SEPTEMBER 29, 2006
TELEVISION SHOW TAPING "ACCESS TO DEMOCRACY" (Eagan, MN)

Today I taped a TV interview for the television show "Access to Democracy" with host Alan Miller. We talked about my education, pageant experiences, being a mom, etc., but mostly talked about my platform "Keeping Our Kids Safe" and the work I do with the Jacob Wetterling Foundation (I'm a Sr. Level member of the JWF Speaker's Bureau and on the Board of Directors). I explained the key points that I teach to kids and parents, with the #1 thing being eliminating the "stranger danger" mentality (why you ask? because it doesn't work, it's confusing to kids, and most of all, because if/when a child IS in a dangerous situation, the likelihood is that they WOULD have to ask a stranger for help). People are under the misconception that it is "strangers" who abduct kids...but the reality is that 90% of the time, the abductor is someone the child knows and/or trusts! I think the interview went really well and hopefully you will catch it on TV!

PHOTOS:
1) On the set of "Access to Democracy"
2) With host Alan Miller
3) Meeting Jim Carlson, who is running for the MN State Senate

SEPTEMBER 23, 2006
MRS. AMERICA VIEWING PARTY AT OUR HOUSE

Tonight my family came over to watch the initial broadcast of the 2006 Mrs. America pageant, which was televised nationwide on the WE network. A reporter from our local newspaper came over to take pictures of me watching the pageant, and sure enough, the article and photos were on the front page the following week! So that was neat! I was very happy with how everything turned out, and I didn't say anything to embarrass myself or my family (just kidding!). It was surreal to watch us all compete...everyone looked so beautiful and it was neat to see the "finished product." The pageant was rebroadcast the following day, and will also be rebroadcast on Thursday, Oct. 5.

PHOTOS:
1) Watching the broadcast at home.
2) With my family!

SEPTEMBER 16, 2006
PETS & PICASSO FUNDRAISER FOR THE GREAT WEST METRO HUMANE SOCIETY (Hopkins, MN)

Tonight was a really fun appearance for a wonderful cause. The event was called "Pets & Picasso," and it was a fundraiser for the Great West Metro Humane Society ( http://www.gwmhs.org/ ). I am a HUGE animal lover myself, so this was an event I was particularly excited about. I was one of 22 "celebrity VIPs" who each walked a canine "model" down the runway in a dog fashion show with "fashions" from the pet boutique Lulu & Luigi. In addition to a cocktails & hors d'ouvres, a silent auction, a dog kissing booth, a pet psychic, & cariacature booth, the fashion show was the highlight of the evening. I had the honor of walking "Dakota", a German shepard mix who was up for adoption (her family had raised her since puppyhood and then had to move and for whatever reason, could not take her along--WHATEVER! I get so disgusted hearing things like that!!!). Anyway, by the end of the show, Dakota was starting to get antsy...let me tell you, it is not easy to handle an anxious 90 lb. dog while in a long gown and high heels! But she was a very good girl and I really enjoyed this appearance. I ran into an old friend Amy, whom I hadn't seen in years, so that was fun. My hubby Matt stayed home with our little girl, but I really wished he would have been there because that is the type of appearance he really would have enjoyed! What a fun night!

PHOTOS:
1) With Libby the poodle (a dog after my own heart--note the tiara!)
2) With Tammy Hauser (Interim Director of West Metro Humane Society)
3) With my friend Megan Ehlert (Miss Teen MN International 2006). Megan's platform is called "Tails of Independence" and she helps train service dogs for the disabled. Megan placed as 3rd RU at Miss Teen Int'l--way to go girlfriend!
4) Reassuring Dakota while on stage...what a good and patient dog she was!
5) Reuniting with my friend Amy.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2006
TRUNK SHOW AT THE PAGEANT SHOP BY MICHAEL'S

Well, it's officially "back to being Mrs. Minnesota" time! The first week home from Mrs. America, of course I came down with a nasty cold. From what I gather from the other contestants, it sounds like many other ladies are in the same boat! Ava got a cold as well...not fun! Ah, back to reality! :) But kidding aside, it is wonderful to be home (even with the cold!).

