Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, bring your own sunshine! - Anthony J. D'Angelo

The Miss Washington class of 2009 are welcomed to pageant week on a sun-shiny day in Renton!

The Mayor and City Council of the City of Renton officially declared July 5th-11th to be Miss Washington Week, and have been so generous in welcoming us while applauding the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization’s commitment to service and scholarship. I had the pleasure of attending the city council meeting where the proclamation was made and as always thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Renton administrative staff.

Today I had the honor of watching our 18 incredible contestants walk down the steps of the beautiful Renton City Hall as they were officially welcomed to Miss Washington Week 2009! Joined by friends and family, as well as the Mayor of Renton – Dennis Law, and Brad Brotherton of Brotherton Cadillac, our contestants were in good company as they made their debut on the City of Renton – the Miss Washington Pageant’s official headquarters.

Wow… these women truly have worked intensively to prepare themselves for the experience of a lifetime – as they compete for the title of Miss Washington 2009, and the privilege to represent our wonderful state throughout the year and at the nationally televised Miss America pageant! As I introduced each of our local titleholders, I couldn’t help but remind myself that in less than a week one of them would be taking over my job! After seeing how hard these young women have worked - how much personality, passion, and fervor is among this group, I am confident that our state will be very proud as we support our Miss Washington 2009 throughout the next year, whoever she may be!

One compliment that is given often to our Miss Washington’s is that ‘yours will be hard footsteps to follow’ (or shoes to fill) and it is truly so wonderful to know that you have made your state and loved ones proud – hearing those words is positively overwhelming. I want to just take a moment to reflect on my time as a Miss Washington contestant, and how so many times I thought to myself.. “Wow, it would be really hard to follow that act.” Along with competing for the job of Miss Washington and the excitement that surrounds the entire week is some serious consideration on the part of our contestants. They are not only vying for a title, they are asking for the opportunity to fill a role that would completely change their lives for a year. As exciting as it can be, the ‘unknown’ can also be very intimidating. A message to our contestants – this job and role of Miss Washington is not about fitting a certain mold, doing things a certain way, and is certainly not about filling the shoes of anyone but yourself. We don’t follow in the footsteps of others – we make a path of our own and do it proudly knowing that the best thing we can do as a representative and positive role model is to be ourselves!

I am so proud of each and every one of you for your drive to succeed in this endeavor. Know that the success you will experience cannot be measured solely by the end result, but by the intangible things that you take away from a once in a lifetime experience. This week is about to fly by… take in every moment, cherish the time you have with your Miss Washington sister titleholders and open your hearts and minds to the learning potential that this week holds for you.

Everyone – I hope you will join us in applauding these young women for their scholastic and community service accomplishments and help us support them as they take the next steps to bringing continued success to their communities. Join us this week in Renton as we celebrate each of our 18 contestants and a service and scholarship organization that helps young women around the country reach their educational and community service goals! Turn on your radio's and listen for the public service announcement being revealed around our state on five different stations thanks to our friend Brian Taibl of Komo 4 Seattle, or visit our website for ticket information and join us for the Miss Washington 2009 pageant on July 9th, 10th, and 11th!

Pictured with Mayor Law and Brad Brotherton

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it." - Buddha

To think that it was snowing the last time I blogged! I apologize for not updating you recently, but have so been enjoying the last few months of my year of service and have kept myself extremely busy. Time has been flying by and with it some very significant events! To write about everything that I have been doing would be impossible, but here as a brief update to catch you up!

We rounded off our Miss Washington Class of 2009 by crowning our last three local titleholders. Welcome to the family: Miss Tahoma - Cara Rudd, Miss Northwest - Tonie Duchemin, and Miss Liberty – Felicia Routson! We have 18 outstanding role models representing us this year and I am so excited to watch these young women utilize their titles to promote the causes they care so deeply about. The Miss Washington 2009 pageant is going to be an incredible show with so many talented young women to showcase, and I hope you will join us to support each of our contestants and help welcome Miss Washington 2009! Preliminary competition shows will be on July 9th, and 10th, with the pageant finale on July 11th. Ticket information is available at http://www.misswashington.org/.

