Smith. He is the owner of the Stanhope Meat Locker and participates in the parade every year. I explained to him my situation and he graciously invited me to join his family on their float! I had such a great time getting to know his family and hope that we can keep in touch and maybe "help" each other out in some other ways. He is on the Board for the small town meat lockers in Iowa and is hoping to get the word out how vital these local businesses are to our towns! Being that I grew up on a farm, I knew right away that I wanted to get involved in anyway that I could to get the word out. With the price of produce going up in the grocery stores, your local meat locker is a better option for meats. And if you get together with your neighbors or family members you can get an even better deal! It's definately worth checking out...and you would be supporting your local farmers and community! Iowa is known for being able to take care of itself, so this would be just one more way of doing just that!!

Lions Club International Youth Exchange Camp

What an amazing evening! I was honored to speak to the wonderfully talented International Youth who have spent the last week together at the Iowa 4-H campgrounds. There were youth from Finland, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Turkey, India, Italy, Latvia, Israel & Poland, as well as a few from Iowa. I had the most fun just listening to them talk, with all the different accents! The Lions Club International have sponsored each of these youths in an exchange program that allows them to stay with a host family here in Iowa for a couple weeks. I could tell they all had become very close and really enjoyed their stay. I truly enjoyed the wonderful talent show they put on for us and was amazed at some of the talent within this small group! I have already talked with the Lions Club about being a camp volunteer next year! I could tell in the short amount of time that I spent with these youth that they were a lot of fun and very responsible & respectful! It was so refreshing to see and be a part of. I hope that, even though we did not get many chances to talk at great length, that these international youth will keep in touch and let me know how they are doing! I will be receiving a DVD of the entire evening we had together, as well as footage of their week at camp. You can just see from the pictures what a fun bunch they were and how welcoming they were of me into their group! I felt like I was 18 again! In fact, I took the challenge of learning a German jump style dance during the talent show! I was right up there with all the teenagers, jumping and kicking, and having a blast!! The culmination of the show was when the young man from Finland got up and told us (the audience) a little about each of the "campers". It was such a great way to learn a little about each of them, even though we didn't get to spend the week with them! He had such wonderful, positive things to say about everybody, and he really built every body up! We don't hear or see enough of this in our society today and it was very refreshing!!
I was very pleased with the response to my presentation on the Early Warning Signs of an Abusive Relationship. I hope that I made an impression on the youth, as well as the adults, in the audience. I did get a lot of positive feedback from the Lions Club governors & leaders. I hope that I will have many more opportunities for speaking engagements through this great organization. I may just end up becoming a Lion myself! I will include a copy of my speech here for you to read. I did adlib a bit, so this is not word for word what I said, but it is very close. I had a brief introduction before I began.

~Nine years ago, I started competing in pageants as a challenge for myself to overcome my shyness, once and for all! Through out the years I have had many opportunities to speak out on my platform & support many worthy causes, forcing me to step outside my comfort zone. It has become such a habit to be out of my comfort zone now, that I am uncomfortable with what used to be my comfort zone! I am grateful for the opportunities that pageants have given me and I hope that on September 2nd I will be able to capture the crown of Mrs. America and give Iowa the bragging rights of calling this the home & heart of Mrs. America! Sometimes I wonder how a scrawny, shy farm girl grew up to be one of the women I used to admire during the Miss America pageants on TV! As a wife and mother of 4, I never dreamed that I would get the chance, or find the time, to pursue my passion of helping others, all the while wearing a crown that represents all the married women in this country. It is with the help of God and my own perseverance that it is a reality!
By all rights, I should not be standing here this evening. And let me tell you why I say that. As a 16 year old I found myself in an abusive dating relationship. As is the nature of such situations, it had escalated to a frightening scenario when I tried to leave the relationship. In my naivety I thought I could just walk away & that would be the end of it. But that was not the case. I found myself staring down the muzzle of a gun. By the grace of God, someone pulled up to my, then boyfriend’s house & he quickly put the gun away, giving me the chance to escape. Lucky for me he never pursued me & I never saw him again.
As many as 1 in 3 teens experience abuse of some kind in a romantic relationship, whether it is physical, emotional or verbal. It starts out innocent enough and in some cases, it seems to be very flattering when someone wants to spend every minute with you. Over time, this can turn into a control issue and you find yourself cut off from your friends and family. And you realize that you no longer do any of the things you used to enjoy because you spend every waking moment with this person. Then, one day they make a comment in front of your friends that embarrasses or hurts you. From that point, things can very quickly escalate to physical abuse. This is just one example of some of the early warning signs of a potentially abusive relationship and should not be ignored. Domestic violence does not discriminate. It affects all races, religions, cultures, genders & ages. My goal is to educate our youth on the early warning signs of an abusive relationship & give them the resources they need, if they should find themselves in this situation. As Mrs. Iowa America I hope that I can prevent at least one person from experiencing what I did and that is why I promote & support the Liz Claiborne’s “Love Is Not Abuse” campaign and their partner youth organization, “Break the Cycle”. I strongly believe that both organizations can make a difference & I hope that my voice will be a little stronger and a little louder than most, to bring awareness to these worthy organizations! As a community we need to Engage, Educate, & Empower our youth, teachers and community leaders. As they say, Knowledge is Power!
Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak with you this evening and I will finish by saying, “Enjoy the show!”~

If you know of any club, group, organization, etc., or even you personally, that would be interested in having me come speak at their meetings, please feel free to contact me at MrsIowaAmerica@yahoo.com! I am always looking for opportunities to get the word out and to meeting people all around Iowa!