My good friend Sarah Moses had a trunk show at her store, The Pageant Shop by Michael's (check out her website at http://www.thepageantshop.net ). Seriously, if you are in need of any pageant clothes, this is THE place to go! I've been competing in pageants since I was 16 (and I LOOOOOOVE to shop, as any of my friends can and will attest), and I can honestly say that this is the best pageant store I have ever shopped at. Sarah goes to market in NYC & Chicago a number of times per year and carries the top designers in the industry. But the great thing is that she can make you look like a million bucks without having to SPEND a million bucks! It was good to catch up with my pageant friends and I also had the pleasure of seeing Paula Folkers, the newly crowned National Mrs. 2006 winner (she was in town for a photo shoot with photographer Paula Preston). My daughter Ava had a GREAT time trying on some of the "little girl" pageant dresses along with Gianna Haseman (the daughter of Angela Haseman, Mrs. MN Int'l 2006). For fun, we took a photo of our little ones as "future" Mrs. Minnesota's! And for the record, NO I am not entering Ava in any pageants! These photos were just for FUN (I have to admit I am not a big fan of kiddie pageants--IF and when Ava wants to do a pageant, she would have to be at least a teenager). Anyway, we had a fun afternoon and the gowns were GORGEOUS!

PHOTOS:
1) With Paula Folkers (National Mrs. 2006)
2) Angela Haseman (Mrs. MN Int'l 2006) and myself
3) L to R: me, Sarah Moses (The Pageant Shop Owner), Paula Folkers (Nat'l Mrs. 2006), pageant coach Cheri Kennedy, Angela Haseman (Mrs. MN Int'l 2006)
4) My daughter Ava and Angela Haseman's daughter Gianna having fun playing "dress up" in their mom's banners (NOTE: Ava was NOT happy with me when I took the banner away, which I admit was pretty funny).

SEPTEMBER 7, 2006
HEADING HOME TO OUR BABY GIRL AND LIFE AS I USED TO KNOW IT!

OOOOOH, I was soooooo tired this morning when I woke up! Exhausted is probably the correct word! I finished my last minute packing, said my goodbyes to my girlfriends & the hotel staff, and then we headed to the airport. Although I was super tired, I couldn't help but be excited at the fact that I would soon be reunited with our little one. I missed her SOOOOO MUCH! It was so hard to be away from her for that amount of time, and when I finally held her in my arms, I promised her that I would never be away for that long again. How she has changed! She is SO chatty and communicative! Luckily our flight was on time (big surprise, I slept almost the entire flight). When we walked in the door of my in-laws home, Ava spied me immediately and yelled "MOMMY!!!!!" and came running to me with outstretched arms. She was SOOO happy to see me, and of course I started crying right away. She kept stroking my face and saying, "Mama, Mommy" over and over. She would not let go of me for the next two days. We sang our songs and I was just so happy to be with her again. She is truly the biggest blessing in our lives and there is no crown that will ever compare to the love of a child. It was an amazing experience but I am SO GLAD TO BE HOME! I hope you've enjoyed the ride along with me...now it's back to being a mom and wife! And of course Mrs. Minnesota! Stay tuned for more...and thanks for visiting!

PHOTOS:
1) By the "Arrivals" sign at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport - I'm finally HOME!
2) Reunited with my "Sparky" (our nickname for our 22-month-old daughter Ava)
3) Singing "Did You Ever See A Lassie" with Ava (one of her favorite songs)
4) Ava wearing her "dressy shoes" before bedtime (a present from Grandma).

SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
FINAL COMPETITION IS HERE!