Cara Rudd - Miss Tahoma

Tonie Duchemin - Miss Northwest

Felicia Routson - Miss Liberty

I cannot tell you how much time I have spent since Miss America promoting our state fundraiser, the Miracle Bowl for Kids! It is amazing how when you care so much about something and really put your heart into it, nothing about making it happen feels like ‘work.’ That was the experience I had with the Miracle Bowl for Kids and all the preparation involved. The event took place at Cascade Lanes of Renton Washington, and it was an incredible success. We raised over 25k to benefit Children’s Miracle Network and the Washington Scholarship Foundation and had a blast doing it! There are so many people to thank and I don’t think I could ever fully express my gratitude: Jeannie of Cascade Lanes, and the Cascade Lanes staff were wonderful hosts and without them the event would have been impossible; Sam Haskell, President of the Miss America Board of Directors, Keith and Carol Kruger, Mike and Peggy Miller, Patti Belik, Darrin Emerick, Carol Starcher, Kara Telgenhoff, Owen Tyack, Mitchell Andersen and the Andersen Family, my parents Ron and Myrna Harding, Bill Judd and the Renton Police Department, Gaard Swanson, Brad Brotherton of Brotherton Cadillac and all of our Brotherton Staff teams, Brian Taibl and KOMO AM, KVI AM, Star FM, and King FM for helping us promote the event, the Washington Scholarship Foundation, and all of our Miss Washington volunteers, family, and friends for your participation and support – I am forever grateful to each of you and so many more for helping create a fun, welcoming event to benefit a cause so dear to my heart. I want to especially thank our 18 contestants for really dedicating themselves to making this event a success and promoting it in their own communities. You ladies exemplified your ability to promote our national platform and to dive head first into a worthwhile project – congrats on your individual achievements and thank you for your help!

We recently finished Spring Forum, which was a time where all of the new class of Miss Washington contestants, their directors and families came together to prepare for the Miss Washington pageant. It was a weekend of motivational and informational workshops for the young women who will go on to compete for the job of Miss Washington 2009, as well as workshop sessions for directors and parents. With so many upbeat, service oriented individuals in the same place at the same time we just can’t help but have fun! The weekend was complete with a fiesta, sleepovers, a taco dinner and karaoke! We were proud to welcome Sam Haskell, President of the Miss America Board of Directors and Rick Brinkley, Miss America Judges Chairperson to our Spring Forum workshops, as well as many other presenters to help our contestants and pageant family receive a very well rounded orientation. I want to especially thank our host hotel, The Holiday Inn of Renton and staff for being such wonderful hosts and making our Spring Forum experience complete. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to making Spring Forum weekend a success for our contestants. It is amazing to think that the next time all of these people will join together will be when we crown our new state representative!
The Renton Chamber of Commerce has been very supportive of the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization’s move to the Renton area. Over the past couple of months I have had the opportunity to work with chamber members on several occasions, and can only begin to express how thankful I am for their support and involvement. We are certainly blessed to have the City of Renton and the Chamber of Commerce on board with our cause! Having spent a great deal of time in Renton while promoting the Miracle Bowl for Kids and the MWSO’s move to Renton, I am beginning to truly feel at home in this great city! Visit the chamber website at http://www.gorenton.com/ to learn more about our host city!

With Councilman and Chamber member King Parker - what a guy!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Washington invited me to host their annual Bowl for Kids Sake fundraising event, and as usual, it was a blast! This two day event has been a tradition of mine for almost five years, and I was excited to share the role of emcee with my very special ‘little sister’ Deajannae! Having the opportunity to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies around our state this year has been a real blessing. From fundraising events to political awareness opportunities, I really have learned a lot about how to make a positive impact on the lives of others through my experiences with this organization. It is overwhelming to think that promoting this organization was my main motivation for participating in the pageant, and from the local level to the national level, they have continuously gone above and beyond to support my goals this year as Miss Washington. I am so grateful to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and especially to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Washington for all that they have done and continue to do to support our mission and better the lives of underprivileged children.

Recently I experienced what you might call ‘a dream come true’ and cannot help but share it with you. I have been playing piano since I was a child, but there was a time that I considered quitting. I loved the instrument and loved to play, but lost a little bit of the passion that I felt when I first started. During that time, I was introduced to composer named Jim Brickman, and because of his music fell in love with the piano all over again. Jim Brickman is an incredible musician. He writes music not to impress with difficultly, but to move and inspire emotions in people with feeling. When I had to choose a piece to play at Miss America, I knew that nothing would make the experience more complete than playing a piece by my favorite composer. Recently, Jim did a solo concert in Washington, and I had the opportunity to listen and watch him play live from the fifth row! I even had VIP passes to meet Jim after the concert! It was an incredible opportunity and I was thankful to share it with my dear friend Kara Telgenhoff, a huge Jim Brickman fan and the person who introduced me to his music several years ago.