And the Winner Is?......

The results are in! The new Boone County Fair Queen is Jessie Jenkins!! This young lady is so busy in her community and school, as well as the county fair and 4-H. She has a bubbly, exubrant personality as you can see from the pictures. I loved the red cowboy boots!! She was so expressive when telling her stories that you couldn't help but be drawn into them. I think she will do very well at the Iowa State Fair competition! All of the ladies did a fantastic job and they made our (the judges) job very tough! Congratulations, again, to Jessie for a job well done!

Left to right:

Allyson Ladd - BCF Queen 2007, Jessie Jenkins - BCF Queen 2008, Laura Heineman - Honorable Mention, Me - Mrs. Iowa, Courtney Tingwald - 2nd Runner-Up, Stephanie Haberer - 3rd Runner-Up, Autumn Weaver - Honorable Mention, Jamie Soderstrum - 1st Runner-Up.

Boone County Fair Queen Judging

Sunday I had the honor (& tough job!) of judging the Boone County Fair Queen Pageant. I had so much fun! The other 2 judges were a blast to "work" with! I use that word loosely, because we were having too much fun for it to be work! I loved the format the organizers used for the interview process. We first met with each girl individually for about 10 minutes to get to know them a bit and get a first impression. We then had a group discussion in groups of three. It was interesting to see some girls really shine in the group discussion compared to their individual interviews. I really enjoyed the time I had getting to know these ladies and until we added up the final scores, we (the judges) had no idea who was going to win! We were pleasantly surprised at the way it lined up in the end. I can not reveal the winner just yet, though! The coronation will be held on Thursday, July 17th at 6:30p to kick off the Boone County Fair. The winner will then proceed onto the Iowa State Fair to compete for the State Fair Queen! I hope to be in attendance for that! It should be a great time!
I have to say that the young ladies competing for Boone County are a great group of girls! All of them are so busy in their communities, schools & churches that I wondered how they fit it all in! I did have the privilege of being the first Fair Queen for my home county fair in Howard Lake, MN. I can't even remember what year it was, but I think it was around 1992 or 1993. I was the first Wright County "Fairest of the Fair" Queen! I had such a blast that year and I know the new Boone County Fair Queen will enjoy and cherish every minute of her reign! I will post pictures of the winner and her court in an additional blog at the end of the week, so make sure you check back!!

Photoshoot

Saturday I had a photoshoot in the hopes of getting the perfect headshot for the National program book. I chose to shoot with a photographer I have known for quite a few years! I would say it is close to 10 years now!! We have worked extensively together over the years so if any one could capture the "true" me, he could. And he did not disappoint! It was great fun to catch up on what each of us have been doing and compare baby/grandbaby pictures, as well as puppy pictures! :-) It was great to work with James again and he said the same about working with me. I believe we got some pretty darn good pictures to choose from. You will have to check out his website at www.jamesphotography.com (there is a link at the bottom of the page, also). If you are curious to see how the pictures turned out you can check them out at his website; click on client access and type in "laura" for the password. He does all types of photography, so definately keep him in mind for your next project! He is located in Lake Crystal, Mn which is just west of Mankato, Mn. It's an easy, beautiful drive from the Twin Cities. I hope to shoot with James again very soon!!

July 4th in Ames, IA

I had the pleasure of participating in the Ames Fourth of July parade this year. They have one of the longest parades in the area and there is always a great turn out! I know this year there were over 100 entries in the parade. I really have to say a special thank you to a couple people. First to Renee' , for lining up a car for me and pitching the idea to her boss, my dentist, to "sponsor" me during the parade. Thank you to George White Chevrolet of Ames for providing the spectacular convertible and Chad, for being my driver. I had a great time getting to know you! And thank you to Amie Rockow-Nelson, or "Doc Rock", for organizing the tooth fairies, providing the sign and handing out toothbrushes and gum along the parade route. Caisha and Wyatt had a great time participating as well! I think Wyatt attracted more attention than I did! He is pretty good at stealing the show! He was clapping and waving like all the attention was for him. We better be careful that we don't create a "spotlight monster"!! It's probably already too late! :) I hope everybody had a great 4th and don't forget the reason behind the celebration!!