Wow, I can't believe it, my time here at Mrs. America is almost at an end! What an amazing experience this has been in every way! Today we had the morning off, which was MUCH appreciated! I slept in, finished packing, and then spent some time out by the pool with my girlfriends Sarah Moses (owner of The Pageant Shop by Michael's) and Kim Falk (our maid of honor & my college roommate). My mom helped out a lot by taking four boxes to the UPS store and shipping them home. The packing/unpacking process is the one thing I definitely will not miss, ha ha! I treated myself to a cheeseburger for lunch, and I swear it was the best tasting burger of my life! YUM! We had our final rehearsal in the afternoon, and it was the hottest day yet! Practice was delayed a bit when ominous thunderclouds rolled in and lightning stuck, but they soon passed and we were released to get ready for the show. I had brought all of my clothes, hair & makeup stuff, etc., down to the dressing room (which is a HIKE from our hotel room) when I realized I'd forgotten to bring photos of our little girl (I tape them to my dressing room mirror to remind myself of what is TRULY important in life). So I made a special trip back to the room to get those--I felt naked without them if that makes sense. When you're competing in a pageant, it is easy to get caught up in the "fluff," and having her photos in front of me keeps me grounded. No matter what the outcome, the greatest prize of all was waiting for me at home!

As we prepared for the final pageant, it was just so surreal that we were finally about to compete. I remember looking around the room at all of these beautiful and talented women that I had become friends with during the past two weeks, and thinking that any one of them would make a great queen. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it was such an honor to be there in the first place! The pageant finally began with our opening number to "Pretty Woman," and we each carried our state flag. It was a gorgeous night and I could see my friends and family right away, waving their signs and light-up sticks. We then competed in our State Costumes and the one thing I wasn't crazy about in that portion was that the announcer only said our name and state (but never actually described our costume). It was obvious what some costumes were, but I felt that others needed explanation. Plus, so much time and effort went into the creation of these costumes that I felt they deserved more time. Maybe they will add that into the final telecast? I hope so. The winner of the costume event was Mrs. Alaska, and she definitely was the crowd favorite (including mine!). Her mom and husband helped her make her "igloo" skirt and it was just an amazing costume. I was glad to see her win...I think we all were pulling for her!

After costume, we changed into our Niki Wior swimsuits/sarongs and performed our opening number, which I think went pretty well. The Top Ten were then announced and they were: Georgia, Wyoming, Alaska, Washington, Arizona, Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Iowa. Then they announced the additional two finalists (to make it a Top 12), who qualified based on their preliminary scores in addition to the extra competitions throughout the past two weeks. My name was announced along with Mrs. NY (who is hilarious - what you see is what you get with her - she is really awesome). So that was fun. I had a feeling I would get called as one of the two "extras" since I was the only delegate who "won" two of the competitions. They are really going for that reality spin on the pageant. Anyway, the Top 12 then competed in Swimsuit (we changed into brown & leopard print swimsuits), and then in Evening Gown. The Top 12 were then narrowed to a Top 5, and they were: Louisiana, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Nebraska. I'd gotten to know each of these girls and they all were great picks. I have to admit I was surprised not to see Mrs. Wyoming in there...she is beautiful AND has a great personality. We the contestants were then able to vote one lady "back in" to the Top 5, therefore making it a Top 6. The three top vote getters were announced, and they were Mrs. South Carolina, Mrs. North Carolina, and Mrs. Maine...with Mrs. North Carolina being announced as the winner. So she went out for the final question (each contestant answered a different question). The scores were tabulated and the court was announced: 5th RU was Mrs. Nebraska, 4th RU was Mrs. North Carolina, 3rd RU was Mrs. Louisiana, 2nd RU was Mrs. Utah, 1st RU was Mrs. Colorado...which meant the new Mrs. America was Mrs. Arizona, Diane Tucker! She DEFINITELY deserved the win...I had her as one of my top picks from the moment I met her. She is classy, elegant and well-spoken and will make a great titleholder. I don't think there was one woman competing that had a problem with her winning. I wish her the best and know she will do a great job! On a side note, immediately after the crowing, two of the women announced they were pregnant! One was my roommate Mrs. Georgia, and I feel completely clueless that I didn't figure it out with all of the hints she gave me! So much for a woman's intuition, ha ha! The other is Mrs. Louisiana. The fact that two of the Top 12 were pregnant is SO COOL to me! They both looked radiant and now I know why! Congrats ladies, that is wonderful news!