My favorite composer and pianist - Jim Brickman

There is so much more to write about, but I’ll have to leave it here for today. I chose the title quote of this blog after reflecting on how much my year of service has really been a year of self-discovery. You can learn so much about yourself by serving others and stepping outside of your every day boundaries.. and I want to take a moment to applaud our 18 contestants for taking the steps to learn and grow as young women through their very own process of self-discovery. For those of you reading who are associated with a contestant, please think about how you can support and encourage your local representative during this time. These last few weeks before the Miss Washington pageant can be heavy for our contestants. They are working so hard to succeed and reach their goals and I cannot tell you how uplifting it is for them to hear your words of encouragement as they prepare for the experience of a lifetime! These young women have dedicated themselves to service in their communities and I appreciate their positive representation of our program around the state of Washington.. thank you to the Miss Washington Class of 2009!

Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve. - Marianne Williamson

March Madness has multiple meanings in my life right now…. In addition to a slightly unsuccessful basketball bracket, the busy days are racing by faster than I can say Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

First of all, let me extend my congratulations to the newest additions to the Miss Washington Class of 2009; Miss Yakima County, - Anita Trujillo, Miss Pierce County – Jackie Mendez, Miss Whatcom County – Chandler Batiste, and Miss Lewis County – Hanna Ash. Four local pageants completed this month, and three more young women to crown this weekend – March is a pageant-filled month!

I’ve been working daily on our upcoming fundraiser, the Miracle Bowl for Kids, and I am excited to introduce our host bowling alley sponsor, Cascade Lanes of Renton Washington! The management and staff at Cascade have been incredibly kind and we are so fortunate to have their support! A special thank you to Jeanne Murphy of Cascade Lanes for your effort and enthusiasm for this event – we so appreciate you! The Miracle Bowl for Kids is just around the corner – please visit our website at http://www.miraclebowl.com/ to learn more about the event and register your team online today!

I would also like to thank the Women’s Republican Guild for having me at their most recent meeting to present on the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization and the Miracle Bowl for Kids. It was a very special honor to be surrounded by so many individuals who volunteer their time daily to contribute to society in a positive way. Each and every one of you is a fabulous role model and I am grateful for your presence in our communities and state!

Part of the prize package that I received when I won the title of Miss Washington 2008 was a lovely mink coat sponsored by Dale and Dawn Marr of the American Legend Cooperative. Our organization is fortunate to have this annual sponsor, and I feel especially blessed to have had the opportunity to build a relationship with the Marr’s. I attended an event at the American Legend Cooperative in Seattle with the Marr’s and learned more than I ever knew there was to learn about the industry. Thank you so much to the Marr family for sharing a very special day with me, and for your invaluable friendship!

I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to reach out to communities around our state and promote the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization. One thing that comes up often in my conversations with others is that our organization is run completely by volunteers. Those of us who have been involved with the organization sometimes forget what that means – how significant it is that everything that happens, all the scholarships that are awarded and all the volunteer service that is conducted is as a result of a 100% volunteer effort. That is incredible – and most people are unaware of that very unique characteristic of the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization. In addition, I have the opportunity to witness the very special commitment of volunteers around our state for an array of causes, organizations, and projects and I am repeatedly overwhelmed at how it is truly a part of human nature to possess a natural tendency to give. I had the opportunity to celebrate the volunteer efforts of many individuals in my community recently at the Thurston County Volunteer of the Year Awards Banquet. It was quite an honor to be among so many giving, community minded individuals and was incredibly inspiring. It means so much to me and I just want to say thank you to all of those who choose to volunteer in one way or another, for positively impacting lives and for providing the inspiration for each of us to contribute in our own way to our communities.

Speaking of volunteers, it’s really true that you can make a difference at any age or stage of your life. I was invited to speak and present awards to several scout troops and was amazed at all of the accomplishments of these young achievers! The scouts set personal goals to emphasize learning and growth, and at the same time commit themselves to community betterment. This is an organization that emphasizes the importance of continuing that service through all stages of your life, and it was a special privilege to be among so many accomplished and caring individuals. Thank you to Venture Crew 163 for having me at your event!