Iowa Cubs Game

What a beautiful baseball park! The kids & I were honored guests at an Iowa Cubs baseball game yesterday (6/29), where I got to throw out the first pitch and sit in and chat with the radio announcer through-out the 2nd inning. What an amazing announcer Dean is! He never missed a beat calling out the play-by-plays and directing questions towards me! It was an unforgettable experience!! The weather was beautiful and the Cubs won, 7-5!! My kids really enjoyed the experience as well; so much so, that Zach is already asking when we can go back again! I wouldn't have too much of a problem making this a summer family event. Thanks to Andrea for arranging this and making it a memorable day!

Mrs. Georgia America Pageant

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Mrs. Georgia Pageant in Roswell, GA (near Atlanta) along with Mrs. MN, Wendi Russo and Mrs. WI, Jennifer Schluga. It was a great weekend to really get to know "Team Schway". What is "Team Schway" you ask? It is what we call the four Queens that represent the four states in which Carl & Faith Schway head up the pageants. This past weekend we were looking for Wendi's roommate for Nationals! We helped out in many ways, including chatting with the Georgia contestants before they headed in for their interviews. I know it always helps me to relax to just carry on a casual conversation with someone, instead of completely focusing on the upcoming interview. I hope that I helped to calm any nerves and maybe relieve a little stress for these wonderful ladies.
The weekend started with a cocktail party where we got to meet the contestants in an informal setting. I can tell you that I had the winner picked from the moment I met her! The restaurant that we gathered at was an interesting mix of upscale urban and commercial warehouse. You would never guess what it was from the outside. It looked exactly like a warehouse in the warehouse district, with no special parking spaces or signs to really draw attention to it. Being that I am an Interior Designer I really enjoyed the contrast. I also gained a few "fans" who will be cheering me on during Nationals! After, wearily, crawling into bed around 2am, I promptly fell asleep! As usual, I awoke around 7am and decided that it was definitely too early for me!! I did finally roll out of bed around 9am and proceeded down to breakfast and then onto the gym for a quick workout ( I was hoping it would also help me wake up!). Of course, I have no make-up on, my hair pulled back into a ponytail wearing shorts and a tank top. It turns out the Georgia contestants are all gathered in the lobby area waiting to start their interviews, and not wanting to seem rude or unapproachable, I walk over and reintroduce myself to everybody and, of course, end up spending the next hour chatting with everybody! Keep in mind that all the Georgia ladies are dressed in their interview suits with their hair and make-up done. I was quite the "stand out" in that group!
After interviews, the Georgia contestants had rehearsal, so that gave us, "visiting royalty", some free time. And what do beauty queens like to do?!? You guessed it! We went shopping! Growing up in MN I thought we had the best shoppng around with the Mall of America.......but I have to say, in the south, they seem to have a much better selection! I had to rein myself in a couple times to keep from spending way too much! I did walk away with a new dress, a pair of awesome red pants, and a few accessories. I wanted to get more, but money is always tight right now, so I showed some restraint. I think Louis (my husband) will be relieved to hear that! *haha* After shopping we met up with some more people and went to a local restuarant for supper. Again, it was 2am before we got back to the hotel! This was not a pattern I was getting used to! I do have to say that I really enjoyed the company, though. I had the privilege of sitting next to the directors of the Mrs. North Carolina Pageant (& a former Mrs. North Carolina). They are such a great couple and really had some great advice for attending Nationals. I also found out that I will be rooming with the current Mrs. NC at Nationals! I am very excited to meet her!
Finally it is finals night! After sleeping in, again, Wendi and I had a quick work-out before getting ready for the evening. At the theatre we are assigned our "positions" to help out with taking tickets and selling t-shirts. There was quite the crowd! And they were loud! Towards the end of the evening, the three "visiting royalty" were called up on stage for a short interview. When Faith (the MC for the evening) asked us what we were looking forward to the most at Nationals, Jennifer mentioned that she was anticipating some "quiet time" away from her 6 children! Wendi mentioned how she was excited to meet all the ladies from around the United States...which was what I was going to say! So I had to come up with something new. I knew God was with me, because He put a thought in my head and I went with it. I mentioned how Mrs. Iowa 2007, Taryn, had saved Mrs. Tennesse's life after she had been bit by a rattlesnake. I said that would be difficult to top, but I was hoping I would have the opportunity to shine as brightly in my own way. My confidence level has definately gone up since I started this journey and I am so excited to get to Nationals!
Anyway, it comes down to the top 5, and I have my two favorites picked......and, low and behold, I had them right! Melanie Caceres, Mrs. Lawrenceville, is named 1st Runner-up and Shauna Rowland, Mrs. Norcross, is crowned the new Mrs. Georgia America! She did an absolutely stunning job on stage! She will be hard to beat in physical fitness......but I am sure going to try! I absolutely love Shauna and wish her all the best at Nationals! And thank you, Wendi, for being such a great roommate! Shauna is lucky to be getting you as a roommate and I am sure a friend of us both!
And, so here ends my story.........

(More to come......)