After the pageant, we took tons of photos of course, and then packed up and headed back to the hotel to celebrate. My husband Matt and I headed up to the Ventana Room for the Coronation Party for the Top 12, and then back downstairs to celebrate with my family and friends. No matter what, they are the people who have been there for me through it all, and I could not have done it without their love and support. It was a long evening and when we headed back to our room, a bottle of champagne was waiting for us courtesy of Tami Krause (Mrs. MN 2003) & Kim Dorn (Mrs. MN 2005)...what a sweet thing to do! I was so touched! What an amazing day and night...I was exhausted but couldn't wait for morning to come because that meant I'd be on my way to see our little girl! WOW, this is an experience that I will NEVER forget! Thank you to my directors and the Mrs. America organization for providing the experience of a lifetime. You treated us all like queens and now it is time for me to go back to Minnesota and be the best Mrs. MN that I can be!

PHOTOS:
1) Mrs. Illinois, Mrs. Idaho, and I taking a break from the heat at our last rehearsal.
2) The ladies in silver gowns (Mrs. Arkansas, Mrs. Texas, and I)
3) With the reigning Mrs. World before she performed in the dance number.
4) Mrs. Georgia, Mrs. Iowa, and I waiting to compete in Evening Gown.
5) With Mrs. World again
6) With my directors, Carl & Faith Schway
7) "Team Schway" (Faith & Carl Schway direct the Mrs. IA, MN, GA, & WI pageants)
8) With Mrs. Idaho and Andrea Preuss (Mrs. America 2006) just after she passed her title on to the new winner.
9) My husband Matt & I.
10) My support gals - L to R: Kim Falk (longtime friend), Allison Stavrakis (State Director of Mrs/Miss/Teen MN Int'l), Paula Preston (photographer extraordinaire), me, Sarah Moses (owner of The Pageant Shop by Michael's), and my mom Bonnie Henderson
11) Matt & I with my parents, Rick & Bonnie Henderson
12) With Nicole Brink (Mrs. America & Mrs. World 2002!)...thank you for your support!
13) With the NEW MRS. AMERICA 2007 Diane Tucker of Arizona! CONGRATULATIONS DIANE!

SEPTEMBER 5, 2006
REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL, & MORE REHEARSAL!

The first notable thing of the day is that our little girl turned 22 months old today! Just two more months to go until the big "2"! I am missing her like crazy...being away from her is BY FAR the hardest thing about these last two weeks. Thankfully they've kept us very busy but it hasn't stopped me from thinking about her all the time. I am counting the hours until I see her again!

Today we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed some more. This was the first time we actually practiced on the outdoor stage, and fortunately everything went quite smoothly which meant we didn't have to rehearse until the wee hours of the night. We briefly met the reigning Mrs. World and she said a few words of welcome via her translator (she is Russian). She and Andrea (who are both professionally trained dancers) will be performing a dance number during the show. We've seen Andrea practicing and she is a great dancer. She was in the touring production of Cats and was a ballerina for many years. I didn't get to see Mrs. World dance but I have heard she is an amazing dancer as well. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Some of my closest girlfriends arrived in the afternoon, so I was waiting in the lobby for them when they arrived. Kim Falk (maid of honor in our wedding), Sarah Moses (owner of The Pageant Shop by Michael's), Allison Stavrakis (my former pageant director), and Paula Preston (my photographer) made the trip out to cheer me on and I cannot put into words how much that has meant to me! You ladies are the best! Paula had made up fun little lanyard necklaces w/ my photo on them, so they were all wearing them around the hotel. They've got signs and fun light-up sticks to hold in the audience so I'll know where they're sitting. I feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends & family--I could not do it without your love & support! :)

We learned our opening number (we'll each be carrying our state flag) and practiced our modeling for Top Twelve and the rest of the show. I enjoyed chatting with John & Lisa O'Hurley for a bit...they are an adorable couple and so friendly & down to earth. They graciously posed for photos with many of us and will do a great job hosting the show. One highlight was seeing an actual tarantula (not that I am a big fan of spiders, but it was neat to see one out here in the Sonoran Desert!). I am glad we don't have those back home in Minnesota, that's for sure!