Thank you so much to the Washington State House of Representatives for inviting me to spend the morning speaking to our elected officials about The Miss Washington Scholarship Organization and my platform partners. Representatives Tom Campbell and Jim McCune spoke on behalf of the House to honor my volunteer service work as well as the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization, and proposed Resolution No. 2009-4626 which was passed on March 23rd, 2009. It has been a privilege to bring our organization to the attention of our government at the state capital a number of times this year, and I am so thankful to our representatives for taking the time to honor the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization!

It was a week ago that we officially welcomed Spring to the state of Washington - and I will end this post as several inches of snow accumulate outside my house.. Oh the wonders of our beautiful Washington state!

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Oh how the past two weeks have flown by! There is so much in the works as we prepare for Spring Forum and for the Miracle Bowl for Kids, and my days have been filled with fast-paced excitement!

One of my favorite places in the world is Bellingham, Washington, where I went to college at Western Washington University. Disregarding my obvious bias, I truly believe Bellingham is one of the most beautiful places in our state and I cherish every opportunity I have to spend time there. I had the special privilege of returning for two very exciting events, as well as numerous radio and newspaper interviews.

The Miss Whatcom County Silent Auction and Talent Preview was a blast like always, and brought back so many memories of my experiences as a contestant in the Miss Whatcom County program as well as my year of service to the Bellingham community as Miss Whatcom County 2006. I was invited to co-emcee the event with our current Miss Whatcom County, Zandra Dennis and we could not have had a more enjoyable time! Thank you so much Carol Starcher, my friend and local director for inviting me back to my ‘home away from home’ and to the entire Whatcom County Crew of volunteers for all of the effort that went into creating a lovely event! http://www.misswhatcomcounty.org/

I spent the following day at the Byron Street IHOP in Bellingham promoting the national platform of the Miss America Organization – Children’s Miracle Network! February 24th is National Pancake Day – A day that IHOP restaurants all over the country dedicate themselves to raising necessary funds for Children’s Miracle Network. With IHOP’s enthusiastic support, we were able to raise over $1,300,000 across the country for this incredible cause – all in a day’s work! Thank you so much to Aysa, owner of Bellingham IHOP, to Kelly, Millie and all of the Byron Street staff for having me at this very successful event. I felt so welcomed at your business and honored to be among such a dynamic group of people! It was purely a joy to spend the day making and serving pancakes to our guests, talking with customers about our mission, and promoting Children’s Miracle Network with tasty food in hand! http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/
One of my valued sponsors, Weddings with Joy, has made this year as Miss Washington particularly special for me. They make each and every event unique for me by providing dresses for me to wear to all of my pageants and appearances. We celebrated the Grand Opening of Proms by Weddings with Joy, a new location specializing in Prom and Pageant gowns on Saturday, February 28th! I was thrilled to see a number of local titleholders in attendance, and Angela, owner of Weddings with Joy was kind enough to let each and every one of us borrow dresses to wear to the Miss Gray’s Harbor Pageant. Weddings with Joy has been a huge support of the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization as an official sponsor and I would strongly encourage you to visit them for your wedding, prom, or pageant needs! Thanks so much once again to Angela at Weddings with Joys and your always delightful staff for being so generous and allowing me to take part in this very special event. http://www.weddingswithjoy.com/

I am excited to welcome to the Class of 2009 two of our newest additions to the family, Miss Gray’s Harbor 2009 Karyn Barr and Miss Yakima County 2009 Anita Trujillo. I had the opportunity to perform and speak at the Miss Gray’s Harbor Pageant and to spend some time with our very special group of Miss Gray’s Harbor Princesses!
More than 45 million readers were in the company of a good book on March 2nd, the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day! In celebration of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, the NEA hosts events across the nation to celebrate reading and encourage children to read EVERY DAY! As a future educator, this event had very special significance to me and it was an INCREDIBLE honor to be asked to serve as one of two celebrities invited to read to children at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. I had the opportunity to meet over 500 children from the Seattle area along side Seattle Seahawks own Walter Jones while sharing our enthusiasm for reading and love for Dr. Seuss!