This may be my last post until I return home on Thursday, since my husband mentioned he needs the laptop to try and get some work done while he's here (and I'll be too tied up w/ rehearsal and getting ready for anyway). I'll post photos of the final show and give a full report as soon as possible. So until then, it's been a BLAST and I hope you've enjoyed reading about my experience as much as I've enjoyed blogging it! This has been the experience of a lifetime and no matter what the outcome, I gave it my best shot and more than anything I'm walking away with 50 new friends and memories that I will never forget. Which is all a girl can ask for! Signing off for now...

PHOTOS:
1) Mrs. RI, NC, and I waiting for rehearsals to begin.
2) Posing with our flags that we'll use for the opening number.
3) My girlfriends/support team arrive! Yea!!!
4) My roommie & "sister queen" Mrs. GA catch up with our state directors Faith & Carl Schway between rehearsals.
5) With my husband Matt during the break between rehearsals.
6) Team Minnesota (my support team!)
7) With our gracious pageant hosts, John & Lisa O'Hurley.
8) Practicing on stage.
9) Mrs. NV and I pose with Peter (who is in charge of the TV production). Hopefully we weren't TOO difficult to work with! HA!
10) The stage starts to come together.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
REHEARSALS & MRS. AMERICA "QUIZ SHOW"

Today we mostly had rehearsals followed by our last "challenge" portion of the competition, the Mrs. America "Quiz Show." In the morning, we began the blocking for the final show. The outdoor set was in the process of being set up, and I can tell you that it is going to look fantastic. The stage floor is white and black checkerboard (which looks really cool), and the mountains in the background will provide a spectacular view! In between rehearsals, I was able to see my hubby & family for a bit, and then it was off to rehearsal again. Just before dinner we had the Mrs. America Quiz Show, which the reigning Mrs. America Andrea Preuss "hosted." Earlier in the week, we had taken a written quiz of roughly 20 questions pertaining to things such as the events we'd been participating in, Mrs. America trivia, hotel/resort trivia, etc. (i.e. who designed the golf course at the Loews resort, what is the name of the cactus so prevalently seen in Tucson, who is the President of Mrs. America Inc--you get the idea). The top ten quiz finalists were announced, and I was surprised to hear my name as one of the top two finishers (the other was Mrs. IL--we both tied for answering the least amount of wrong answers). We were given dry erase boards and then answered questions from our "host" Andrea. If you got one wrong answer, you were eliminated. After two rounds, I think there were 6 of us left, and the third question was "What contestant has an identical twin?" I had sat with Mrs. CA Sheryl Ellison (who is DELIGHTFUL by the way), and remembered her telling me she had an identical twin. Lo & behold, I was the only one who got it right, so I "won" the quiz show portion! Whoo hoo! We all had a good laugh and I was happy to get the extra points. I grabbed a quick bite with my family and we ran into pageant host John O'Hurley (of "Seinfeld" & "Dancing With the Stars" fame) and his beautiful wife Lisa, who is expecting in December. She looked RADIANT and is probably the cutest pregnant lady I've ever seen! I sure didn't look that cute when I was preggo! HA! After dinner, it was back to rehearsal and off to bed! Only two more days until the big show! WOW!

PHOTOS:
1) Morning rehearsal w/ the very deserving Super Smile winner, Pebblz Nakamoto - Mrs. Hawaii
2) With pageannt announcer John Harlan.
3) Waiting for the Quiz Show to start.
4) Holding my "winning" answer w/ Mrs. CA Sheryl Ellison (she's the only contestant who has an identical twin!)
5) With my parents Bonnie & Rick, husband Matt, & Robin Duffney (Mrs. MN '95) at dinner.
6) Matt and I enjoy a few minutes together at dinner.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2006
REHEARSAL FOR PRELIMS, GOLF PUTT-OFF, & PRELIMINARY PAGEANT

Prelim day is finally HERE! Yea! We had a rehearsal in the morning that ran a tad late, but that meant that they CANCELLED our afternoon rehearsal which of course we were all very excited about! More time to get ready! Just before eating lunch, my hubby Matt arrived, and I have to admit I got a bit emotional when I first saw him. This experience has been AMAZING, but it's hard to be away from the people you love! I was able to have lunch with him, and then I had to compete in the golf "putt-off" to determine the golf challenge individual winner. Our team (the Blonde Bombshells - Mrs. WV, VT, OR, & myself) had to putt three different holes and the person with the lowest score would be crowned as the winner and awarded an additional 25 points in addition to the 50 points we'd each earned as a team. It was a tough competition with a lot of smack talk (all in good fun of course!), and lo and behold I pulled off the win! So that was a lot of fun. Matt & my parents went to hit some golf balls and explore the resort while I headed upstairs to get ready for prelims and finish my state costume earrings (they turned out great but I am sick of glueing rhinestones!).

Prelims started at 7:00 with an opening number in our swimsuits and sarongs, followed by the announcement of some special awards. Mrs. Congeniality was Mrs. Nevada, Victoria Broz (I'm happy to say I voted for her!). She's been awesome all week...she generously loaned her car or drove people to the tanning salon, to the grocery store, to get their nails done, etc. and is always so sweet and friendly. PLUS she grew up about one mile from where we live in Minnesota! So she's a Minnesota girl at heart! The Super Smile winner was Mrs. Hawaii, Pebblz Nakamoto, who truly does have a beautiful smile and was very deserving. She won $2,500!!! We then competed in swimsuit and evening gown, followed by the state costume competition which was judged by a separate panel of judges. The costumes were spectacular! My costume was Minnesota's state flower, the ladyslipper (when I introduced myself, I said "364 days out of the year, Minnesota's state flower the ladyslipper is illegal to pick...but not tonight; you can PICK ME!" The crowd really laughed at that. My personal favorites are Mrs. Alaska's igloo skirt and my roommate Mrs. Georgia, who is a basket of peaches. The Top Ten costumes were announced and they were: Alaska (igloo), Georgia (peaches), Hawaii (Humuhumu fish), Kentucky (KY Derby), Maryland (Star Spangled Banner--her costume lights up!), North Carolina (dogwood flowers), South Carolina (Gamecocks/Tigers), Texas (Yellow rose of TX), Utah (state flower), & Washington (Seahawks). These girls all looked amazing!

I felt like I did the best job I could in competition, so I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best. Everyone looked so beautiful and seemed to really be having a great time. I was thrilled to see my good friend Kathy Lauer who came to lend her support. Kathy now lives here in Tucson and we competed together in 2003 and have stayed in touch. Which just goes to show you what pageantry really is all about! Lynn DeJarnette (former Mrs. Arkansas & current State Director) came over to say a big hello...I met her in Atlanta when she was a judge for the Mrs. GA pageant and she is SO NICE and so pretty! It was a fantastic evening and I was STARVING by the end of the pageant, so after grabbing a burger (which was DELICIOUS by the way!), it was off to bed. A wonderful but exhausting day! WHEW!

PHOTOS:
1) My husband Matt finally arrives! I've missed him!!!
2) The Blonde Bomshells at the golf putt-off.
3) Just before swimsuit competition (Mrs. SC, GA, and I)
4) With my dressing room "neighbor" Mrs. MI
5) With the delightful Mrs. Utah (she is beautiful AND sweet!)
6) The "fabulous four" (we share the same directors)
7) The silver ladies (Mrs. Arkansas & I)
8) Mrs. ND & I wearing our gowns from The Pageant Shop by Michael's. Thank you Sarah Moses, your dresses are the best!
9) My state costume, the ladyslipper that is "legal" to be picked!
10) With Mrs. Alaska - I told you she had a great costume!
11) The "state flower" costumes.
12) With good friend Kathy Lauer after prelims.