When I was a senior graduating from Yelm High School, I was blessed to receive scholarship assistance from Dollars for Scholars. This is an organization focused solely on helping local students succeed and research shows that it pays off! Recent studies have shown that college graduates contribute to their communities by leading productive professional lives, while also contributing to society through greater levels of civic engagement, increased volunteerism and a stronger appreciation for diversity. In other words, a college education broadens the horizons and creates well-rounded members of our communities. I am so grateful to this organization for sending me on my way to my first year of college well-equipped and ready to pursue the degree of my dreams! Dollars for Scholars of Yelm hosted its annual auction last weekend, and I was honored to be asked to be the featured speaker for the event. This year’s high school seniors are on their way to successful college careers – we earned over $140,000 in our small community, all to go towards scholarships for these young men and women! Thank you to the Yelm School District and the Dollars for Scholars committee for inviting me to take part in an event that will forever be very dear to my heart.

I would like to take a moment to talk about something that has been on my mind and that I believe is a significant issue facing ALL people today, but especially young women and even more specifically young women who are involved in pageants, modeling, acting, etc. Helping young women maintain a positive self-image is becoming more and more of a challenge in a world that promotes ‘unrealistically thin’ as the ideal. Being physically fit (something that we promote through the Physical Fitness portion of the Miss America competition) does NOT mean being the thinnest girl on the stage – it means living a healthy, active lifestyle and making positive lifestyle choices. Local contestants and titleholders – I would encourage you to take some time to consider what HEALTHY and ‘physically fit’ means for YOU. It is so important that as women we stop comparing ourselves to others and embrace the people we are. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is what creates a radiance and inner beauty that shines from the heart and THAT is what people notice about you when you walk into a room. As titleholders in the Miss America Organization, we have the unique opportunity to be role models to the children in our communities. It is overwhelming how much children look up to us, and it is crucial that we take that opportunity to provide them with the positive role models and positive examples that they need and deserve. My goal is to be a representative that young women can relate to, not as the unrealistic ideal, but as an everyday young woman with personal goals and aspirations – and I would encourage you to strive to do the same in your very own way. People deserve to have role models who are LIKE them, rather than role models who make them feel pressured to strive to be something different than what they are. My hope in delivering this message is to ask anyone who is reading this to determine your own ideal for yourself – do not let the media or anyone else make you feel like you have to be anything other than what you are.

We have another very busy couple of weeks coming up as we crown the last group of our incoming Miss Washington 2009 contestants, and in the meantime please stay tuned for information about the upcoming Miracle Bowl for Kids!

One thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Just a few of the things that have been happening recently….

The Miss Auburn Pageant was held on January 31st at the Auburn Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to Alicia Wallace, our new Miss Auburn 2009! Miss Auburn was quite a unique experience for me. I've said before that my year as Miss Washington has been a year of many 'firsts' and that I've been able to experience things I've never done before. Well, until the weekend of Miss Auburn I had never experienced the horror of stage curtains. Here I was… minding my own business (Those who know me know that I like to start my stories off with this preface) I had just finished performing piano on stage during the pageant. Something you may not know about me is that I never bow after a performance. What it was that possessed me to think I should take a bow on this stage at this moment I cannot tell you, but something said to me, "since you're doing this whole graceful thing you should probably take a bow and put the cherry on top." So as I take my once in a lifetime bow… the stage curtain comes hurling down out of NOWHERE, onto my head, knocking my crown sideways and practically bowling me over! Ugh! I recall a few screams and hysteric laughs escaping my mouth and turned, still standing in the middle of the stage (now behind the curtain) to find my best friend watching me from stage-side with her hands on her head and the most mortified look ever on her face. What did she say to me in this moment of extreme embarrassment and humiliation? "Janet! You could have at least tried to pull it off gracefully!" She said it with love, of course. Seeing flashbacks of my flailing arms and sideways crown, I guess she was right!

On February 7th we welcomed two more members to the Miss Washington Class of 2009. Our new Miss Moses Lake is Samantha Przybylek and Miss Columbia Basin is Danielle Henry. Also crowned this weekend was Miss Moses Lake's Outstanding Teen, Breanna Haddican. I had the pleasure of emceeing this pageant and have to extend a huge thank-you to Kris Duncan-Crum for a fun-filled weekend of laughs (and by that I mean ab-building) and discovery (and by that I mean Mr. Moses and the new pancake-puppies at Denny's which I continue to crave on a daily basis.)

The Miss Spokane Pageant was held February 15th and our new Miss Spokane is McKenzi Novell. With a 'paradise' themed show, we all enjoyed the tropical setting of the Northern Quest Casino in Spokane, and after being surrounded by hula dancers and Hawaiian lei's it felt a little strange to exit the theater into a full-fledged Spokane snowfall!

I had the pleasure of visiting AMS (Automated Mailing Services) of Blaine, Washington to meet staff and get a tour of their incredible facilities. Funny as it seems, my interest in this mass mailing process is substantial having been responsible for doing a number of mail-outs (by hand) as a non-profit volunteer. I was AMAZED to see how quickly and efficiently they could accomplish so much.. much more practical than my method of licking and stuffing one envelope at a time! I would like to extend a huge thank you to Dave Freeman for taking the time to show me around, and for his enthusiasm towards the work I am doing with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Children's Miracle Network. I am thankful to you Dave and to AMS for your willingness to help further the success of my platform partners! Please visit the AMS website to learn more! http://www.amsdirectnw.com/

I was honored to be invited to the Washington State Senate on February 11th to be present for the declaration of Senate Resolution 8612 sponsored by Senator Randi Becker. I was overwhelmed as members of the Senate stood to speak in honor of my volunteerism as a representative for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Children's Miracle network, and the National Meningitis Association. Thank you so much to the Washington State Senate and especially to Senator Randi Becker and her staff for an incredible day. It was a special treat to be a guest in your office, a guest of the Senate, and to be invited to the republican caucus afterwards! Here is a link to Resolution 8612. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Resolutions/8612-Miss%20Washington%202008.pdf also the Miss Washington Organization mentioned in Senator Becker's Legislative Update newsletter http://src.leg.wa.gov/becker/update.pdf

Big Brothers Big Sisters Advocacy Day was February 16th, 2009. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, Columbia NW, of the Inland Northwest, of Northwest Washington, and of Thurston County met with your government representatives to tell them how important mentoring is. Individuals from around the Northwest joined these agencies at the state capitol to emphasize to our state's elected officials that we support funding for mentoring programs. Wondering why we should prioritize funding for mentoring programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters? As an advocate for mentoring for the past eight years in multiple capacities, I have seen with my own eyes that positive mentoring relationships can not only shape and change lives, but save them. My experiences with children who lack an adult figure in their lives has determined the course that I have chosen to take my own – because I know that as an elementary school teacher I will have the opportunity to be that mentor to children every day and in a substantial role. Aside from my personal experience, I can share with you these staggering statistics about how positive mentoring relationships impact not only the children served through Big Brothers Big Sisters, but our communities as a whole.

Big Brothers Big Sisters programs truly are transformational: Our focus is to connect Bigs (adults) with Littles (children) in one-to-one relationships that not only transform the lives of the Bigs and Littles and their families, but that also transform communities.

Simple acts of mentoring yield powerful results. Our data shows that more than 97% of our Little's avoid contact with juvenile authorities. In fact, independent studies have confirmed that, in contrast to their non-mentored peers, Little Brothers and Little Sisters:

· Decreased their use of violence - 30% were less likely to hit someone.

· Improved relationships with peers, adults and parent(s) - 37% became more trusting of their parent or guardian, and 35% got along better with their peers.

· Resisted substance abuse - 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs.

· Improved school attendance - 52% were less likely to skip school.

As a volunteer, my life has been transformed by my involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters – Imagine the impact that this organization has on the children we serve. I am blessed to have found my place within this organization and I sincerely hope that you will take this opportunity to give of yourself in some way to the cause of mentoring – whether it is by writing a letter to your state representatives about funding needs, volunteering as a Big, becoming a sponsor or donor to your local organization, or volunteering your time in some other capacity. Your investment in this organization is an investment in the future of your community! http://www.bbbs.org/

I'm anticipating a busy next week or so of appearances - one being National Pancake Day at IHOP on February 24th! Join IHOP at your nearest location on Tuesday the 24th from 7a.m. to 10p.m. and they wil give you one free short stack of their famous buttermilk pancakes. We ask that you consider making a donatino to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network! Our goal is to give away enough free pancakes to earn $1,000,000 for Children's Miracle Network! Help support the national platform of the Miss America Organization by enjoying the most delicious pancakes out there! visit http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/ to find the IHOP nearest to you or to donate to the cause online!

I am so excited to announce the Grand Opening of Wedding's With Joy's new Prom Store in Olympia, Washington. The event will be Saturday, February 28th from 10a.m. to 6p.m. and I am so excited to be attending for a fun-filled day with one of my favorite sponsors! Weddings With Joy has been an incredible sponsor to me since my very first pageant, and is now an official sponsor of the Miss Washington Organization. Just about every one of the dresses I wear is from Weddings With Joy and I am so grateful for their support. Now they have opened a separate location specializing in Prom and Pageant gowns, and let me tell ya, they have got a dream dress for everyone! If you are looking for a beautiful, high quality gown, excellent personal service, and a great deal from a supporter of the Miss Washington Organization, I would highly recommend that you attend the Grand Opening. Why not stop in on your way to the Miss Gray's Harbor Pageant that evening? Visit their website at http://www.weddingswithjoy.com/ for more information - and I hope to see you there!

Proms - By Weddings With Joy
3330 Pacific Avenue SE Suite 104
Olympia, WA 98501

(360) 977-5344

(360) 845-0706

Until soon...!

"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland

Anytime Fitness of Yelm has been generous enough to sponsor a full gym membership this year, and Devani of Anytime Fitness has been kind enough to offer her personal training services to me free of cost in my preparation for Miss America and as I strive to stay healthy and fit. Anticipating the New Year, Anytime Fitness facilitated an open house inviting the community to kick-off 2009 with healthy resolutions and educate members about positive diet and active lifestyle choices. I had the opportunity to attend the event, discuss with potential members the benefits of a healthy lifestyle on your physical and mental well-being and participate in an autograph signing. Thank you once again and many more times to Anytime Fitness and to my wonderful personal trainer Devani for your support and guidance!

Pictured with Sydney Unbewust at Anytime Fitness - one of the sweetest girls I've met!

My hometown facilitated its own ‘Top Chef’ competition this year and I was asked to judge all of the wonderfully prepared dishes that were entered into the competition. Those who know me know I didn’t hesitate to accept that invitation! The food was incredible and the hospitality of city staff was even more delightful. Thank you to the City of Yelm for extending this invitation to me and allowing me to be a part of such a fun and creative event!

I have had the privilege of interviewing recently on the Dave Ross Show, with the Seattle PI, on KJRFM, with EXTRA, my favorite hometown newspaper the Nisqually Valley News and many others. It’s always a special honor to promote our program and my platform partners, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Children’s Miracle Network in the media!

I spent two fun-filled days in Renton filming a special commercial for Brotherton Cadillac with an incredible group of people. Thank you so much to Brian, Rachel, and Brad for a wonderful experience and for creating a commercial that truly represents the values of the Miss Washington Organization and our relationship with Brotherton Cadillac as partners in scholarship and service. The commercial has been airing on KOMO 4 and if you haven’t had a chance to see it, feel free to visit this link and check it out! http://www.hitmanproductions.com/brotherton/brocaddy.mov

On January 4th I was surrounded by friends and family showing their endless support as I set off for Miss America, and it was such a heart-warming and indescribable afternoon. I am so unbelievably fortunate to have a countless number of encouraging friends, family members, sponsors and supporters in my life and I owe so much of myself and my accomplishments thus far to all of YOU who have continuously given me the tools and support I need to achieve my dreams. I am blessed in so many ways and the fashion show send-off celebration was just one of many moments from this year that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of those who attended, sent their love and support, and who worked tirelessly to put this event together – I so appreciated every bit of it!

Modeling at the fashion show
Even four day old Hunter came for the send-off!

Oh, the packing seemed to be endless. With the help of my mom and Peggy, it still took a ridiculous amount of time to plan and pack for the trip to Miss America. It seems like such a frivolous idea, but I am actually very grateful for the amount of time we invested in preplanning what I might need in Las Vegas and ensuring that I was as prepared as possible. There is so much going on in those weeks of preparation and competition that you literally do not have time to think about what to wear each day and locate all of the coordinating accessories, so having it all done in advance was a blessing. It may sound boring, but tell that to the three of us as we enjoyed ice cream cake and monster taco’s from Jack in the Box at the wee hours of the morning!

Peggy and I were thrilled to be driven to and from the airport by Limo, courtesy of Elite Limousine. Even as light packers, some of our luggage overflowed onto the seats next to us inside. What a ride! So many thoughts were going through my mind as we made this drive to the Seattle airport. I had to ask myself some serious questions. One more time, Am I ready for the job of Miss America? Absolutely, and would be honored to have it... but wow! Do I love my job as Miss Washington or WHAT!? Am I prepared? I don’t think I had ever been more prepared for anything in my life – physically, mentally, in every way. I was so ready for this experience and more than anything I was ready to be reunited with the 51 incredible young women I had grown so close to throughout our journey in Orlando and on the Queen Mary filming the reality show.

We arrived at the airport and to my surprise were greeted by a group of friends and family, there to send us off to Las Vegas in the best of spirits. We made our way up to a conference room where we could spend some time together before the flight, and I was completely surprised to find my dear friend and sponsor Brad Brotherton of Brotherton Cadillac waiting there for us! It meant so much to me to have Brad there as he and all of my friends at Brotherton have been such an incredible support system for me and for our organization these past few months. One of the traits Brad and I share is that we are big sports fans, and he surprised me with my new favorite wardrobe item, a Seahawks jersey with ‘Miss Washington’ on the back! You can bet I sported that baby at Miss America!

The flight to Miss America was a riot, of course. Peggy, Patti and I amused ourselves like we do best.. by laughing until our bellies ached. When the passenger in front of us turned around and said “A little tipsy are we?” we figured we’d better cool it – what can we say? We can’t help but laugh when we are together! Arriving a night early in Las Vegas gave us the evening to unpack and get settled in, which was a relief and the extra organization made the entire experience much more enjoyable. I shared a fabulous dinner with Peggy, Patti and my parents at PF Changs in the Planet Hollywood and after ordering half the items on the menu I can assure you that everything at PF Changs is to DIE for!

The next morning I was whisked away to wardrobe fittings and meetings, and had the opportunity to enjoy one last meal with my directors and parents before being officially given away to the Miss America Organization for the next ten days… and what a meal it was! I ordered a nice big stack of chocolate chip-chocolate syrup and banana pancakes and enjoyed every bite.

That first day was our arrival ceremony. It was one of very few opportunities we had to enjoy the beautiful Las Vegas weather while introducing ourselves on the steps outside the Planet Hollywood. The next few days (and nights) were filled with media interviews, rehearsals, press events, and much, much more. One thing that’s for sure is that everything was very fast paced and our schedule was jam-packed. Fortunately, everything we did was as a group of 52 and we so enjoyed our time together. Some of the highlights of our trip were; a press event with our fellow Children’s Miracle Network sponsor – IHOP, gondola rides at the Venetian, a mall centered Fashion Show, an evening of excitement at Pole Position Raceway, going to Phantom of the Opera, and a very special fundraiser dinner to benefit Children’s Miracle Network.

To summarize the experience is impossible, but what I must tell you is that I am so grateful to have shared this incredible adventure with friends, family and the other 51 young women participating. There are so many pieces of the puzzle that make the journey to Miss America complete and so often that seems to consist of the preparation, appearances, events in Las Vegas, people we met, etc. But the truth is that none of the journey would have been possible for any of the Miss America contestants if it weren’t for the people who walked every step of it with them. The people who share our passions and support us in our dreams are the ones who make the experience complete and I am overwhelmed at the love and encouragement that has followed and surrounded me throughout my personal journey. I had the most fun I’ve ever had performing in every phase of competition, and would not change a single thing that I did or a single emotion I felt. It was better than I had imagined it and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to represent Washington State on the Miss America stage. I did the very best I could – and what better place to do that than the Miss America pageant!

Just after playing piano on preliminary night




Gondola rides at the Venetian

The arrival ceremony on the Las Vegas strip

Meeting the Mayor of Las Vegas

I have so much more to share with you about Miss America festivities and the happenings since returning home to beautiful Washington.. But I’ll save those for next time. For now, thank you so much to everyone for sending your support before and during my trip to Miss America, and thank you even more for welcoming me home to the job and people that I love with open arms! I am so blessed!

Signing autographs at the Fashion Show Mall

Some of my closest Miss America sisters.. I love these girls!

The Whatcom County Crew!

A group of supporters from Yelm at a luncheon during Miss A week!

We are still one big happy family after all is said and done!